Land We Helped Protect
For land conservation to occur on a scale that truly makes a difference to our surroundings and our environment, many hands need to work in concert; the Faye Gehl Conservation Foundation cannot be the only player, and luckily we are not!
In 2012 and 2013, our Foundation partnered with Tall Pines Conservancy in protecting two farms, the 233-acre Zwieg Farm in the Town of Ashippun and the 112–acre Koepke Pleasant View Farm in the Town of Oconomowoc. Both farms were protected through governmental programs that require a local match of funding. The Faye Gehl Conservation Foundation was the lead local donor for both projects providing 1/3 of the local match needed to protect the Zwieg Farm and 1/4 of the local match needed to protect the Koepke Farm.
The protection of the Zwieg and Koepke farms was the first time that land in our area was protected by a public/private partnership that compensates landowners for permanently giving up their right to develop their land. This inability to develop the land is legally passed on to all future owners through a deed restriction (also known as a conservation easement). Our support for these inaugural projects has spurred the protection of additional land in the area through this same mechanism. Once again, we are Keeping the Country in Lake Country!