1999

Chenequa Land Conservancy formed

2000

First conservation easement 40- acre Pritzlaff property protected

Barkow Farm easements protect approximately 103 acres on Hwy C

2003

Name changed to Tall Pines Conservancy

2008

237 acres preserved by easements

TPC hires first Executive Director

Quad Graphics donates 325-acre easement on Camp Quad

2009

The first Ride to the Barns is held

2010

The Ashippun/Oconomowoc Agricultural Enterprise Area is formed

2011

237-acre Zwieg Maple Acres Farm preserved through State Program

2013

105-acre Koepke Pleasant View Farm protected with help from federal program

2014

Oconomowoc Watershed Protection Program formed

Achieved accreditation through Land Trust Alliance

2016

266-acre Gessert Family Farm preserved through conservation easement

2018

Cullen easement on Upper Nashotah Lake

2020

Addition of 150-acre easement on Mayer Farm

TPC's total protected acres =          

1,500

In 1999, a group of neighborhood watch dogs concerned about the impending sale of a 120-acre farm along the east side of Highway C and adjacent to Pine Lake decided to channel their collective resources to purchase the land and ultimately preserve it as open space.  

In order to do so they formed a non-profit land trust, originally known as Chenequa Land Conservancy (CLC), which continued its work in land conservation and subsequently protected an additional 238 acres of land in the Chenequa area with conservation easements.   

In 2005, CLC broadened its service area and its name was changed to Tall Pines Conservancy to reflect the wider scope of the organization. Hiring their first Executive Director in 2008 assisted the group in taking a watershed protection approach to land conservation with a focus on farmland and water resource protection. In 2015, we reached a milestone by becoming a nationally accredited Land Trust.  

Currently, Tall Pines has secured 26 conservation easements and acquired four fee-owned properties, protecting more than 2000 acres of land. Our landscape scale approach to land conservation is actively working within the Oconomowoc River Watershed to promote best land and water management practices and protection through active partnerships with organizations such as the Oconomowoc Watershed Protection Program, Lake Country Clean Waters and Farmers for Lake Country.

History of Tall Pines Conservancy

P.O. Box 65
W330 N4465 Lakeland Dr. (Hwy. C)
Nashotah, WI 53058

Follow us on social media!