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Landscapes of Place TM

Bay Shore Blufflands State Natural Area Door County Wisconsin Along a seven mile stretch of the Niagara Escarpment and Green Bay s eastern shore in Wisconsin is a place not quite rural not quite town and also not quite planned This unusual 4200 acre designated State Natural Area is also home to a community of several hundred people At this scale and context development of an effective planning process was a necessary prerequisite to creating the Community Conservation Plan The planning process inventively melds pattern writing with the metaphor of cathedral building The process intertwines nature and culture empowering multi generational thinking coupled with stepwise progress The resulting Community Conservation Plan demonstrates how a sustainable community can coexist in a mutually beneficial way with valued natural habitats and high functioning yet fragile ecosystems raising both to new opportunity The plan captures imaginations and also offers neighbors a way into the implementation process providing small yet meaningful steps anyone can take to begin The long term vision defines a collective community enterprise needing the hands and minds of all across generations This booklet is a synopsis of the Bay Shore Blufflands Community Conservation Plan and the process used to create it A link to the entire Conservation Plan and data findings is at www landscapesofplace com bayshoreblufflands html

Bay Shore Blufflands Door County Wisconsin This land has historically been logged fished and farmed It is not quite rural not quite town and also not quite planned Twenty years ago the State s designation of these 4200 acres as a State Natural Area was an unusual move because the lands are mostly privately owned What led to the designation is the combination of many factors the area s unusual geology fragile ecosystem reserves rare plant and animal species a remarkable matrix of wetlands and forests and the fact that large tracts remained undeveloped The globally significant Niagara Escarpment creates a dramatic and iconic bluff that runs the length of the Door Peninsula along the shores of Lake Michigan Three separate land trust preserves protect large blocks of forest and the last remaining long stretches of pristine escarpment Forests wetlands farms two towns and seven miles of Niagara Escarpment in the designated State Natural Area come together in this place of rich rural history and an uncertain future Although a good measure of cohesiveness endures it has been a place without a shared identity without common goals And conditions are changing The Blufflands with its grand scenery and glorious lakeshore has predictable development pressure The small towns have no zoning and not enough capacity or pressing need to proactively plan In support of conservation community groups have taken intermittent action This activity is often defined in terms of an immediate need or a project at hand These efforts have been individually productive but often not organized toward strategic shared long range goals A plan was needed to unite efforts in service of a collective vision

Devise a Planning Process This State Natural Area has several hundred residents on working farms working forests and in homes that arise in areas where former farms or timber stands change hands and are developed Stakeholders value the unusualness of this State Natural Area seeing an opportunity to demonstrate how a sustainable community can coexist in a mutually beneficial way with valued natural habitats and high functioning ecosystems At this landscape scale and context devising an effective planning process was a necessary prerequisite to creating the long range Community Conservation Plan The team formulated and conducted a planning process that considered both nature and culture valuing both and working to find a vision that could raise both to new opportunity Pattern writing led the way its emphasis on careful language and intrinsic mixing of domains helped stakeholders see unexpected opportunities and be inclusive of others needs and goals Pattern Language applied here to planning takes advantage of stakeholders knowledge to consider highly regarded reference landscapes and places and see what patterns might make sense For example the group was inspired by Aldo Leopold s work in partnership with rural farmers A resulting pattern describes the advantages and opportunities of a community in nature Rather than assuming simple segregation of conserved land and inhabited parcels this pattern works instead toward value added farmed or logged lands by increasing the compatibility of land practices with environmental quality This led to a proposed project creating native shrub hedgerows along farm fields to improve pollinators for farm crops and also buffer adjacent forests and streams It became apparent that taking a very long view was needed A pattern that describes future forests big enough and quiet enough to hear the ethereal flute of the wood thrush needs thinking at the scale of many decades So does the pattern that describes an experience of trails that thread the entire seven miles never out of sight of either ancient white cedars on the escarpment or old field junipers a quintessential local pioneer species The pattern writing for trails recognizes their importance for strengthening the connection of people to place it also recognizes the importance of siting trails to protect critical habitat like the nests of those wood thrushes To support the long view the cathedral building model was incorporated Building a cathedral is a collective enterprise It creates new knowledge while making use of the best existing knowledge A cathedral endorses teach and practice methods where traditions and norms are shared among people and across generations These norms in the case of landscapes can be as simple as invasive species work day on First Tuesday or an annual ice hike on the bay The landscape is the laboratory A cathedral can be understood as being built from a series of full scale experiments each involving the smart work of many Cathedral builders can adapt to the uncertainties of funding unexpected challenges and refinement of goals for example adjusting to focus on a doable component or take a different approach while awaiting resources or needed conditions Cathedral scaled outcomes reward communities that keep the big picture in mind sustain their dedication and are alert for opportunity The planning process inventively melds pattern writing with the metaphor of cathedral building The process intertwines nature and culture empowering multi generational thinking coupled with stepwise progress

Create the Plan and Do While Planning The Next Twenty Years The stakeholders work was refined and resolved into fifteen Patterns Each pattern describes a set of ideas projects and steps to achieve it These range from specific to open ended actions from straightforward to complex plans from short term to long term goals Many ideas support each other but are designed to be implemented independently and over time Ideas are described in ways that invite change as they are implemented in response to new information or differing circumstances This tends to open up new ideas rather than limiting what can be done the openness to adaptation can start useful conversations As with the complexities of cathedral building allowing for the evolution of ideas is important Place making involves a space in the physical world that forms a persistent human connection to ecological vitality along with the means of sustaining that health and connection It calls for collective action and can be perceived by enriched ecological function and social and cultural vibrancy as an outcome of those actions In this place Bay Shore Blufflands patterns and cathedrals built the language and structure of a Community Conservation Plan that articulates those collective actions The beginnings of the effort twenty years ago will be augmented and surpassed in the next twenty years by the stories of an empowered collective community enterprise to strengthen conservation identity and place Projects from the patterns were drawn onto site plans defining their implementations on the ground and proposing their order in time Project domains and scales intersect as they do in building a cathedral The pattern narratives and plan drawings capture people s imagination and also give neighbors a way into the implementation process The patterns make clear that this is a collective enterprise needing the hands and minds of all and they offer a variety of small yet meaningful steps anyone can take to begin Small projects were begun during the two year planning process to test ideas and to fill knowledge gaps One project provided 100 native Juneberry trees to neighbors Juneberries are a historical neighborhood tree emblematic of the escarpment and a local harbinger of spring a way to begin to strengthen shared identity Another project engaged scientists to work with residents on herptile monitoring This identified the rare four toed salamander in an unprotected wetland which is now prioritized for protection It was in this doing that important elements of the plan emerged The practice of doing while planning should continue to effectively serve the implementation process

THE PLACE BAY SHORE BLUFFLANDS Lautenbach Woods 300 acres Woods at Monument Point N GREEN BAY LAKE MICHIGAN 675 acres BAY SHORE BLUFFLANDS STATE NATURAL AREA SEVEN MILES OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT 4200 ACRES A COMMUNITY OF 1200 Bay Shore Blufflands 750 acres On the Door Peninsula in a designated State Natural Area a diverse community seeks a collective collaborative conservation future

DIVERSITY OF LANDS USES AND NEEDS Small parcels Large parcels Agriculture Agriculture Forest Forest Managed Forest Law Open Managed Forest Law Closed Commercial Manufacturing Residential not yet developed Residential developed Conservation Protection Lautenbach Woods 300 acres Woods at Monument Point N GREEN BAY LAKE MICHIGAN 675 acres BAY SHORE BLUFFLANDS STATE NATURAL AREA SEVEN MILES OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT 4200 ACRES A COMMUNITY OF 1200 Bay Shore Blufflands 750 acres Not quite rural not quite town and not quite planned globally significant habitat side by side with homes farms and woodlots

COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PLANNING PROCESS Patterns guide the work intertwining nature and culture Cathedral model empowers multi generational thinking and stepwise progress The Plan can empower each in the community to Innovate and borrow things that work Do while planning and test ideas Take meaningful steps and allow incompleteness Do one part and pass it on 1 Pattern Language as applied here uses expert knowledge to translate good conditions of highly regarded landscapes to this particular place then identifies elements or steps to create the condition over time e Land d s F u t u re f Q u a lity so by Wa e e ts t N e t w ork n tis de nt D ri n k a b l e Language is important Patterns encapsulate the vision intertwining nature and culture Cathedrals bring big possibilities into the everyday world Sc ie Re si r a p ate carp e nt m Nia gar e rs e S u p W n ic Es co D iv or s t o ra t i o n i n t N o B ro w s g re s s P ro Re I Small test projects tried by the community influenced the plan doing while planning ded Li n eB Fa r m rs Lo v e Knowledge gaps were identified and scientists engaged to fill gaps ea ats r e Fo r e s t an er Le ss E rc h i d s g the L r Mo Dozens of landscape architect drafted patterns were distilled to fifteen Projects were mapped m r i e s fro Th A ff e c t i o o nf dge Tra il s t o ui din Ex th yD ri e n ce pe Lan ds G in g Sm Wo rk Sto e r ri e s a t Ev rO s a ll E n t e r p r eb er is e Jun 1 2 See References Bay Shore Blufflands is a place where Landscapes in transition are landscapes of value We are a community in nature I can walk or bike 7 miles of escarpment never out of sight of old trees There are Amelanchiers at every driveway Food for all Landscapes feed things Food for wildlife and for people Restoration activity is visible People can perceive the pace of restoration Neither hawks and owls nor people notice property boundaries here rive w ay 2 When Cathedral building the landscape architect cultivates trust in the collective vision and intuition about the next steps The plan begins with knowing that progress is incremental incomplete is normal Then to think of the landscape as a laboratory adapt to manage uncertainty and opportunity to be a collective enterprise that makes conservation progress through taking meaningful steps together

ANALYSIS YIELDS INSIGHT FUTURE LAND CONVERSION DIFFERENT VOLUNTARY TOOLS DIFFERENT OUTREACH APPROACHES Locally owned full time resident Locally owned undeveloped Non locally owned part time resident Non locally owned undeveloped Conservation Protection Lautenbach Woods Project Area 300 acres Woods at Monument Point Project Area 675 acres N Bay Shore Blufflands Project Area 750 acres GREEN BAY LAKE MICHIGAN Ownership patterns emerge within this simple difference of ownership type Land owners who are resident or local owners might be interested in different approaches than second home owners or other non local owners Thus develop distinct tools as well as outreach approaches for future land ownership conversion options POTENTIAL APPROPRIATE FARMLAND EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES COUPLED WITH APPROPRIATE FOREST RE ESTABLISHMENT OPPORTUNITIES Not yet farmed soils 5 Presently farmed soils 5 Presently farmed very shallow soil Not farmed very shallow soil Conservation Protection Lautenbach Woods Project Area 300 acres N GREEN BAY LAKE MICHIGAN Investigate for farmland expansion Woods at Monument Point Project Area 675 acres Bay Shore Blufflands Project Area 750 acres A dozen creative spatial analyses helped provide insights in the pattern generating and planning process In a karst landscape of very shallow soils over porous limestone bedrock where groundwater moves rapidly and unpredictably the water supply needs special protection The need and desire for working lands in this matrix is clearly acknowledged We seek both appropriate farmland zones and at the same time increasing the compatibility of working lands practices with environmental quality and habitat conservation in the spirit of Leopold

ANALYSIS YIELDS INSIGHT HISTORICAL FOREST COVER WITH 1836 SURVEY TREES Sugar Maple Birch Hemlock Pine Beech Sugar Maple Basswood Oak Beech Hemlock Sugar Maple Swamp Conifers Conservation Protection Lautenbach Woods Project Area 300 acres Woods at Monument Point Project Area 675 acres N Bay Shore Blufflands Project Area 750 acres GREEN BAY LAKE MICHIGAN White Pine Red Pine Pine Fir Spruce Hemlock Cedar Tamarack Birch Aspen Cottonwood Willow Elm White Ash Black Ash Basswood Maple Sugar Maple Beech Ironwood Butternut White Oak Bur Oak Black Oak Red Oak 16 diameter 16 diameter REMAINING FOREST COVER AND RE CONNECTING FORESTED LANDS Moderate to High Habitat Richness Managed Forest Lands Other Forested Lands Parcels within 75 of Wetland Conservation Protection Lautenbach Woods Project Area 300 acres N GREEN BAY LAKE MICHIGAN Consideration for Forest Restoration Woods at Monument Point Project Area 675 acres Bay Shore Blufflands Project Area 750 acres Most of Door County was once part of a contiguous regional forest Bay Shore Blufflands is a good candidate for attempting to restore a portion of continuously forested landscape Such a forest is within our imagination forests quiet enough to hear the ethereal flute of the wood thrush with diverse structure very big trees standing snags deep leaf litter Two distinct aspects matter conversion of some currently open lands to forest increase patch size connect patches reduce biological sinks and improving habitat quality within forested land Re creating continuous forest of substance within our inhabited matrix means analyzing and considering several possible pathways over time

Vertical bedrock fractures Wetland in closed topographical depression VISUAL EXPLANATIONS SUPPORT PATTERNS Ephemeral wetland Soil Green Bay Bedrock Spring Perennial wetland Bay Shore Blufflands E Coli ADVISORY 2419 6 N7500 209 8 1 31 1 3 1 2 1 1 155 3 2419 6 Aug 29 Date Jul 20 Project Map Boundary 1 Jult 10 Hydrology Study Area Boundary Groundwater contributing area 1119 9 387 3 Jun 30 N5500 33 1 Aug 19 1 248 1 Water table elevation feet above msl CLOSURE Aug 9 Bay Shore Blufflands June 2014 Jul 30 Water table and groundwater contributing areas Jun 20 Caves sinkholes disappearing streams and subsurface drainage result when the bedrock is easily dissolved by water The cracks and channels can rapidly transport water and pollutants to groundwater In karst areas groundwater can move as much as 100 feet or more per day while in other areas groundwater typically moves less than 1 foot per day Because rainwater drains through much faster microorganisms that live in the soils have far less time to treat the water Groundwater contamination is a higher risk and water quality is a significant issue Seep Jun 10 Patterns in the plan acknowledge and embrace the Karst topography the combination of shallow gravelly soils with porous limestone below means that water moves very quickly through the landscape Well May 31 Water through Porous Rock Sinkhole May 21 Cave South North Transect Saturated zone This place begins and ends with water County Conservationist Developing visual explanations linked to science helped the community plan together

VISUAL EXPLANATIONS SUPPORT PATTERNS Mid Watershed Wetlands Ephemeral Ponds Upper Watershed Wetlands Springs and Seeps Upper Watershed Wetlands Ephemeral Ponds Upper Watershed Wetlands Springs and Seeps Modern Conditions Connected Surface Flow Overland Sheet Flow and Groundwater Flow Mid Watershed Wetlands Riparian and Floodplain Wetlands Lower Watershed Wetlands Riparian and Floodplain Wetlands Historical Conditions Mid Watershed Wetlands Riparian and Floodplain Wetlands Floodplain Forest Clarifying the impacts on water resulted in better planning alternatives and land use scenarios Mid Watershed Wetlands Ephemeral Ponds Hardwood Swamp Shrub Carr Sedge Meadow Lower Watershed Wetlands Riparian and Floodplain Wetlands Sedge Meadow Emergent Marsh

ts dge S de nt c Citizens begin monitoring species of local conservation interest D iv e rs e S u p p 2 YEARS PLACE THE CORNERSTONES Neighborhood hosts ten community hikes or events pe ri e n ce Community plants 40 acres and thousands of trees to re forest in three areas t N e t w ork n tis Re si ie r e Fo r e s t or Public and newsworthy planting days Mo Le s t o ra t i o n i n ss E g re s s P ro Re PATTERNS IN Tra il s t o E x Connecting trail segments built and marked er Th ea r N f Q u a lit y Residents plant 100 roadside native and emblematic Juneberry trees so e r ri e s a t Ev ded t er Jun eb yD rive w ay GREEN BAY by Wa Restore 30 acres of degraded wetland BAY SHORE BLUFFLANDS STATE NATURAL AREA SEVEN MILES OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT 4200 ACRES A COMMUNITY OF 1200 Early practical steps and projects that are begun while still planning test ideas broaden public engagement and place cornerstones

t N e t w ork ats BRING IN THE BUTTRESSES x Re s t o ra t i o n i n Public and newsworthy planting days dge Add trail segments to connect middle Preserve ss E Tra il s t o E Mo Le Prominent bat houses installed at Cross promotion of five farms alongside Preserves natural landscapes and conservation projects with race tour and social bicyclists g re s s e rs e S u pp P ro D iv YEARS ri e n ce Fa r m rs Lo v e 10 pe New interpretive exhibit at 45th Parallel Wayside PATTERNS IN or m r i e s fro eB e Land th Sto History of Graceport published for community r e Fo r e s t Community expands tree planting and re forestation G ui din d s F u t u re GREEN BAY g th e L an BAY SHORE BLUFFLANDS STATE NATURAL AREA SEVEN MILES OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT 4200 ACRES A COMMUNITY OF 1200 ts n tis D ri n k a b l e Water monitored at outlets and wells for e coli and its DNA sources in local labs Re si de nt Sc ie N W ate r Permanently protect important forested wetlands and buffers Citizens begin phenology records at each Preserve By year ten progress on larger scale projects can be visible and substantive buttressing the longer term goals

a ll E n t e r p in g La n ds Hedgerow farm easements planted with native shrubs boost crop pollinators and also provide trail easements e rk SET THE KEYSTONES Li n Wo Add trail segments to connect to residential areas and provide multiple Preserve loops while protecting sensitive habitat YEARS N o B ro w s e x 20 Sm Tra il s t o E r ri e n ce pe rc h i d s rO s A ff e c t i o n f o PATTERNS IN is e Local plant phenology data included in Plants of Bay Shore Blufflands guide available at local venues and on hikes Deer exclosures on parts of Preserves combined with proactive hunting policy protect sensitive flora a D iv N or t N e t w ork Permanently protect remaining undeveloped Niagara Escarpment e rs e S u pp Long term research pipeline established at Monument Point Preserve F u t u re Nia gar G ui din d s n ic Es I co carp e nt m GREEN BAY a g th e L n BAY SHORE BLUFFLANDS STATE NATURAL AREA Permanently protect remaining large wetlands and Perserve infill parcels SEVEN MILES OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT 4200 ACRES A COMMUNITY OF 1200 In twenty years established patterns resources ways of working together passion and delight in the shared vision for Bay Shore Blufflands

THE LEDGE EASTERN WISCONSIN Installatio A Neighborh rs at every d riveway ood Conserv ation Project 018 Ar t 2 r e m m u S r o f w o Apply N GENTLY Amelanchie A WALK You are in the presence of creatures from the Pleistocene with the s in partnership ject Shore Bluffland rary public art pro Friends of Bay nounce a tempo an st Tru d Lan d visite preserves d an Door County nic ico st jects meant County s mo l ephemeral pro at one of Door artists will instal trail at ed ow ect ad sel me c le Multip the publi over time along information to dematerialize May 2017 For in g nin gin be s nd g or call us Bay Shore Bluffla ountylandtrust or artist visit doorc or to apply as an S D N A L F F U L B E H T T A RT n P ro gra m MENT ESCARP NIA GA RA ACTIVATE WITH ARTS LETTERS AND SCIENCE Proposed visual cues will help socialize the implementation a poster give away a temporary art installation along a well used trail and planted tree tags

ACTIVATE WITH ARTS LETTERS AND SCIENCE Bay Shore Blufflands Conservation Plan Books Historic Land Survey Hike Booklet Welcome to Bay Shore Blufflands A Guide to the Flora Provide written supporting documents the Plan books available at town hall and library hike booklets and a welcome guide to the very local flora

ACTIVATE WITH ARTS LETTERS AND SCIENCE Batty for Bats A Neighborhood Conservation Project Bay Shore Blufflands Studying Herptiles A Neighborhood Conservation Project Bay Shore Blufflands Studying Aquatic Macroinvertebrates A Neighborhood Conservation Project Bay Shore Blufflands Bats are strongly associated with Egg Harbor which has both forest habitat and the karst caves needed for winter hibernation Bats can indicate healthy forests Local bat expert Bob B will offer a free evening bat walk for Town of Egg Harbor Residents on Friday July 11th 8 00 pm to identify flying bats using bat listening equipment Also available while supplies last are free bat houses made from locally grown and milled wood assembled by BSPOA volunteers Funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act Grant NA13NOS4190043 the Town of Egg Harbor and Bay Shore Property Owners Association Camp Dragonfly A Neighborhood Conservation Project Bay Shore Blufflands Dragonflies help control mosquitos and indicate high water quality Dragonfly author and expert Paul B will present a free program about dragonflies how to safely net and identify them on Wednesday July 23rd 9 30 am until 11 30 am All attending families will receive membership in the Wisconsin Dragonfly Network The first ten families will receive a dragonfly net to take home and Paul s book Common Dragonflies of Northern Door County Funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act Grant NA13NOS4190043 the Town of Egg Harbor and Bay Shore Property Owners Association Mosses and Lichens A Neighborhood Conservation Project Bay Shore Blufflands Mosses and lichens are astonishingly diverse in the environs of the Niagara Escarpment Moss and lichen scientist Jamie Ferschinger will be in residence for a week in May 2017 Citizen scientists are invited to participate in the inventory of mosses and lichens in the area The week will culminate with a free commununity presentation on the ecology of mosses and lichens in the Bay Shore Blufflands Building a resident scientist corps local classes monitoring bats identifying dragonflies and enlisting neighbors to join with scientists in field work

The community takes its first steps with the plan

In a place defined by water and rock this plan empowers the community s hands and minds for a collaborative stepwise conservation future

Landscapes of Place TM www landscapesofplace com Nancy M Aten PLA ASLA Landscapes of Place Dan Collins P E Landscapes of Place Jodi Milske Door County Land Trust Michael Grimm With assistance from Katie Beilfuss Kyle Magyera and Erin O Brien Wisconsin Wetlands Association Ken Bradbury Wisconsin State Geologist Paul Burton Eric Epstein Joe Henry and Jennifer Redell Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Eric Fowle Niagara Escarpment Resource Network William Schuster Soil Water Conservation Department of Door County Joel Trick US Fish and Wildlife Service Biotic and Geologic Surveys Nancy Aten and Dan Collins Landscapes of Place Ken Bradbury Wisconsin State Geologist Jennifer Callaghan Delainey Loedding Anne Reis Tim Vargo Jamie Ferschinger Urban Ecology Center Gary Casper and Ryne Rutherford Great Lakes Ecological Services LLC Erin Giese et al University of Wisconsin Green Bay Michael Grimm Kurtis Quamme Paul Regnier Mary Standish Copyright 2017 Landscapes of Place Revision 2 Initial 2014 plan funded by Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and Door County Land Trust Subsequent work funded by Landscapes of Place