The original Door County Green Fund, Inc. was created in 1998 as a means to preserve green space and environmentally sensitive land. Two of the earliest Green Fund grants were awarded to the Village of Ephraim and Crossroads at Big Creek.
Ephraim used its grant to help develop a wetlands preserve on the south end of the village near Peninsula State Park. Crossroads used its grant to offset acquisition costs for purchasing over five acres of open space along Highway 42/57, on the east side of Sturgeon Bay just north of the Bayview Bridge.
Both projects are very visible to members of the traveling public and very important to the residents of the communities within which they are located.
Subsequent grants funded land acquisitions by the Door County Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy, the City of Sturgeon Bay and the Ridges Sanctuary.
The largest gift of the original Green Fund, Inc. was to the Door County Parks Department. It used the grant to assist with the acquisition costs for an expansion of Robert LaSalle County Park south of Sturgeon Bay.
The County was able to significantly increase the size of this beautiful park along Lake Michigan thanks in part to the Green Fund grant. Since that time the County has acquired even more acreage contiguous with the original expansion, further enhancing the views of the Lake from the road and the park itself.
The Door County Community Foundation itself has also has been a source of charitable dollars for numerous important environmental projects.
Grants were given to Crossroads at Big Creek to help create the Great Lakes educational display. The Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department received a grant for its “greenprinting” project – an effort to map out all the environmentally sensitive areas of Door County.
The Community Foundation also offered support to the to the Door County Master Gardeners to educate young people and the Ridges Sanctuary to educate adults. The Community Foundation also assisted in the purchase of the ship canal property by the Door County Land Trust.
The “new” Green Fund builds upon the expertise of both organizations.
The new Green Fund at the Door County Community Foundation will continue to support land acquisition projects in our community. But it will also invest in environmental education, fund land preservation, eradicate invasive species, and support other types of “green” projects.
Look for exciting news from the Door County Green Fund in the coming years. With your continued friendship and support, the Door County Green Fund will be at the forefront of efforts to make sure that “Beautiful Door County” stays beautiful.
