Wetlands that are home to part of the headwaters of Ephraim Creek and Hidden Springs, which are located in the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp State Natural Area, will remain unspoiled.  The Door County Land Trust has purchased the 40-acre parcel in Gibraltar Ephraim Swamp State Natural Area, which runs from the northern edge of Ephraim limits south to Peninsula State Park and east to Townline Road.  Land Trust Development Director Cinnamon Rossman says the wetlands help protect the quality of water flowing into Eagle Harbor and provides some much-needed habitat for migratory birds.

The newly protected wetlands were owned by one family for several generations.  The Door County Land Trust was able to buy the wetlands with grant funding through the Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Protection Initiative.  Other grant funding came from Wisconsin's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.