Ostberg Property: Closing the Gap at Polk Kames

On January 27, 2023, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) closed on the purchase of the 13-acre Ostberg Property. This purchase closes a gap in the 400+ acre Polk Kames Kettle Hills Nature Preserve (Polk Kames). CLCF is excited for the protection of this property!

Ostberg is a beautiful, wooded parcel and a wonderful example of Kettle Moraine topography. The property is in the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s (SEWRPC’s) Primary Environmental Corridor and contains a wetland and pond.

In 1974, Edwin and Louise Pabst gifted the Ostberg Parcel to the Ostberg family with a provision that if the land were ever sold, the neighboring landowner would have a Right to Purchase the Ostberg Property. In March 2006, Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation (CLCF) purchased the Pabst property from the Louise Lemp Pabst Trust. Subsequent to this purchase, CLCF transferred the Pabst Property to the WDNR as part of the creation of Polk Kames.

At that time, the Right to Purchase also transferred to the WDNR, and, all these years later, the opportunity to exercise this Right to Purchase became a reality.

CLCF is thrilled to have this wonderful property protected and is grateful to the WDNR for their responsiveness and ability to bring this transaction to a close!

Polk Kames is open to the public and contains roughly 3 miles of hiking trails as part of the Cedar Lakes Segment of the Ice Age Trail. You can find a trail map to this preserve here!