Shaded marsh in winter with blue sky and white wispy clouds in Baileys Harbor, Door County.

Door County Land Trust protecting high-quality forest in Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp

Door County Land Trust announces the protection of ecologically rich forest and wetland habitat within the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp State Natural Area

The Door County Land Trust announced to the Door County Daily News the acquisition of a property in the Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp State Natural Area, as shared in this blog article by Paul Schmitt.

Protection efforts began 17 years ago through a conservation easement. With this recent acquisition, Door County Land Trust now protects over 400 acres in Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp, which includes high-quality forest and wetland habitat.

The land acquisition was funded by the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative-Environmental Protection Agency grant. Long-term care costs will be funded through a John C Bock Foundation grant and additional endowment funds raised by Door County Land Trust.

“Large-scale conservation efforts like this one at Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp benefit everything we hold dear: the plants and animals, the beauty of the landscape, the health of our waters, and so much more. Protecting places like these is so important to the environmental health of our region overall, and is significant to our local community,” said Door County Land Trust’s land protection director Julie Schartner.

One of the largest coastal wetlands in Door County, Gibraltar-Ephraim Swamp stretches from Eagle Harbor across the peninsula to Baileys Harbor, providing vital habitat for migratory species.

Featured image by Elvis Kennedy, 2016.

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