Southern Door's water quality has been boosted with a rare gift through a conservation easement agreement. The Door County Land Trust received the donation from Patricia A. Nell of Sturgeon Bay. The 158-acre property contains a portion of the headwaters of the Ahnapee River and surrounding wetlands that slow down water runoff and filter sediments and nutrients before entering the river. Conservation Easement Program manager Drew Reinke says the easement agreement protects the land and water while benefiting future generations. Reinke adds that the headwaters will be protected in perpetuity, keeping water quality protection as a top conservation focus for the Land Trust in Southern Door.  The acquisition of the land continues the efforts of the Land Trust to protect property that impacts local groundwater and surface waters that flow into Lake Michigan and the bay of Green Bay. 

(photo submitted: Patricia Nell (center) joins conservation easement program manager, Drew Reinke (left), and executive director, Emily Wood, at the Door County Land Trust offices in Sturgeon Bay. Door County Land Trust)