In late 2024, the Town of Gibraltar finalized the purchase of the 119-acre Redmann property, reported Door County Pulse. This land will be added to the 27-acre Fish Creek Park and a 6-acre donated portion to create a 152-acre preserve and recreational area in the heart of Fish Creek.
The $1.5 million purchase was made entirely with donations and grants, including a $249,000 Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grant. Since 1989, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has helped local governments and nonprofit conservation organizations protect Wisconsin’s most significant natural resources and outdoor recreation areas through matching grants.
In a Door County Pulse Podcast interview, Town Administrator Travis Thyssen described the property: “It’s completely surrounded and hidden in natural vegetation and bluffs and ponds and so many different natural trees and it’s just an amazing view. And yet you’re so far away from everything else. There’s no people, there’s no houses, there’s nothing. It’s just this large, vast wetland and upland area that is kind of hidden right in the middle of town.”
Now that the purchase is complete, early plans include extending bike trails and multimodal paths through the property. Up to five acres can be used for improvements such as parking lots, gazebos or playgrounds.
Photo by Myles Dannhausen Jr. for Door County Pulse.
