A natural gem worth replicating

Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve is the crown jewel in the Ozaukee County park system, County Administrator Jason Dzwinel said.

“I love Lion’s Den,” Dzwinel said. “I love taking my dog out there and running the trails. It’s got beautiful vistas along Lake Michigan, and the access to the shoreline is great. The trails are great.

“And the uniqueness of the gorge itself makes it one of our most impressive county parks.”

The 72-acre preserve in the Town of Grafton, which is adjacent to a 44-acre U.S. Fish and Wildlife waterfowl production area, was acquired by the county in 2002 and is visited by more than 100,000 people annually.

One of the last large, undeveloped tracts of Lake Michigan shoreland in Ozaukee County, Lion’s Den was acquired by the county through a collaboration with the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust — a model the Land Trust and county hope to replicate in acquiring the Cedar Gorge area a stone’s throw to the north just inside the City of Port Washington border.

The Land Trust announced it is negotiating with Waukesha State Bank to buy  and preserve the 131-acre parcel, noting it includes environmentally important areas such as Cedar Gorge, the Lake Michigan shore and the Clay Banks.

“This would be the biggest conservation project undertaken by the Land Trust. It’s a once in a lifetime Lake Michigan land protection opportunity,” Land Trust Executive Director Tom Stolp said. “We want to see that land protected and open to the public.” 

The similarities between Lion’s Den and Cedar Gorge are significant. Both are atop the Lake Michigan bluff and extend to the shore, and each is considered an important part of the migratory bird flyway. They also boast unique habitat, plant and animal species.

The Cedar Gorge acquisition is expected to follow in the footsteps of the Lion’s Den acquisition, supported and financed by public and private sources.

Lion’s Den, which includes a deep wooded ravine that cuts across the property and opens at the lake, was a privately owned parcel identified by the county as an important conservation area. It took years of negotiations with the landowner and a complicated fundraising effort before the Land Trust purchased the property and, after placing a conservation easement on the land, deeded it to the county to maintain in perpetuity as a nature preserve.

Money for the acquisition came from the Department of Natural Resources’ Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and Town of Grafton, as well as the Land Trust and Ozaukee County.

Since it was acquired, a small parking lot, informational kiosks, a ravine bridge, trails, picnic area, overlook area and stairway to the beach have been added, making Lion’s Den a magnet for visitors.
Attracting people to the park is a key to its success, and the success of other preservation projects, officials said. If people experience the beauty of natural areas, they are more likely to appreciate them and become advocates for preservation.

“How can you love something you don’t know?” asked Ozaukee County Supr. Jennifer Rothstein, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee. “Having property available that people can walk into and enjoy — that’s how you learn to appreciate it. A hundred years ago, it was all available, but today it’s so limited.

“And if we think it’s valuable now, think ahead 50 years. It’s just going to become more precious.” 

And that is something that public officials need to take into account, she said. It’s important that not all land be developed.

Lion’s Den, she said, is a special place, one with a microclimate that creates a unique habitat for wildlife and plant life.

“It’s such a blessing for the community,” Rothstein said. “There’s a very healing quality to spending time in nature. I think that’s part of the reason this is so loved.

“Going down the staircase is a magical experience. It’s so different than what we experience elsewhere in Ozaukee County.”

Stolp agreed, saying, “There’s something transcendent about it. There are no  more special views of Lake Michigan than from atop the gorge. Being on a piece of the shoreline that’s as it was 400 years ago is something special.

“It’s the place I most often take visitors. It’s a unique preservation experience within minutes of the city.”

Lion’s Den, he added, “is our calling card. When I explain what I do, I point to Lion’s Den Gorge.”

Similarly, the Cedar Gorge area that the Land Trust and county want to acquire has unique features, including the gorge and clay banks, and teems with wildlife, officials said.

The land has been earmarked for development numerous times. The City of Port Washington annexed a 227-acre parcel that encompasses the gorge as part of a massive, dense development proposed by Brookfield developer Vincent Kuttemperoor that would have included everything from residential and commercial development to a resort and marina.

Waukesha State Bank acquired the property during the recession, and most recently it was to become Cedar Vineyard, a mixed development that would have included a 101-acre nature preserve, public lakefront access, homes and a vineyard and winery.

The project was lauded for its sensitivity to the environment but the developer has been unable to close on the purchase of the land, leading the bank to recently announce it plans to sell the 79 acres on the north end for development and the southern 131 acres — the land the Land Trust and county want to acquire — for development or preservation.

The thought of having two large preserves within a stone’s throw of one another is huge, Stolp said, noting that having public access to Cedar Gorge would not only offer residents and visitors another special nature area but also take some of the pressure off Lion’s Den.

“The size of the Cedar Gorge Clay Bluff land itself would make it a preserve we would pursue,” Stolp said. “Given the proximity to Lion’s Den makes it even more important.”

Like the Lion’s Den project, the effort to preserve the Cedar Gorge area is a massive undertaking for the Land Trust and will require a joint effort. The county and Land Trust had received grants to help acquire the nature area within the proposed Cedar Vineyard project, and are again leading the charge for the gorge acquisition.

The county committed $200,000 to the Cedar Vineyard project, and this will be applied to the Cedar Gorge plan, Dzwinel said. It has also received a $300,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife grant for the project, and will apply for a Coastal Management grant as well.

Stolp said the Land Trust is also seeking a stewardship grant for the project and is  working on a fundraising campaign.

“It’s going to take $25 donations, $100 donations and thousands of dollar donations,” he said, adding people have already been sending in contributions.

While it may be a daunting task, Stolp said, it is one that’s worthwhile.

“Where else in the State of Wisconsin can you protect a project area as large as this within a half-hour of the state’s largest population?” he asked. “Where else are there two such pristine areas that could be open to the public and preserved? This is a great amenity and a world-class destination we could be creating.”