We’re happy to share the good news that today, we purchased 38 acres of land along Black Earth Creek. The property includes 3/4s of a mile of shoreline on both sides of the creek and is adjacent to land owned by the Department of Natural Resources as part of the Black Earth Creek Fishery Area.
The landowners have been good stewards of this land for many years. This acquisition is the happy product of many years of work by Trout Unlimited, the DNR, and others to build a strong relationship with the landowners and their neighbors. Groundswell is fortunate that we were in the position to purchase the land when they were ready to sell. Groundswell will own and manage this property as part of the public conservation lands along the creek.
The Black Earth Creek valley is indeed a special place. As many people know, Black Earth Creek is a high-quality, Class I trout stream with a national reputation. The stream has been rated as one of the 100 best trout streams in the nation by Trout Unlimited and is recognized as one of the most productive wild brown trout streams in Wisconsin. Lands owned by the DNR and public fishing easements along creeks in the valley provide public access and protect important wildlife habitat.
Thanks to the conservation vision of many landowners, this is the 16th land protection project Groundswell has completed in the valley since 2001. In all we have worked together to permanently protect 1,116 acres of farmland, wetlands, stream corridors, and hiking trails in the valley.
Funding to purchase the property came from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, the Dane County Conservation Fund, and Groundswell’s Norm Anderson Conservation Opportunities Fund.