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!

Land Protection: During 2024, CLCF closed on five transactions totaling over 168 acres. CLCF closed on the purchase of the 20-acre Hassinger Family Trust Property, the 14-acre Hassinger Farm, the 62-acre Burkepile Property, the 32-acre Weninger Property, and the 40-acre Owen Property.

With these transactions, CLCF has helped to protect 3,096 acres in the Cedar Lakes region—passing the 3,000-acre 2019-2023 strategic plan goal. The 2024-2028 strategic plan targets a total of 3,600 acres.

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

Volunteer Activities:  In 2024, CLCF’s active volunteers donated over 1,200 hours of stewardship, event staffing, and clerical assistance.

Land Stewardship: At CLCF’s Thoma Preserve, progress has been made on the Capstone Project, where efforts are underway to encourage a resilient ecosystem. At least 20 garbage bags of Garlic Mustard and Dame’s Rocket were removed from the woods this spring. Buckthorn has been tirelessly cut and piled all year long, opening the understory for other species. In the prairie, Stew Crew is continuing to remove woody invasive species to maintain the diversity and ecological health of this beautiful preserve.

On Arbor Day, volunteers met on the Rolfs property to install tree tubes and stakes to protect the newly planted trees on approximately 8 acres of the property. The main function of these tubes is to guard against deer browse until the trees are old enough to successfully grow on their own.

Invasive species management remains a priority across all CLCF properties. CLCF’s Stew Crew participated in over 20 volunteer workdays in 2024. Stew Crew volunteers are essential to CLCF’s success and help us to maintain our trails by clearing downed trees and working on eradicating invasive species. If you’d like to volunteer at CLCF, please click here.

Community Relations: 2024 was a great year for events! CLCF hosted the Snowshoe Shuffle, the Kayak Tour at Little Cedar Lake, a Farm Walk & Talk, Two Munch & Learn events, CLCF’s 3rd 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 five events this year. These include the Spring Talk, which featured Craig Thompson from the WDNR, a documentary screening of Common Ground, a Walk & Talk at Cedar Community, “Raptors in Conservation” presented by Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, and the Fall Talk featuring representatives from the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

CLCF’s Somewhere in Time 50th Anniversary Celebration was held at the Schloemer Family’s Paradise Valley Farm. In total, between sponsorships, live auction donations and proceeds, and the raise-the-paddle and matching grants, CLCF raised a net of over $2.1 million. Thank you to Jim and Andrea Schloemer for hosting, the Darrow Family for their generous $500,000 matching grant as well as to West Bend Insurance Company for their $250,000 matching grant.

We could not do the work we do without your support! We look forward to updating you on our progress over the year to come and hope to see you on CLCF’s public trails soon.