Update on Houghton Falls 10/17/2008

The Conservancy has been working with the Town of Bayview and the Trust for Public Land to locate funding and reach agreements with landowners to purchase approximately 77 acres near Houghton Falls on Lake Superior.

Together, we hope to acquire both sides of the main waterfall as well as the Echo Dells upstream. The Town of Bayview created an ad hoc committee that has drafted a management plan to provide for the public’s quiet enjoyment of the property while protecting the natural beauty of this historic site.

Currently, we are waiting to hear how the project ranks nationally for federal funds and then will continue working with the Department of Natural Resources on an application for a grant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund.

This site is historically very important to people who have lived here, as early as the Copper Age civilization 6,000 years ago. Although in private ownership, the area has always been a destination for people who rode the train to the Houghton Stop and then caught the excursion boat out to Long Island. Over the last one hundred years, due to the generosity of the private landowners, many people have enjoyed on the rock ledges, explored the waterfalls and dells, or enjoyed the pine-needle trail along the ravine. Our goal is for the Town of Bayview to hold title to the land open to the public for quiet enjoyment of this beautiful natural area.

Moving on

This is the last column I’ll write for the BRC’s newsletter. I am leaving this position and will be joining the University of Wisconsin Extension Service as a natural resource educator in the Lake Superior basin.

I began working for BRC as their first staff person officially in January 2000. I remember the first mailing we sent out in the fall of 1999—it had an amazing response and immediately formed a membership base of over three hundred households. We could tell that the work we proposed to do struck a chord with many people who lived here who wanted to see the beauty of this region protected. Since then, every time we had a project that needed money (Corny Beach, Big Ravine, Nourse Sugarbush, Mt. Ashwabay) our members have always met the challenge—thank you!

I’ve had the good fortune to work with many private landowners who worked with us to draft permanent preservation agreements (conservation easements) to protect their land into the future. These landowners not only donated their easements to BRC to uphold into the future, but they also shared with me and our land volunteers, the places that mean the most to them—whether it be a lake cabin, their home on the White River or their fruit farm operation. Anyone who has been on these visits recognizes the magic that happens when we work with landowners to carry out their dream of protecting the places that mean the most to them.

Finally, I’d like to recognize the commitment our board members have made throughout the life of BRC. Since the beginning of the conservancy (as an all-volunteer organization) we have had thirty-two people serve on the board of directors. They have served as treasurer, led meetings, wrote policy, visited lands, cared for trails, visited major donors, organized events and a million other tasks that helped BRC protect more land.

So as you see, although our mission is about protecting land, our organization is all about people. Those who work for it, volunteer for it and donate to keep it going. I’m glad to have been a part of BRC’s growth and thank you all for believing in the mission and stepping up to help us succeed.