Door County Land Trust added two new properties to the Hibbard Creek Natural Area, located between Fish Creek and Jacksonport, continuing a conservation effort that began in 1998 when Patti and Neil McCarty donated 80 acres of land to the land trust. With additional acreage acquired, the land trust now protects over 250 acres of land along the creek.
Hibbard Creek and its surrounding watershed have been a focus of the land trust due to the area’s critical importance to water quality and wildlife survival. The creek serves as a natural fishery where salmon, trout, and longnose suckers spawn, while the surrounding forested land provides essential habitat for wildlife. The wetlands surrounding Hibbard Creek, rich with cedar trees, naturally filter the groundwater, helping keep both the creek and Lake Michigan clean.
Door County Land Trust Executive Director Emily Wood expands on the area’s significance:
“These projects help us complete a full mile-and-a-half corridor of protection around Hibbard Creek. The land provides a buffer for water filtration that provides positive outcomes for water quality before the creek makes its way into Lake Michigan,” said Wood. “Protecting that corridor is an intentional strategy because we know protecting linear habitats around water is extremely valuable to wildlife.”
Door County Land Trust received support for purchasing these properties from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, with additional funding provided by grants from the Fox River and Green Bay Natural Resources Trustees and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
To date, Door County Land Trust has leveraged over $14 million in Knowles-Nelson grants in pursuit of its mission to protect Door County’s exceptional lands and waters forever.
Reporting for this story was provided by WisBusiness and Fox11.
Featured image by Dan Eggert / Door County Land Trust.
