The Door County Land Trust recently placed four acres of land on the bay of Green Bay on a protected conservation easement. Owner Michael Schmitz of Ellison Bay purchased the property at the end of Porcupine Bay Road in 1999 and agreed to the easement with the Land Trust to keep the shoreline parcel undeveloped forever. The property includes a rocky lakeshore and a mature cedar forest that provides a breeding ground for migratory songbirds and shorebirds.

Door County Land Trust Director Emily Wood says the importance of conservation easements as a part of the Land Trust’s overall land protection strategy cannot be overstated. “Partnerships with landowners and private conservation easements are an essential tool for protecting the lands between our state and county parks and nature preserves,” she said. “Door County’s wildlife benefits enormously from these protected corridors, and our community benefits from the clean air and healthy water too.”

Schmitz said, “It’s important to me that it stays the way it is,” he said. “I’ve done nothing to it in the 25 years I’ve owned it. I decided that I want it to be preserved after I’m gone.”  A conservation easement agreement is a legally binding agreement that allows a property owner to retain ownership of the land. At the same time, Door County Land Trust ensures the property’s conservation values are protected in perpetuity.