The Nature Conservancy announces the single largest donation ever made for conservation in Wisconsin—land and assets worth $12.5 million given to the Conservancy by the late Newell and Ann Meyer.

The gift will help conserve the Mukwonago River, the most biologically diverse small river system in the state, from increasing development pressures. The Mukwonago is extraordinary in a number of ways:

• It's home to an extraordinary variety of rare fish and mussels and is considered to be the cleanest river in southeastern Wisconsin.
• Its wetlands have been studied by scientists from throughout the Americas.
• Globally-threatened oak savannas can still be found on higher ground overlooking the river.

“People leave their mark on the future in many ways,” said Mary Jean Huston, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. “Newell and Ann Meyer loved nature and, in particular, this special place, and they wanted to ensure that it would always be here for others to enjoy.”

Leaving a Resource for All to Enjoy

The 374-acre property in Eagle, Wisconsin, will be open to the public in 2008. It will be named the Newell and Ann Meyer Nature Preserve. The Conservancy will use the cash and assets to restore and manage the preserve and to acquire or conserve additional lands within the Mukwonago River watershed from willing sellers.

A Lasting Legacy

Newell and Ann Meyer. Photo courtesy of the Meyer family.

The Meyers first bought 80 acres of land in Eagle in 1976 as a summer retreat. After they retired from their respective jobs at The Milwaukee Journal, they purchased additional properties nearby with the goal of amassing enough land to create a large nature sanctuary.

The Meyers loved wildlife and understood the importance of conserving their land and other properties within the watershed to the health of the Mukwonago River. They wanted their legacy to be conserving wildlife habitat and ensuring the river remained an exceptional natural resource that could be enjoyed by everyone.

The land donated to the Conservancy includes oak savanna, grasslands, a sedge meadow, an emergent marsh and spring outlets that comprise the headwaters of the northern branch of the Mukwonago River.

The area provides nesting habitat for sandhill cranes, a favorite of the Meyers, as well as stopover habitat for numerous bird species that migrate through the area each year in the spring and fall. Waterfowl and wild turkey are also found on the property in large numbers.

The Mukwonago River Watershed

Fifty-seven species of fish and 15 species of mussels live in the Mukwanago—and the river’s watershed, which spans more than 55,000 acres, supports 60 species classified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as endangered, threatened or of special concern.

Notable examples include the state-threatened longear sunfish, Blanding’s turtle and Cerulean warbler, and the state-endangered rainbow shell mussel.

Identifying Problems, Finding Solutions

Increasing development pressure is bringing many new houses and the services required by residential life into the area, which has an impact on the surface water and groundwater quality. Growing communities are also seeking to sink new shallow aquifer wells.  

The Conservancy has been working for more than a decade to protect water quality and quantity in the Mukwonago River watershed, as well as the wildlife that depend upon it, by conserving natural areas and by collaborating with partners in the Mukwonago River Initiative. The Conservancy now owns three preserves in the area that are open to the public: Lulu Lake Preserve, Crooked Creek Preserve and Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve.

Leave a Legacy

Today, more than ever, long-term protection of vital natural areas depends in part on the actions of private landowners like the Meyers. If you are interested in leaving your own natural legacy for future generations, please contact Gail Van Sluys at gvansluys@tnc.org or (608) 251-8140 x 142. 

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Scenic view of Meyer property. Photo © Laura Browning/TNC; Sandhill cranes. Photo © Dave Herr.