The Nature Conservancy Receives $12.5 Million Gift to Advance Conservation in Southeastern Wisconsin

Donation from the Late Newell and Ann Meyer is Largest Ever in Wisconsin for Conservation

MADISON, Wisc— December 26, 2007— The Nature Conservancy announced today that it has received 374 acres, cash and other assets worth an estimated total of $12.5 million to help conserve Wisconsin’s Mukwonago River, the state’s most biologically diverse small river system. The gift from the late Newell and Ann Meyer is the largest donation ever made in Wisconsin for conservation. The land they donated to the Conservancy is located in Eagle, Wis., about 40 miles southeast of Milwaukee. The property will be open to the public in 2008 when it will be named the Newell and Ann Meyer Nature Preserve.

“People leave their mark on the future in many ways,” said Mary Jean Huston, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. “Newell and Ann Meyer loved nature and, in particular, this special place, and they wanted to ensure that it would always be here for others to enjoy.”

The Meyers first bought 80 acres of land in Eagle in 1976 as a summer retreat. After they retired from their respective jobs at The Milwaukee Journal, they purchased additional properties nearby with the goal of amassing enough land to create a large nature sanctuary.

“Their vision was to build this huge nature preserve,” said Scott Thompson, director of freshwater conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. “They wanted this to be a haven for wildlife and a place where people could connect to nature and the birds and animals they loved so much.”

The land donated to The Nature Conservancy includes oak savanna, grasslands, a sedge meadow, an emergent marsh and spring outlets that comprise the headwaters of the northern branch of the Mukwonago River. The area provides nesting habitat for sandhill cranes, a favorite of the Meyers, as well as stopover habitat for numerous bird species that migrate through the area each year in the spring and fall. Waterfowl and wild turkey are also found on the property in large numbers.

In addition to the land, which was appraised at $3.8 million, the Conservancy received cash and other assets valued at $8.7 million. The Conservancy will use the cash and assets to manage and restore the land donated by the Meyers and to acquire or conserve additional lands within the Mukwonago River watershed from willing sellers.

The Mukwonago River is the cleanest river in southeastern Wisconsin. It supports 60 species classified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as endangered, threatened or of special concern. Notable examples include the state-threatened longear sunfish, Blanding’s turtle and Cerulean warbler and the state-endangered rainbow shell mussel.

The Mukwonago River watershed spans more than 55,000 acres and it includes healthy wetlands studied by scientists from throughout the Americas as well as globally threatened oak savannas. The Conservancy has been working for more than a decade to protect water quality and the extraordinary variety of rare fish, mussels and other species that depend upon the river by conserving natural areas within the watershed and by collaborating with partners through the Mukwonago River Initiative. The Conservancy owns three preserves in the Mukwonago River watershed that are open to the public - Lulu Lake Preserve, Crooked Creek Preserve and Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve.

The Meyer gift will not only conserve more habitat for wildlife and provide additional public access for outdoor recreation, it will also help advance protection of the quality and quantity of groundwater and water in the river itself by conserving and restoring natural areas.

In purchasing any land in the Mukwonago River watershed with money from the Meyer gift, The Nature Conservancy plans to seek matching funds from Wisconsin’s recently reauthorized Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. The Stewardship Fund provides matching grants to local governments and non-profits for land acquisition, effectively doubling the amount of money available for land and water conservation.

“The Meyers’ gift to the Nature Conservancy will be remembered for its vision and generosity,” said Steve Bablitch, chair of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin’s Board of Trustees. “It will be enjoyed by children and their families for generations to come. People who never knew the Meyers will benefit from their legacy of conserving Wisconsin’s lands and waters for the benefit of both people and nature.”

After the property is dedicated next spring it will be open to the public for compatible outdoor recreation including hiking, photography and birdwatching. The Conservancy also plans to allow deer hunting on the preserve in fall 2008.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. In Wisconsin, the Conservancy has helped conserve more than 140,000 acres since 1960. The Conservancy has more than 21,000 members in Wisconsin and offices in Madison, Baraboo, East Troy, Minocqua and Sturgeon Bay. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at nature.org/wisconsin.