PC: Door County Land Trust
In Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, nearly 14 acres of prairie, forest and ridge and swale wetlands are now protected through a conservation easement with the Door County Land Trust. The land belongs to Vonnie and Dave Callsen, who founded Main Street Market in Egg Harbour and have been staples in Door County since opening it in 1987. The Door County Land Trust reports that when the couple first bought the property, there was no house, only an old barn, an apple orchard and nearly 30 acres of natural beauty.
The land also protects groundwater resources contributing to the Mink River Estuary and Hine’s emerald dragonfly habitat, according to the Door County Land Trust. The couple have six great-grandchildren, and Vonnie Callsen said they want them to have the same beauty that she and Dave enjoy. Dave Callsen previously served on the DCLT board as Board President, and both he and Vonnie are Legacy Circle members, according to the story. The land also protects groundwater resources that contribute to the Mink River Estuary, as well as Hine’s emerald dragonfly habitat, according to the organisation. The Door County Land Trust’s Senior Conservation Easement Manager, “One of the most impressive aspects of completing the Callsen Family conservation easement is that it buffers existing protected lands—specifically, The Nature Conservancy’s Mink River Preserve, according to Drew Reinke.
They camped on the land and put a kitchen and a bathroom into the barn before building their house a few years later. The couple wished to preserve a piece of their land to protect a prairie and forest with thriving wildlife, and an area of ridge and swale wetlands. He noted that DCLT conservation easements on properties abutting protected lands are becoming increasingly common across the peninsula.
