It was a memorable year for the Northwoods Land Trust, headquartered in Eagle River, as they seek to preserve tracts of land and waters for future generations.
It's their 18th year, and they will be holding their annual meeting June 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Northwoods Center in downtown Eagle River. The public is invited.
The trust's founder and Executive Director Bryan Pierce will lead this meeting for the last time as he is retiring. The announcement of a new leader is expected soon. The trust administered what is believed to be the largest such transaction of it's kind in Wisconsin, the former Yawkee Lumber Company land in Hazelhurst as Pierce explains...
"...That one turned out to be the most valuable land conservation donation to a land trust in Wisconsin. It also had the most lake frontage donated. It also is one of the largest projects in terms of acreage that were outright donations. That incredible project was a record in itself, but we did add several more grants of conservation easements from private landowners...."
The Yawkee donation is on Katherine Lake in Oneida County which includes 430 acres of forest and wetland valued at $12 million. The donation was the largest amount of natural lake shore, nearly 4.4 miles, ever given to a land trust in the state.
Pierce says also added 20 more acres to the Yawkee donation and two other donations in Oneida county and one in Forest county and worked with another land trust in Vilas county on properties on the Michigan-Wisconsin border.
