Nearly $1M conservation easement approved on 1.2K acres in northern Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Natural Resources Board approved a nearly $1 million conservation easement deal on Thursday to protect about 1,250 acres of forest in northern Wisconsin. The purchase is from the Michael A. Uihlein Exemption Trust, with federal funding from the Forest Legacy Program providing roughly $600,000 and about $305,000 coming from remaining funds under the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, which has expired. The protected area will be known as the Border Lakes Legacy Forest Conservation Easement, comprising two parcels: about 481 acres near Forest Lake and 771 acres around Emil Lake. The land will remain privately owned, kept on tax rolls, open for hunting, and managed under Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Law.