Protection of the Burkepile Property

Diane Burkepile and Svend Larsen (with children in lap)

On July 30, 2024, the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation (CLCF) closed on the purchase of the 62-acre Burkepile property, which lies just west of Scenic Dr and north of Paradise Dr in the Town of West Bend. This property is south of CLCF’s Girls Scouts parcel and west of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Wisconsin’s Camp Silver Brook.

CLCF is grateful to Diane Burkepile’s children, Jana, Cindy, Brian and Jon, for their desire to conserve this property in its natural state.

History: In 1954, Diane’s father, Svend Larsen, a Danish immigrant, was doing carpentry and painting work on a home owned by Fritz von Schleinitz in Colorado Springs, CO. Fritz was Rene von Schleinitz’s son (and Edie von Schleinitz Maclay’s brother). When Svend completed the work on the home in Colorado Springs, in lieu of payment, Svend and Fritz entered into a swap, whereby Svend acquired 75 acres of land north of Paradise Drive and 116.75 acres south of Paradise Drive in exchange for a building that Svend owned in Manitou Springs, CO. Svend and Rose Mae then restored and settled in the log cabin that was at the corner of Paradise and Scenic. In 1955, Svend and Rose Mae sold the land to the south of Paradise Drive to Douglas and Marian White, who then sold the land to Dr. Gaymont. That farm is now known as the Schloemer Family’s Paradise Valley Farm. After Svend died in 1959, Rose Mae moved back to Colorado but kept the land north of Paradise Drive. Although the log cabin was later sold, Rose Mae passed the remaining 62 acres onto her daughter, Diane Burkepile, who kept the land the rest of her life. Brian Larsen, Diane’s son, recalls visiting the log cabin during the summers when he was a child.

The Burkepile property contains wetlands, a savannah habitat, a pine plantation, and an oak-dominated hardwood forest. The rolling hills are representative of the glacial moraine topography of the region. Over 40% of the property is designated as Primary Environmental Corridor by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC). Primary Environmental Corridors are areas in the landscape which contain especially high value natural, scenic, historic, scientific, and recreational features. In Southeastern Wisconsin they are generally found along major stream valleys, around major lakes, and in the Kettle Moraine.

CLCF is looking forward to working with the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) to extend the Ice Age Trail through the Burkepile property in the future in order to eliminate approximately ½ mile of road-walking.