Nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, you will find one of the lasting legacies of Emma Toft.  According to WomenInWisconsin.org. Toft’s father purchased more than 300 acres of land in Baileys Harbor before her birth in 1891. The land later became a summer resort run by the Toft family that highlighted simple living. It also became an object of desire of other developers who wanted to build up the area into an exclusive resort for vacationers. Toft resisted and along with her family, sold Toft’s Point to the Wisconsin Nature Conservancy in 1967. The area later expanded to its current 743-acre preserve, now recognized as a State Natural Area and a part of the larger Ridges Sanctuary-Mud Lake Wildlife Area- Toft Point National Natural Landmark. The area is now under the stewardship of UW-Green Bay, which collaborates with the Friends of Toft’s Point group to provide nature hikes, invasive plant removal, and trail maintenance. Site manager Andrew LaPlant says there is a lot to enjoy about Toft’s Point from an ecological point of view.

For Dr. Keir Wefferling, Toft’s Point has become one of his favorite places on the planet not just to visit, but to conduct his research on the variety of mosses found on the site. He works closely with the Friends of Toft’s Point, which counts some of Toft’s descendants as its members. Wefferling says those interactions have made him even more appreciative of Toft’s persistence in protecting the land for future generations.

Toft passed away in Sturgeon Bay on Valentine’s Day 1982. You can join the Friends of Toft’s Point here to help support the group’s efforts to provide docents, remove invasive species, and maintain the property’s trails and historic cabins.

Listen to our full interviews with LaPlant and Wefferling below:

Picture courtesy of Destination Door County