Wisconsin now has a major wine growing region. Beginning on April 23, 2012, regional wineries in our community began to label their products as ‘Wisconsin Ledge’ for being grown on part of the Niagara escarpment corridor, which contains unique underlying geology, soils and climate conditions making it especially conducive to grape growing and wine production right here in east central and northeast Wisconsin.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Trout Springs Winery owner Steve DeBaker, who’s vision and dedication of seven years helped to pull in others to dream this dream…like Eric Fowle of the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and founding co-chair of the Niagara Escarpment Resource Network, Jim Kettler of the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, as well as other grape growers and wine producers. For more information about this and more, please visit www.escarpmentnetwork.org.

This outdoor event is being held to celebrate Mary & Gary Drohmans’ 2011 conservation easement project in partnership with GLC, a conservation organization specializing in permanent private landowner conservation.

Gary Drohman and GLC volunteer naturalist Shirley Griffin will guide participants through the property’s moderate terrain on a nature hike of the land’s many habitat features. The Drohmans have spent 40 years actively managing their property with installing a pond and restoring native trees, shrubs and grasslands.

The Drohmans wanted to maintain the wildlife habitat of their land and prevent the property from any future subdivision. The couple’s commitment to conservation will be honored with a brief presentation during lunch before the guided walk.

“It has been a joy to work with Mary and Gary on this project to protect their beautiful land,” said Vickie Hall, GLC’s Executive Director.

Event details will be provided at registration, which is required by May 3rd. Participation is free to GLC members and $5 to non-members. To register or find out more about the event, call Vickie Hall at 920-273-1143.

Download a copy of this GLC Press Release here.

The afternoon was set off by the eclectic charm of the Inn as guests enjoyed a self-guided tour. Event guests sampled an array of wines from Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery and a delicious selection of cheeses from Nala’s Fromagerie.

“We are so pleased to partner with local businesses like Parallel 44 Winery and Nala’s Fromagerie, and now with the Kewaunee Inn, and pull off our most successful wine and cheese fundraiser to date,” said Executive Director Vickie Hall, “The event attracts great people so it is a lot of fun to participate.”

The afternoon ended with an always exciting dessert auction, which was highlighted by a record breaking bid. Duane and Katherine Ducat walked away as the proud winners of a delectable hazelnut (Engadiner) torte baked by Annette Weissbach. Christine Halbur, the auctioneer, deftly guided the bidding contest which broke last year’s record for Shirley Griffin’s amazing maple hazelnut pie. There was also a lot of fierce bidding over Gary & Mary Drohman’s maple syrup and Tom & Julie Tittl’s Chesnok garlic bulbs, ready for planting.

We are already excited to see what will happen next year!

GLC would like to extend our appreciation to the generosity of our volunteers, bakers, in-kind donors and event sponsors for this year’s event!

• Silver Level Event Sponsors: Arthur & Sarah Schiller, Shirley Griffin, Christine & Ray Krieg
• Bronze Level Event Sponsors: Union State Bank, Vickie Hall, John & Chris Kappelman, Rev. William O’Brien, Dorothy Summers, and Dale & Renee Voskuil
• In-kind Partners: Nala’s Fromagerie, The Kewaunee Inn, and Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery

For the post-event Press Release fromGLC, link here.

Home to Cole and Cindy Northup over the last twenty years, the couple has worked diligently to create a beautiful 68-acre landscape or bella terra for wildlife and human habitat.

After signing the property up to the land trust’s Registry Program many years earlier, they decided to take the next step with Glacial Lakes Conservancy for permanent protection.

To read more about this conservation project, GLC’s 2012 Event Calendar, and more, download a copy of GLC’s Landscapes Winter 2012 Issue here.

The afternoon will feature a self-guided tour of the renovated Kewaunee Inn, built in 1912 in the Arts & Crafts style. Participants will sample pairings of wines and cheeses, learn about Glacial Lakes Conservancy’s work in Kewaunee and finish with a fun auction of home-made desserts.

This popular yearly event is held to raise friends and funds for GLC and its work in voluntary land conservation. “More people are contacting Glacial Lakes these days as they consider their legacy of land to see if the land trust is a good fit.  To meet that influx of calls and projects, fun fundraisers like this event really make a difference to GLC,” said Vickie Hall, Executive Director.

In fact, the first census of land trusts ending in 2010 found 10 million new acres conserved nationwide since 2005. A total of 47 million acres – an area over twice the size of all the national parks in the contiguous U.S. – are now protected by land trusts. A greater percentage of the new acreage comes through state and local land trusts like Glacial Lakes Conservancy.

Over the last 5 years, GLC has more than doubled the private lands it protects in perpetuity through landowner conservation.  In 2010, Dr. William and Andrea Iwen of Algoma preserved their Kewaunee River corridor property adjacent to the C.D. “Buzz” Besadny Fish & Wildlife Area as a water quality and habitat protection buffer by granting GLC a Conservation Easement. The project represents a first for Kewaunee County.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Registration is $30 per person and the deadline to register is March 21st due to limited seating.  For information and a registration form, visit the Events page at www.glaciallakes.org or call the GLC office at 920-273-1143.

Download a copy of this GLC Press Release here.

All are welcome.  Free to GLC members and $5 for non-members.  Registration is required by May 3rd. To register your attendance, please contact our office by phone,  email, or send us this completed GLC Mail-in Registration-Donation Form.

This popular annual event is held each year to raise friends and funds for GLC and its work in local land conservation in Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Calumet and Fond du Lac Counties.

The afternoon will feature a self-guided tour of the renovated Kewaunee Inn, built in 1912 in the Arts & Crafts style. Participants will sample pairings of delectable wines and cheeses, learn about Glacial Lakes Conservancy’s work in the region and finish with a fun auction of delicious home-made desserts.

GLC deeply thanks our generous Silver-level event sponsors Arthur & Sarah Schiller, Chris & Ray Krieg, Shirley Griffin and our Bronze-level event sponsors John & Chris Kappelman, Vickie Hall, Rev. Bill O’Brien, Dale & Renee Voskuil and the wonderful in-kind donations of The Kewaunee Inn at Hamachek Village, Saxon Homestead Creamery, Nala’s Fromagerie of Green Bay, volunteer bakers and volunteer event staff who make it all happen!

Members and the general public are welcome and encouraged to attend. Registration is $30 per person and the deadline to register is March 21, due to limited seating.

To register, become an event sponsor or provide a cash or bakery donation, please download the GLC Event Donation & Registration Form here. Or download the GLC 2012 Wine & Cheese Tasting Event Flyer.

FSA representatives will speak about the Conservation Reserve Program. The current sign-up period for CRP runs from March 12 to April 6, 2012.

Representatives from the NRCS and Rural Development will also be on-hand to speak about the programs that their agencies offer.  For more information, contact Thomas Schneider at the Manitowoc County FSA Office.

Majorities of Republicans and Democrats – 300 Cosponsors – Urge House Passage of Conservation Tax Incentive

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressmen Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) announced today that 300 representatives have co-sponsored their bill to conserve America’s forests, agricultural lands and open spaces – more than any other tax bill. H.R. 1964 makes permanent a recently-expired tax incentive that allows modest-income landowners to receive significant tax deductions for donating conservation easements that permanently protect important natural or historic resources on their lands.

“We are thrilled that majorities of Republicans and Democrats can agree on supporting the work of local land trusts that is so important to their communities,” said Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth. “We thank U.S. Representatives Jim Gerlach and Mike Thompson for championing this cause, and look forward to working with all 300 co-sponsors to get the job done.”

“This legislation has generated tremendous bipartisan support because the conservation easement tax incentive works,” said Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA-6). “The tax incentive gives family farmers, ranchers and other property owners more choices and creates opportunities for partnerships between non-profit organizations, federal, state and local officials. With the support of nearly three-quarters of the House, I am hopeful that conservation easements will remain an option for all property owners.”

“The enhanced conservation easement incentive is a success – last year we reached a total of 47 million acres of land saved from development, a 27% jump from 2005. But it’s not just about the numbers, it’s about helping folks plan, conserve land and protect wildlife so our kids and grandkids can enjoy these natural treasures,” said Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-1). “300 co-authors from both the Republican and Democratic sides of the aisle is a nearly unmatched statement of support. Now it’s time to pass this bill and make this conservation incentive permanent.”

Landowners can retire the development rights on their land by donating a conservation easement to a land trust in their community – keeping agricultural land in productive use, protecting important fish and wildlife habitat, and conserving our scenic and historic heritage. Since the incentive expired at the end of 2011, landowners with modest incomes now receive little tax benefit from restricting what may be their family’s most valuable asset.  By allowing donors to deduct a larger portion of their income over a longer period of time, H.R. 1964 will help thousands of family farmers, ranchers, and forest owners afford to conserve their land.
View the co-sponsor list at: www.lta.org/easementincentive/cosponsors.

On December 27th, two committed landowners donated a conservation easement to protect their bella terra – beautiful land – along the Pigeon River to conserve the property’s woods, wetlands, waters and restored habitat of mixed native species and prairie.

Following Mary Garton’s Bur Oak easement, this makes two projects that GLC has helped protect along the Pigeon River Corridor, about two miles apart.

We THANK these landowners and YOU, our supporters, FOR YOUR HELP TO MAKE CONSERVATION HAPPEN in our community!!!

Your support helped us to accomplish these Glacial Lakes Conservancy highlights in 2011:

•    We did it!  GLC’s Grasshopper Hill Preserve!  This year we launched and completed a successful campaign to raise the funds needed for acquisition, costs, short & long term stewardship! At the end of September, we purchased our second property to own and manage. This took a tremendous amount of effort and we sincerely thank our sellers Noelle Jonas & Mark Meeusen, key donors, Preservation Partners, volunteers, members and the Sheboygan County Stewardship Grant that made it happen.

•    We expanded! The Gary & Mary Drohman Manitou Maples Conservation Easement in Manitowoc County was donated to GLC in late November to protect their land’s beautiful natural habitat and productive farmland.

•    We learned! by attending Gathering Waters’ Annual Land Trust Retreat & the National LTA Land Conservation Conference Rally.

•    We grew our Preservation Partner members this year from 17 to 31! A Partner Dinner was held in May to provide attendees with GLC’s plans to keep moving forward in local land protection.

•    We updated our Website! with more landowner information and tools, a land trust video, photo gallery and donations accepted online.

•    We created the GLC Land Team with a talented volunteer team of Shirley Griffin, Sarah Majerus, and Tony Smith who walk, document and conduct inventories of project properties.

•    We had fun at GLC’s Annual Wine & Cheese Tasting/Dessert Auction at Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery in Kewaunee County in April.

•    We walked, lunched, and celebrated in the sunshine! In June, GLC volunteer naturalist Pat Robinson led a guided tour at the William & Andrea Iwen Lunch & Land Walk Celebration.

•    And in the drizzle, we walked, lunched and celebrated some more at the Grasshopper Hill Preserve Lunch & Land Walk Celebration at nearby Fischer Farm in October.

•    Then we dined at the GLC Annual Event Dinner in December at Margaux and learned about the history and ecology of the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge from ornithologist and naturalist, Bill Volkert.

Happy New Year from Glacial Lakes Conservancy!