Mid Kettle Moraine Partners
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    • Ice Age Trail
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About The Partners

The Story of the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners began in 2000. 
For two decades a coalition of citizens and groups – perhaps some of your neighbors – have been focusing efforts to advocate for the preservation of a special glaciated landscape that traverses through Washington and Waukesha Counties in Wisconsin.

The expanse of the Kettle Moraine glacial formation stretches from Walworth County in the south to Kewaunee County in the north. Historically, the landscape was farmed by pioneers, but its shallow, glacial till soils and steep slopes worked against its success.  By the 1920’s the Region began to be used as a weekend get-away by urban residents and becoming-naturalists, who hiked the ridges, fished the kettle lakes, camped and picnicked, and picked berries and mushrooms.  Some of these far-sighted early visitors came to recognize that the best use of the landscape was for natural sciences and nature preserves for all to enjoy.  

In response, the State of Wisconsin began to preserve the North and South Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest in the 1930’s. By the 1960's funding dissolved, leaving a remaining 40-mile gap between the North and South Units unprotected in Washington and Waukesha Counties and otherwise known as the the Mid Kettle Moraine.

In 2000, the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners was initiated with technical support from the Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Extension to advance the vision to link the North and South Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forests. Today, the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners is a volunteer-run coalition of Partners advocating on behalf of the Mid Kettle Moraine Region.  The Partners has adopted a Collective Impact Approach to continue its efforts. The strength of its vision mainly lies in the hands of Partner organizations and agencies that continue to formally preserve the waterways, farmlands, natural areas, and scenic values of this unique and important Region!

We welcome you to become one of our Partners.
Become a Partner

Our Accomplishments

A continuous green corridor does exist through the area, and although most of it remains without legal protections, it retains its original character and thus retains the promise for future protection. Scientists and planners have identified important natural areas, and many of these have been protected in the corridor. Additional parcels have been acquired, including the Polk Kames in Washington County. The Ice Age Trail, eventually to be a 1,000-mile long footpath across Wisconsin from Interstate State Park on the St. Croix River to Potowatomi State Park in Door County, is mostly complete through Washington and Waukesha Counties. ​
  • Development of the Mid Kettle Outdoor Recreation Map 
  • Publication of an Educational Brochure
  • Created Educational Display
  • Created DVD of MKM region & Partners
  • Seminars on Conservation Development
  • Petitioned the State to include the MKM in its Land Legacy Report for targeted preservation
  • Partners preserved over  1,500 since 2000
  • 13 Local Units of Government have adopted a resolution of wise land use in the Mid Kettle Moraine
  • Helped to secure $2 million in federal Forest Legacy funding to purchase conservation easements in the Holy Hill region
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Member Land Preservation & Protection Efforts ( Since 2001 )

  • ​A & J Conservation Easement
  • Bautzmann Farm
  • Claude Conservation Easement
  • Foxhill Property
  • Frog Hollow Property
  • Gilbert Lake Property
  • Gregg Preserve
  • Hartland Marsh Preserve
  • Henzelman Property
  • Hepburn Woods
  • Ice Age Trail Easement (Town of Barton)
  • J & N Curtes Conservation Easement
  • Jacobs Conservation  Easement
  • Lindermann Conservation Easement
  • Lockman Property
  • McCann Property

  • Nagawicka Lake Blog
  • Nashotah Conservation Easement
  • Oak Hill Conservation Easement
  • Osberg-Papst Family Property
  • Ottawa Wildlife Refuge
  • Pencikowski Property
  • Peters Conservation Easement
  • Polk Kames

  • ​Rail Corridor Eden to West Bend
  • Rainbow Lake
  • Rolf’s Park
  • Rudorf Property
  • Schaeffer Property
  • Silver Lake Public Access
  • Timmer Property
  • Wilson Wood Duck Preserve
  • Vink Conservation Easement

Partner Members



Partnership Co-Chairs

​Marilyn Haroldson, Town Planner
Town of Merton
http://www.townofmerton.com
N49 W28689 Chardon Drive
Hartland, WI 53021
[email protected]

Angela Curtes, Owner
GROUNDED LLC
https://www.groundedllc.net
4190 Lily Road
West Bend, WI 53095
[email protected]

Members

Citizen Representative & Past Co-Chair
Paul G. Hayes
N63 W5795 Columbia Road
Cedarburg, WI 53012
[email protected]

Village of Hartland 
https://www.villageofhartland.wi.gov
David E. Cox, Administrator
P. O. Box 260
210 Cottonwood Avenue
Hartland, WI 53029
davidc@villageofhartland.com

Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
www.sewrpc.org/SEWRPC.htm
Dave Schilling, Chief Land Use Planner
P. O. Box 1607
Waukesha, WI 53187-1607
[email protected]

Washington County Planning and Parks Department
https://www.washcowisco.gov/departments/natural_resources/parks___trails/parks
Debora Sielski, Assistant Administrator for Planning
333 East Washington Street, Suite 2300
West Bend, WI. 53095-2585
[email protected] 

Waukesha County Parks and Land Use Department
https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/parksystem
Steve Brunner
515 W. Moreland Boulevard Room AC230
Waukesha WI 53188
[email protected]

Friends of the Mukwonago River
http://mukwonagoriver.org
Pam Meyer
S101 CTH LO
Eagle, WI 53119
[email protected]

Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation
www.theclcf.org
Linda Mutschler, Executive Director
PO Box 347
West Bend, WI 53095
[email protected]

Waukesha County Land Conservancy
www.waukeshalandconservancy.org
Cheryl White, Executive Director
2065 Donmar Lane
Brookfield, WI 53005
[email protected]

Ozaukee Washington Land Trust
www.owlt.org
Steve Henkel, Land Specialist
141 N. Main Street
West Bend, WI 53095
[email protected] 


Department of Natural Resources, Southeast Region
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov
Jim Ritchie, Grants & Loan Team Supervisor
2300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212
[email protected]

Robert Wessberg, Superintendent
Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit
dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/pikelake
​[email protected]

Friends of Lac Lawrann Conservancy
www.laclawrann.org
Gary Britton, Past President
P.O. Box 755
West Bend, WI 53095
[email protected]

City of West Bend Parks, Recreation & Forestry
www.ci.west-bend.wi.us/departments/parks_recreation___forestry/index.php
Parks & Recreation Director
3rd Floor, City Hall
1115 S. Main Street
West Bend, WI 53095

Washington County Board Member &
​Village of Slinger Board

Rick Gundrum
301 Winter Lane
Slinger, WI 53085
[email protected]

Ice Age Trail Alliance
https://www.iceagetrail.org
Mike Wollmer, Executive Director
2110 Main St.
Cross Plains, WI 53528
[email protected]

Tiffany Stram, GIS Specialist
2110 Main St.
Cross Plains, WI 53528
[email protected]

John Shank, Past President
[email protected]​

Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Inc.
Kathy Laur, Director of Properties
2561 West Decorah Road
West Bend, WI 53095
[email protected]

Tall Pines Conservancy
www.tallpinesconservancy.org​ 
Susan Buchanan, Executive Director
P.O. Box 65
Nashotah, WI 53085
[email protected]

Environmental Consultant
Jill Bedford, Hunter’s Lake Association – Board of Directors
PO Box 180022
Delafield, WI 53108
[email protected]

Waukesha County Green Team
https://www.waukeshacountygreenteam.org
David Wolken, Board Emeritus
[email protected]

Laudato Si' Project
https://laudatosiproject.com
Joe Meyer, Executive Director
[email protected]

The Natural Realm
https://awealthofnature.org
Eddee Daniel
​2013 Ludington Avenue
Wauwatosa WI 53226
[email protected]
​

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