How We Save Land
Door County is a rare and remarkable place. Protecting it takes long-term vision, diverse tools, and local care.
Our Work
Door County is among the most ecologically significant counties in Wisconsin, with extraordinary shoreline habitat and biodiversity.
But its beauty and biodiversity are under constant pressure from development, climate shifts, and habitat fragmentation. Every protected acre contributes to clean water, climate resilience, biodiversity, and future generations' right to experience this land.
We do two things: protect land and care for it — permanently.
Our Impact
Four Decades of Conservation
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- acres protected forever
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- conservation easements
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- nature preserves
How We Protect Land
We acquire interest in land through purchase, donation, and legal agreements. Each strategy plays a distinct role. Together, they form a network of protection across Door County's most important landscapes.
Nature Preserves
Land we own and care for. These are public-access natural areas permanently protected by Door County Land Trust. Trails, wildlife habitat, and ecological restoration make these places open and alive.
Explore Our PreservesConservation Easements
Land privately owned, but permanently protected. We work with willing landowners to place legal agreements that safeguard their land's natural features forever — no matter who owns it next.
Learn About EasementsLand Donations & Sales
Some landowners choose to donate or sell their property for conservation. Whether it is a full gift, a bargain sale, or a bequest, these contributions create lasting legacies.
Explore Giving OptionsHow We Decide What to Protect
On a peninsula with over 300,000 acres and development pressure increasing, we can't protect everything. So we focus where it matters most.
Our Ecological Priorities
We've identified seven natural features most vital, fragile, and unique to Door County's ecosystem:
- Significant geological features
- Native forest communities
- Surface and groundwater resources
- Fish habitat
- Ecological and riparian corridors
- Migratory and breeding bird habitat
- Rare species
Priority Conservation Areas
When several of these priorities overlap in one place — a groundwater-fed creek that supports rare species, native forest, and bird habitat, like at Three Springs Nature Preserve — we identify that place as a priority conservation area.
The Land Trust has identified 32 priority conservation areas across the peninsula and islands. These are the places most critical to Door County's ecological wellbeing. Focusing protection efforts here ensures our resources have the greatest conservation benefit. Many of our preserves and natural areas are within these priority areas.
A Collaborative Approach
Our plan for land protection includes input from other conservation organizations. Scientific data — hydrological studies, biological inventories — has been shared between Door County's conservation groups to plan protection strategies together.
We collaborate with The Ridges Sanctuary, Crossroads at Big Creek, Wisconsin DNR, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy. Each organization has certain strengths and areas of focus, with some overlap. To know which projects are best managed by the Land Trust, we start with our conservation priorities.
From Priority to Protected
When the Land Trust commits to protecting a piece of land, we are committing not just current resources but future resources. Every potential project goes through a thoughtful review process before we take action.
First, a new project goes to the Land Policy Committee for evaluation, then to the Board of Directors for a final vote. Once approved, we begin securing protection — writing governmental and foundation grants and raising private funds. Once acquired, a stewardship plan is developed for the long-term resilience and health of the property.
Conservation will never happen by accident. Without landowners willing to work with us, new efforts would be impossible. Outreach is targeted toward property owners in priority conservation areas.
How We Care for Land
Protecting land is just the beginning. Whether we own a preserve, hold an easement, or accept a donation — we are responsible for what happens next. This work never ends.
Stewardship
We monitor, restore, and manage every property we protect — invasive species removal, trail maintenance, prescribed burns, and ecological restoration.
Learn About Our StewardshipHunting Program
Managed hunting on select preserves supports deer population balance and ecological health.
About the ProgramHow Will You Help?
Whether you protect your own land, volunteer, or make a gift — you are part of Door County's conservation story.