Our Impact

Since 1974, CLCF has been working to conserve the natural environment of the Cedar Lakes region. Thank you for helping us succeed in our race to protect open space!

Thank you to all the landowners, donors, volunteers, and corporate sponsors for your support. We couldn’t do this work without you!

Land Protection: In 2025, CLCF completed four land protection transactions totaling more than 100 acres, including conservation easements on the Dornacker, Ziegler Wayside, Ziegler North, and Fehring 2 properties. These efforts bring the total land protected by CLCF to 3,211 acres, advancing our 2024–2028 strategic goal of 3,600 acres.

Volunteer Activities: In 2025, CLCF’s active volunteers donated over 800 hours of stewardship, event staffing, and clerical assistance.

Land Stewardship: CLCF installed three berms on the Weninger property, in partnership with Washington County. These berms will mitigate water and sediment runoff into nearby Big Cedar Lake by slowing water as it flows down the slope towards the lake. NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provided critical funds towards the berm construction.

Another exciting project completed this year was expanding the Cedar lakes Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail through CLCF’s Hembel-Lidington Preserve. This newly constructed trail will get IAT and local hikers off the road and into nature for approximately 1.5 miles. The trail was also routed over existing trails at Fox Hill Nature Preserve. This 4-day trail-building event was made possible by the dedication and hard work of the Ice Age Trail Alliance, Local Ice Age chapter volunteers, and community members who came together to help install this fantastic section of trail through farmland, forest, and prairie.

Invasive species management remains a priority across all CLCF properties. Rapid-response invasive species, such as Japanese Knotweed, Phragmites, and Teasel, continued to be managed on CLCF’s properties. In 2025, CLCF’s Stew Crew contributed to 23 volunteer workdays, playing a vital role in eradicating invasive species, collecting native seeds, and maintaining our trails and tree plantings. Highlights included brush pile burns, buckthorn removal, woody invasive treatment, habitat restoration, and the removal of more than 1,200 pounds of Garlic Mustard and Dame’s Rocket.

Community Relations: 2025 was a great year for events! CLCF hosted the Snowshoe Shuffle, multiple Walk & Talks and Habitat Hikes, the Kayak Tour at Silver Lake, the Nature’s Neighbors Children’s Series, CLCF’s 4th Annual Race for Open Space, and the Annual History Talk.

CLCF’s Nature Series, sponsored by the Ziegler Family Foundation in Memory of R.D. Ziegler, hosted eight events this year. These include the Spring Talk, which featured Kirk Johnson from the Smithsonian Musuem of Natural History, two documentary screenings of An Invitation to Wonder, a talk with Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Tracy Hames, a Walk & Talk with Dornacker Prairie Acres, “Owls: Designed for Darkness” presented by Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, a talk featuring Executive Director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Buddy Huffaker, and a talk with Mike Yanny of JN Plant Selections.

We are grateful for your continued support and look forward to sharing more progress in the year ahead. We hope to see you soon on CLCF’s public trails.