Celebrating Protected Places in the Milwaukee River Basin
March 29, 2026 | Topics: Events, Places
By Lily Butler, Amanda Jutrzonka, and Catie Petralia
Photography by Eddee Daniel
Milwaukee was the site of the2026 Wisconsin Land Trust Conference, which was sponsored by Gathering Waters, a state-wide alliance of Land Trust organizations. On the first day of the conference a group of over 150 conservation professionals had the opportunity to visit three of Restoring Lands’ beautiful properties in the Milwaukee River Basin.
Restoring Lands is the result of a thoughtful and strategic merger in 2025 between the former Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and River Revitalization Foundation. Since then, they have expanded their workforce and elevated their programming to protect nature, provide wildlife habitat, and support community well-being throughout the Milwaukee River Basin in southeastern Wisconsin. Their 40 nature preserves span 2,400 acres and they protect another 3,500 acres through conservation easements.
The three preserves visited on the field trip offered a cross-section of what Restoring Lands is working to protect. From a suburban stretch of the Milwaukee River, to bluffs with sweeping views of Lake Michigan, to access to the Milwaukee River in the heart of downtown, these preserves improve water quality, restore habitat for plants and animals, and give people a chance to enjoy nature close to home. Here are descriptions and photos of the three field trip sites:
1st Stop: Bratt Woods Preserve
Located along the Milwaukee River, Bratt Woods is a 17-acre preserve with a well-maintained 0.63-mile loop trail through an intact hardwood forest. The trail offers hikers a chance to experience an upland forest, which is now a rare habitat in this part of southeast Wisconsin. The Ozaukee Interurban Trail runs along the preserve boundary, providing a convenient connection opportunity. Bird watching, fishing, hiking, snowshoeing and pets on leash are allowed. Restoring Lands has worked to remove hundreds of pounds of garlic mustard, and many woody invasive species, including large swaths of buckthorn.
2nd Stop: Donges Bay Gorge
Located along Lake Michigan, the 23-acre Donges Bay Gorge Preserve contains bluffs and upland woods, featuring a 0.61-mile loop trail passes over deep cutting ravines. A micro-climate moderated by the lake nourishes white pines, cedar trees, and other species more common in northern Wisconsin. There is also an old pool house on the property! The pool house is part of the old Kurth Estate, which is now the Wildwood Preserve Subdivision in Mequon. Many relics from the estate still exist on the property, including an old gate house, the bridge crossing the gorge, the pool house with gorgeous stone roof tiling, and a tennis court area now overtaken by naturally growing native cedars and aspens. The preserve features historically significant architecture and landscaping, with open space circle gardens designed by Jens Jensen, which the land trust keeps open for the historical ambiance.
Restoring Lands is actively stewarding this preserve to protect biodiversity, improve wildlife habitat, resist lake bluff erosion, and support species that use the Lake Michigan Migratory Flyway. Donges Bay Gorge was one of the first sites where a pair of nesting bald eagles were spotted when they made their return to this part of the state. Visitors can hike, bird watch, snowshoe and walk pets on leash.
3rd Stop: Turtle Park
Located along the upstream end of the Milwaukee River estuary, Turtle Park encompasses a 4-acre preserve that is home to Restoring Lands’ Milwaukee Office. The park serves as a transition between the hardscape of the downtown Riverwalk and the 800-acre natural river valley of the Milwaukee River Greenway. Turtle Park features a boat launch, bouncy yoga pad, bike parking, great fishing spots, a lush native prairie, and countless species of insects and wildlife thriving in the Savannah prairie. It also anchors the west end of the former North Avenue Dam, which has been converted into a pedestrian bridge.
Previously home to a mystery dinner theatre shaped like an old riverboat and a parking lot, Turtle Park has been restored to both improve public access and reintroduce greenspace. Visitors can enjoy the 0.6-miles of gravel paths through the preserve, fish, launch a kayak, or walk pets on leash. Keep an eye out for resident great blue herons, turtles and kingfishers!
Partnerships and Collaboration
Several guest speakers joined the field trip, highlighting the impact of collaboration in conservation work. Attendees heard from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) Greenseams Team, a program born from a partnership between MMSD and The Conservation Fund.
Greenseams takes a land-based approach to flood management in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, permanently protecting properties with water-absorbing soils. To date, Greenseams has protected 167 properties and stored over 3.3 billion gallons of water. As flash flooding continues to impact Milwaukee’s land and communities, that capacity is only becoming more essential. Greenseams Team Managers Kristin Schultheis and David Grusznski credited much of the program’s success to strategic collaboration with local conservation organizations, including Restoring Lands.
The group also heard from Howard Aprill, the Vice President of the Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy, who emphasized the value of urban conservation and how the work of the land trust community will be appreciated by generations to come. Finally, Senator Jodi Habush-Sinykin joined the trip to talk about the importance of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and her commitment to reauthorizing the program with its core mission intact.
About Gathering Waters
Gathering Waters is Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts and supports 40+ land trusts by providing technical assistance, training, and continuing education. In addition to serving as a unified voice for Wisconsin’s land trust community and building capacity for permanent land protection, Gathering Waters promotes public understanding of and support for land trusts, and encourages public policies that strengthen Wisconsin’s land and water conservation efforts.
Every year, Gathering Waters hosts the Wisconsin Land Trust Conference, a networking, training, and inspirational event for land trust staff, board members, partners, and anyone interested in land conservation efforts in Wisconsin. Learn more about Gathering Waters here.
More information about each of the preserves in this story is on our Find-a-Park pages:
The featured photo at the top is from Donges Bay Gorge Nature Preserve.
Related stories:
The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is a pillar of Wisconsin’s proud conservation heritage
Donges Bay Gorge Natural Area: Ablaze in the Golden Season
An Earth Day Success Story: MMSD’s Greenseams® Program Rejuvenates a Restored Prairie
Lily Butler is Events and Outreach Coordinator at Gathering Waters, Amanda Jutrzonka is Communications and Operations Manager at Gathering Waters, and Catie Petralia is Communications and Outreach Manager at Restoring Lands.
Eddee Daniel, writer/photographer, is a board member of Preserve Our Parks, the Project Director of A Wealth of Nature, and editor of The Natural Realm blog. Gathering Waters and Restoring Lands are project partners of A Wealth of Nature. All photos by Eddee Daniel except as noted.
The Natural Realm blog is part of A Wealth of Nature, which is a project of Preserve Our Parks.
About Preserve Our Parks
Preserve Our Parks, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of parks and green spaces. Our mission: To advocate for and promote Milwaukee area parks and open spaces and to strive to protect the tenets of Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine.
For more than 25 years, we have been a leader in advocating for the protection of Milwaukee County park lands, halting many proposals to develop, privatize, or sell local parkland and lakefront spaces. More information about POP, including past accomplishments, is available at www.preserveourparks.org.