About Us

Conserving Wisconsin’s natural legacy for everyone, forever.

 

Photo: Devil’s Punchbowl Preserve, Menomonie, WI

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Conservation Easements

Acres Conserved

Projects With Public Access

Landmark is a non-profit conservation organization serving 20 counties in western and northwestern Wisconsin.  We work primarily with private landowners who wish to conserve their land in perpetuity.  Conservancy staff evaluates and select potential projects based on notable conservation values.  We also work with local municipalities, state, and federal entities to create public preserves and trails for all to enjoy.  Our primary tools for land protection are conservation easements and land acquisition.

Our Mission

Our mission is to conserve Wisconsin’s natural legacy for everyone…forever.

Our Vision

As we look to the future of:

Wisconsin

We see a landscape with wild and scenic places conserved and accessible to people for generations to come.

Our Community

We see a network of sustainable programs working together with our partners, private and public landowners, and passionate, engaged citizens to preserve the natural world and wild and scenic places we cherish.

Landmark Conservancy

We see a respected land trust building a community of stewardship for special places in our perpetual care.
2022 project map showing private, public, and nature preserves

Click to view larger image.

Our Progress

Reviewing our annual reports is a great way to see our mission and vision in action. Read about our accomplishments, goals and plans for the future.
A group of people with binoculars watching the sky for birds

Our History

Landmark Conservancy was born of a merger between two nationally accredited land trusts: West Wisconsin Land Trust and Bayfield Regional Conservancy.
West Wisconsin Land Trust Logo

West Wisconsin Land Trust (WWLT) was founded in 1988 with a focus on farmland protection.  By the time Wisconsin Farmland Conservancy had changed its name to West Wisconsin Land Trust in 2002, over 4,500 acres of farms, forests and open space had been protected.  As the momentum for private land protection grew, so grew the area in which WWLT worked, stretching from the Black River to the south, the banks of the Mississippi to the west, and the shores of Lake Superior to the north.

WWLT helped protect more than 25,000 acres of land and held 177 conservation easements.  These easements protect approximately 20,000 acres.  WWLT also owned six small preserves totaling over 500 acres.  The organization assisted with a number of other projects where land was conveyed to the ownership of another conservation partner, such as an outdoor sports club, a habitat organization, or a government agency.

Bayfield Regional Conservancy Logo

Bayfield Regional Conservancy (BRC) was incorporated in 1996 with the mission of protecting the lands of the Bayfield Peninsula.  Early work included the establishment of the Brownstone Trail in Bayfield, collaborating with the Town of Bell to permanently conserve shore land near Cornucopia, and the completion of the Big Ravine Trail.  In the ensuing years, BRC conserved over 5,000 acres, holding over 30 conservation easements and two forested preserves.

Working in Ashland, Douglas, Sawyer, and  Bayfield Counties, BRC’s service area included Wisconsin’s entire Lake  Superior drainage basin as well as the incredibly rich and diverse lakes region in Sawyer County. Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands were also included in the service area. BRC had a proud history of community-based conservation initiatives to preserve Wisconsin’s northwestern region.

Landmark Conservancy Logo

The two organizations had been longtime partners, collaborating on a number of projects in recent years.  After two years of careful deliberation, we determined that our commitment to conservation required a unified and more robust organization for greater impact.  Our integrated staff of conservation and advancement professionals will help ensure the quality, visibility, and permanence of our work.  The merger was complete in the spring of 2018 .

Our Team

Staff

Rick Remington

Executive Director

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Bio

Angie Anderson-Norberg

Operations Coordinator 

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Bio

Katie Hahn

Stewardship Specialist

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Bio

Charly Kearns

Conservation Specialist

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Bio

Erika Lang

Conservation Manager

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Bio

Andrew Norman

Stewardship Manager

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Bio

Sara Norman

Community Engagement Manager

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Bio

Kristin Thompson

Advancement Director

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Bio

Michelle Von Ruden

Operations Director

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Bio

Zaria Whitacre

Communications Specialist

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Bio

Board of Directors

Interested in learning more about joining the Board of Directors?

Read the article by former Board Member Judy Aldrian! For more information contact our Executive Director Rick Remington at:

(715) 235-8850  or at rick@landmarkwi.org

Executive Committee

Bruce Siebold – Board Chair
Menomonie, WI
President and Owner, Rusk Prairie Consulting, LLC

Greg Hilding – Board Vice Chair
Minnetonka, MN
Retired, Group President, Bremer Bank

Genevieve Johnson – Board Secretary
Minneapolis, MN
Retired, Architect

Bill Butsic – Treasurer
Menomonie, WI
Retired, ConAgra

Members At-Large

Sue Aiken – Bayfield, WI
Registered Nurse

Chuck BomarChippewa Falls, WI
Retired Dean, UW-Stout, College of STEMM

Andy Buccanero – Wyoming, MN
Lead Trader and Investment Associate, JNBA Financial Advisors

Carol Heinrich – Hayward, WI
Retired, Educator

Mary Hemshrot – Shell Lake, WI
Environmental Educator

John March – Edina, MN
Retired, Cargill Corporation

Katherine Merrill – Herbster, WI
Retired, Vice President, Regis Corporation

Richard (Rick) Neville – Eden Prairie, MN
Retired, Executive VP, World Fuel Services

Laurel Sukup – Madison, WI
Chief, Sustainability & Business Support, WI Department of Natural Resources

Geary Searfoss – Ojibwa, WI
Chief Schroom, BearPaw Brook Farms LLC

Landmark Conservancy Logo

Landmark Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Click for Office Location Map

500 East Main Street, Suite 307 Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751

715-235-8850 (All Offices)