Protection of the Ihlenfeld Acres Farm

On October 23, 2023, the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation (CLCF) closed on an agricultural land easement on 44 acres of the Ihlenfeld farm located on the corner of Paradise Drive and County Road Z in the Town of West Bend.

CLCF partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to bring this transaction to fruition through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The RCPP program helps local farmers keep farmland in production. As part of this program, CLCF aims to permanently protect prime farmland in its mission area.

The Ihlenfeld farm has been in the Ihlenfeld Family since the 1950s. You may have seen the rolling hills of corn from County Road Z or Paradise Drive. In addition, a highlight of the property is the 14 acres of forest, which encompasses the eastern portion.

The Ihlenfeld agricultural land easement is the second easement transaction to close as part of CLCF’s and MMSD’s partnership to protect farmland through the RCPP program in the Milwaukee River watershed.

CLCF is incredibly grateful to Ethel Pillman and Ed Ihlenfeld for protecting this truly unique property.

The protection of this property results in nearly 280 acres of protected land along County Road Z between Paradise Drive and Little Cedar Lake.