What We Do

Upcoming Events

Keep an eye out for updates on our annual events:

Annual Meeting, Earth Day Celebration, Paddle to the Preserves, and Christmas ​Tree Harvest!

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on social media

to stay updated on our latest events.

Waukesha County Land Conservancy Preserves

Land protection can be accomplished in several ways:

Land Donations

Donating land to a land trust is one of the finest legacies anyone can leave their community. Landowners who donate land to a land trust receive an income tax deduction for the full market value of the land. The donation may reduce federal estate tax liabilities and will eliminate the responsibility of property taxes.

Conservation Easements

A voluntary legal agreement between the landowner and land trust or government agency. It protects the conservation values of a piece of land by permanently limiting its present and future uses. This allows the landowner to retain ownership and use of his/her property and can be established to protect all or part of a property that has significant agricultural, historic, scenic or wildlife habitat resources.

Land Purchases

Sometimes, land trusts pay full value for land they consider highly significant and extremely threatened by development. Conservation-minded landowners who use this method to sell their land gain peace of mind knowing it will be protected.

Unique, high quality, and/or outstanding natural features​​

Endangered, threatened, or rare species​​ native to our area

Primary environmental corridors, natural areas, and critical species habitat​​

Wetlands, waterways, and bodies of water​​

Outstanding scenic value​

Buffer areas to conservancy preserves of publicly owned land

Stewardship

caring for land & Water

We rely on our staff, board, volunteers, and contractors to steward the land through:

• Prescribed burns
• Burns are critical to maintaining lowland and wet prairies, savanna vegetation, sedge meadows, and marshes
  
• Major brush control (forestry mowing, hand-cutting, herbicide)
• Wildlife monitoring
• Invasive species removal (spraying, pulling, etc.)

Become a Member

The power to protect nature is in your hands.

Be part of a passionate community of people determined to transform nature’s future. Your donation helps fund our mission and the most urgent on-the-ground conservation efforts to protect and restore our beautiful land, water, and wildlife. As a Waukesha County Land Conservancy member, you can make a difference in the community and know you are doing your part for our planet.

Alternate ways to give:

By mail:

PO Box 2572

Brookfield, WI

53008

By phone:

262-875-3070

Monday - Friday 8AM-4PM

Give the Gift of Membership

Sharing your love of Waukesha County's special places with family or friends is an awesome experiential gift that gives for a whole year. Give a gift membership.

Become a Sponsor

We are better together.

To reach our goals, the Waukesha County Land Conservancy depends on relationships with a variety of like-minded partners including agencies, institutions, local businesses and corporations. These relationships are vital to our work and success.

Connect with Nature

work alongside conservancy staff, partners and other volunteers to care for nature, and discover unique events, tours and activities in our community.

Adopt-a-Preserve

• create healthier and important habitat for local and rare wildlife;
  
• build teamwork and collaboration within groups or businesses;
  
• give back to your community;
  
• fulfill volunteer hours, increase skillsets, and build experience;
  
• explore the county you live or work in;
  
• learn how to be a steward of Wisconsin’s beautiful landscapes and natural communities, to carry into your own yards and landscapes; and,
  
• have fun in nature!
  

Hunt WCLC Preserves

Our local hunting community has a long tradition of supporting the conservation of the Waukesha ​County Land Conservancy’s (WCLC) lands and waters. We thank you for your interest in properties ​owned and managed by WCLC. While some of our properties are open for sporting opportunities, some ​are closed to hunting due to location, access limitations, donation restrictions, or other conditions. In ​all cases, WCLC considers the biological effects of hunting to ensure the protection of the plants, ​animals and natural communities. Every ecosystem must be balanced and with the absence of top ​predators, this balance is easily skewed. Lack of predation on deer can cause a significant population ​increase, which impacts forest regeneration. Today, our hunters perform this ecological role by ​keeping populations in check.

Open preserves for hunting allow ethical-use gun and archery hunting of waterfowl, small game, ​turkey, big game, and trapping. Any hunters using these preserves must have hunting permits from the ​Wisconsin DNR and must follow hunting season regulations put forth by state and local governments. ​Hunters must remain within WCLC boundaries at all times. Learn more about WCLC’s hunting policies.

WCLC Hunting Lottery

A wonderful team of hunters, staff, and board members updated our hunting guidelines and information.

Please take the time to review here as there have been changes to previous years (please note the ​changes in our hunting stand and blinds policy).

Our 2024-25 Hunting lottery i s closed. please check back next year!

Thank you for being partners in conservation!

Meet the Staff

Meet the Board of Directors

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