Land Trust Addition to Grand View Park is More than Meets the Eye

An aerial view from the top of Grand View Scenic Overlook and Park shows the forested tree tops of the newly protected property below. Photo by Dan Eggert

The majestic, panoramic view from atop the hill of Grand View Scenic Overlook and Park in Ellison Bay takes in Washington Island, two county parks, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. What isn’t visible are the efforts the Land Trust, the Town of Liberty Grove, and private citizens have taken to protect the property’s iconic scenery and ecological value. A case in point is the Land Trust’s recent purchase from Barbara and Don Fuhrmann, of Ellison Bay. The 6-acre property now under protection is adjacent to current park land at the bottom of the Grand View hill.

The Fuhrmanns purchased the property in 2000 to preserve it. “We wanted to honor the original owner’s wishes to protect the land from development,” said Don. “We bought it so no one else would build on it.”

Not only did the couple hold on to the property for preservation, but they also approached the Land Trust to purchase it at the price they paid for it, far less than its value today. “We just wanted to get back our original investment—the appraisal was much higher,” Don said. “Above our cost, we’ll never miss the difference. We’d rather give the rest to the Land Trust.” The Land Trust will fund the remaining purchase price of the property and its long-term care entirely through private funding thanks to a generous local family and support from Land Trust members.

The Fuhrmann land contains even greater ecological diversity than Grand View Scenic Overlook and Park, with wetlands, woodlands, and Niagara Escarpment. Additionally, it is closer to the waters of Ellison Bay.

Don and Barbara Fuhrmann stand near one of the ponds at the bottom of Grand View hill in Ellison Bay. In the background is the forested land they sold to the Land Trust at a greatly reduced price. Photo by Kay McKinley

“This is a perfect next chapter in the Grand View story, which was initiated when a 44-unit condominium and residential project was approved for the site,” said Executive Director Emily Wood. “The Fuhrmanns were also visionaries that bought their property with a clear purpose—to shield it from development—and the Door County Land Trust is honored to ensure that their long-held dream of permanent conservation will endure.”

The Land Trust’s initial 16-acre purchase for Grand View Park occurred in 2012—with funding from private donations, the Wisconsin DNR Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, and the Department of Transportation’s Scenic Byways Fund. After a master land management plan was in place, ownership was then transferred to the Town of Liberty Grove with the agreement that the Town would manage and maintain the Grand View with support from the Land Trust.

The acreage at the bottom of Grand View hill includes marshy wetlands and two ponds. With seed provided by US Fish and Wildlife Service and the help of volunteers, the Land Trust has rehabilitated this area to benefit wildlife. Stewardship has included invasive species control and the planting of native wetland forbs and shrubs.

­The Fuhrmann’s commitment to land protection took root while living next to the 550-acre Ryerson Wildlife Preserve in Riverwoods, Illinois. They wanted that same access to nature for their family at their second home in Door County. “We raised our kids in a forest in both places,” Barbara said.

This experience influenced their three children to appreciate the natural world and advocate for it as adults. One of their sons is the head of environmental education at Yellowstone National Park.

Barbara and Don are hoping that the enthusiasm for land protection they ignited in their children will spread to their neighbors to accomplish their dream—to establish a corridor of protected land that extends from Highway 42 to Ellison Bluff Park along the Niagara Escarpment. “Any protection of land in Door County that can possibly be done is really important, especially for future generations,” Barbara said.

To celebrate newly protected properties, Door County Land Trust selected the Grand View Scenic Overlook and Park for the site of its Annual Gathering to be held on August 9, from 2-5pm. At the event, Land Trust Executive Director Emily Wood will share the story of the protection of the Fuhrmann property and more details on the Land Trust’s slate of more than 20 land protection projects currently in the works. The community is invited to attend the event. For more details or to purchase tickets for the Annual Gathering, visit www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org/Gathering. All proceeds from event tickets and the Gathering’s fine art auction will benefit the Land Trust’s 2024 Conservation and Stewardship Campaign to fund land protection projects like this one and others.