Door Peninsula

MORE THAN 50 YEARS OF CONSERVATION

A slender limestone peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan, the Door Peninsula is well-known in Wisconsin and beyond for its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.

Its rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, marshy bays, fertile wetlands, and conifer forests provide habitat for plants and animals, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. The limestone that forms the rugged backbone of the peninsula is part of the Niagara Escarpment, an impressive work of geologic artistry that covers several states and two countries.

The Nature Conservancy has been working to protect wild places and wildlife on the Door Peninsula since 1962, when we provided a loan to The Ridges Sanctuary to help them acquire 10 acres of land and add it to the sanctuary. We continue to work with partners to protect the exceptional diversity of plants and animals that inhabit the coastal wetland landscapes at places like Mink River Estuary and Shivering Sands Preserve. 

OUR CONSERVATION GOALS

Working with local communities to protect natural areas on the peninsula while balancing human needs and economic health in the region.

Working with other organizations concerned with health of natural areas on the peninsula, including Door County Land Trust, The Ridges, and state and local governments.

Managing our preserves to support healthy populations of native plants and wildlife.

Providing information about the plants and animals of the peninsula to area residents and other interested parties.

ACCOMPLISHING OUR GOALS

Building partnerships with individuals, governmental agencies, other non-profits and the business community to find ways to reduce the impact of unplanned development, improper forest management, run-off from agricultural fields and invasive species that threaten the natural resources of the peninsula.

Working with private landowners toward common goals for the protection of this ecologically unique area. Some ways we work with landowners include land acquisition, conservation easements and land management techniques.

We helped start and continue to participate on the Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST), a group of natural resources professionals and interested members of the public that work together to control the infestation and spread of invasive species in Door County. Learn more about DCIST.

TNC Natural Areas on the Door Peninsula

TNC manages four preserves on the Door Peninsula:

• Kangaroo Lake
• Mink River Estuary
• North Bay-Mud Lake Preserve
• Shivering Sands Preserve

TNC has helped protect a total of 7,911 acres on the Door Peninsula at these four preserves and at other places like Bayshore Blufflands, Toft Point, Jackson Harbor Ridges, Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest and Wetlands, Ida Bay Forest, Chambers Island, Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp and Whitefish Dunes State Park. This figure includes lands owned and managed by TNC, conservation easements, government co-ops and assists.

How You Can See Our Work

If you are interested in volunteering to help with land management, please contact our Northeast Wisconsin office in Sturgeon Bay at 920-743-8695 to be added to our email list for notification of land stewardship work parties, which are usually held every other Tuesday.

Most Nature Conservancy preserves are open for hiking, bird-watching, nature study, photography and other low-impact recreating opportunities. Hunting is allowed at many preserves. For more information on hunting opportunities please see our hunting program web page.

Northeast Wisconsin Staff

Joy Bastian, Conservation Programs Coordinator
Mike Grimm, Conservation Ecologist
Kari Hagenow, Door Peninsula Land Steward
Nicole Van Helden, Director of Resilient Landscapes

If you have any questions about The Nature Conservancy's work on the Door Peninsula, please call us at 920-743-8695 or stop by our office at 342 Louisiana Street, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.