Landmark Conservancy on the Land Conservation Assistance Network

Landmark Conservancy
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last updated: August 2022

We are 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 conservation are conservation easements and land acquisition. At this time, we have conserved over 30,000 acres in our 30 years of land protection work.

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

Bayfield Regional Conservancy 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. BRC has a proud history of community-based conservation initiatives to preserve Wisconsin’s northwestern region.

The two organizations have 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.

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Landmark Conservancy is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.