The Riesch Property
Posted in Categories Land Protection
CLCF closed on the 67-acre Riesch Property on August 31, 2026. Located in the Town of West Bend, just west of County Road Z, the property sits just north of CLCF’s Owen Property and kitty-corner from CLCF’s Fritsche I Property.
Protecting the Riesch Property will help preserve an important natural landscape while safeguarding water quality in Silver Creek and the larger Milwaukee River watershed. The property provides a buffer of wetlands and forest that helps protect water before it reaches Silver Creek.
The property’s wetland is part of the County Road Z Wetland Complex, which drains to Silver Creek and eventually flows into the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.
The property also includes upland hardwood forest, with sugar maple and basswood among its dominant native tree species, as well as several ephemeral ponds.
These ponds and wetlands provide important habitat for a variety of wildlife, while supporting the broader diversity of the surrounding forest and wetland ecosystem.
The Riesch family has been part of the Town of West Bend community since 1855, when Peter John Riesch arrived from Switzerland. The property was once home to Riesch Dairy, later known as Cedar Lake Dairy, which was operated by Louis J. Riesch.
CLCF is grateful to the Riesch family for their efforts to protect this landscape in perpetuity.
