Land Trust Celebrates Record-Breaking Fundraiser for Land Protection
The crowd celebrates another “catch” as a donor pledges his dollars in the form of a sturgeon for the Giving Creek fundraiser at Door County Land Trust’s Annual Gathering on August 21st. Photo by Lucy Hodkiewicz
The Door County Land Trust (DCLT) is pleased to announce the success of the organization’s Annual Gathering fundraiser, the Giving Creek, which raised a record $390,550 in donations in support of land protection. With an original goal of $260,000 for the event, the final amount raised was well beyond what the organization hoped for, signifying that attendees understood the significance of their donations at a time when state grant funding for conservation is going away.
On the heels of the expiration of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund this past June—a state program which used to fund about 50% of DCLT’s land protection—donors have become the main source for conservation funding.
“I am blown away by this community,” said Emily Wood, Executive Director of the Land Trust. “I could really feel how much people love this place and want to see it protected.”
DCLT is preparing for a future without governmental support for conservation. The organization aims to raise $3 million per year for land protection in addition to their annual fundraising goals. This would supply a vital fund for future conservation expenses like land purchases that will no longer be replenished by grant funding. Since the organization’s first land purchase in 1996, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund has brought over $30 million in value to Door County conservation projects.
Funds from the successful Giving Creek fundraiser will go towards future land protection projects, most notably the organization’s hopeful protection of its 16th nature preserve later this year in Southern Door.
“Words cannot express how important individual donors are to preserving land in Door County right now,” said Cinnamon Rossman, Charitable Giving Director. “We are so grateful for this outpouring of support.”
The event, held at Murphy Park Pasture, hosted nearly 400 attendees under tents between Bay Shore Dr. and the bluffs of Horseshoe Bay Rd. In addition to the Giving Creek fundraiser, attendees enjoyed exclusive tours of the Horseshoe Bay Cave, a Mediterranean buffet, and refreshments accompanied by perfect weather and live music from Gypsy Caravan Swing Trio.
If you would like to help pave the way for future land protection in Door County, you can make a donation today at doorcountylandtrust.org/give or by mail to PO Box 65, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235.
