CCLC Field Notes
Project
Notes
Joas Preserve to be Dedicated
at 2011 Annual Meeting
The Joas Park Nature Preserve will be dedicated at the 2011
Annual Meeting of the Chippewa County Land Conservancy. In addition to the dedication, Conservancy members
will elect board members and learn about the Conservancy’s
activities. Refreshments will be served.
Following the formal program, members and guests
are invited to tour the Joas
Preserve. The walking
distance from the shelter
in Casper Park and back is
about 2 1/2 miles.
Joe Joas
and Alison
Sazama
Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Time: 6 PM
Place: Casper Park Shelter, Old Eau Claire Rd, Chippewa Falls
Program:
Gathering and Welcome
CCLC Annual Meeting & Election
Dedication of Joas Park Nature Preserve
Please join us in celebrating this extraordinary addition
to the Conservancy’s collection of protected properties in
Chippewa County, and honoring those whose vision made it
possible.
Our Conservation Scorecard
6 Conservation Easements
4 Properties Owned
1 Property Transferred to
Local Government
772 acres Protected
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CCLC Field Notes
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Notes
The
Story of
Joas Park
Nature
Preserve
If you had been traveling from Eau Claire to the wilds of
Chippewa County at the beginning of the last century, you
might have taken the “Interurban” towards Chippewa Falls,
stopping short at Stafford’s Crossing. The trip would have
cost 14¢, and from there you might have continued your trek
on foot going northwest toward the countryside southwest of
Chippewa Falls.
If you had taken that trek, you’d have passed through what is
now the Joas Park Nature Preserve. After a short walk to an
overlook, the trail you’d be following would have descended
into an enchanted valley to cross a trout stream and continue on through a dry oak woods to the farms that lay beyond.
That young traveller might well have been unaware of the
ownership of this parcel of land, and it would probably not
have occurred to him to care much. As it turns out, the land
has been in the family of Joe Joas since 1906, when his uncle
C. J. Zeitinger acquired it in trade for a grist mill in Fond du
Lac. He sold it to Joe’s father the following year, and Joe became the owner in 1959. In November, 2010, Joe Joas sold the
property in a sale/donation arrangement to CCLC. Funding
for the purchase came from Chippewa County’s Stewardship
Fund.
The property, which is crossed by Misty Creek, hasn’t
changed much from the days of our turn-of-the-century
traveller, and now the public can forever traverse the paths to
enjoy this pristine enchanted island located at the north edge
of the Village of Lake Hallie.
Despite its proximity to the urban area, the site has been
never developed, isolated by both topography and railroads
bordering it on two sides. In fact, that lack of access delayed
the acquisition of this property for a decade while the former
owner and the CCLC tried to figure out a way to obtain legal
public access.
The solution came in the acquisition of the former Canadian
National RR by the DNR and City of Chippewa Falls for a
recreational trail. While not the most direct access, and not
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The story
of Joas
Preserved,
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Notes
open via motorized vehicles, the property is now legally accessible to the public. As a bonus, its location along the future
bike trail will provide a destination for bicycle riders to stop
and enjoy, for exploration, study, or a picnic stop.
In the decade of exploring acquisition of this property, CCLC
has gotten a chance to learn a lot about it’s assets, including
surveys, appraisals, and biological inventories. In addition
to the dry woods and trout stream, it includes ponds and
marshes, ravines, steep hillsides, and seeps. This variety of
habitats, along with its protected location, makes it an excellent location for a wide variety of plant and animal species.
Despite it’s natural appearance, some tree planting has occurred over the years, including a series of red and white
pine plantings along the southwest property line in 1948 and
1949-1955 in honor of the Wisconsin state centennial, and in
the ravine along CTH J. The family used to cut oak firewood
from the property years ago, and a relatively small open field
has been rented to farmers.
But for Joe Joas, it was always a place to go for a walk to enjoy
nature. He attributes his longevity to the walks he has taken
there over the years. His wish is for the property to continue
to be enjoyed by the public for nature walks for many years to
come.
We hope Joe has many years to continue his treks through
the Joas Preserve on what has been named the Zeitinger Trail,
named after the uncle that started the legacy back in 1906.
A Legacy
of Land
for
Public
Use
For Joe Joas, personally creating a public nature preserve is
the culmination of a long history of having a hand in creating
public open spaces.
Joas, who worked as Chippewa County Land Agent from
1953-1971, was an early proponent of creating a Chippewa
County Park System. He helped identify some of the parcels
that the county had acquired which could best be used as
county parks, and he used his persuasive talents to encourage
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CCLC Field Notes
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Looking
back
over an
amazing
year
Notes
Greetings, fellow nature lovers and conservationists.
What a winter this has been. We are deserving of large
amounts of sunshine and warm breezes so let's hope Mother
Nature is in agreement and bestows upon us a long, lovely
spring and summer.
The Conservancy team has been working on several projects
(4 to be exact) throughout the winter. A number of variables
have stalled a few of them, one issue being the turmoil down
at the state capital. Our friends at the DNR have had to put
many of their programs on hold as we wait to see how things
fall out with the current budget situation. The Knowles/Nelson Stewardship program survived fairly intact monetarily,
but several contingencies have appeared that may make our
work more challenging. Still we remain positive about our
mission. With the generosity of our county residents and by
using our ability to adapt to these changes, we will find new
resources and avenues to explore as we continue our work in
the future.
On a very positive note, The CCLC has (at long last) completed a project we took on when the group was first organized.
Long-time Chippewa Falls resident, fellow land lover, and
conservationist Joe Joas donated 52 acres of beautiful green
space to the Conservancy late last year. This hidden jewel
resides west of Highway 124 and east of Casper Park, nestled
in a valley that contains a variety of diverse habitat, including
a wetland area and small creek.
Joe came to the conservancy as the group's first potential donor back in 2000. The property has been in Joe's family since
1906, and his dream is to protect this unique and diverse
property for future generations to enjoy.
This project did not happen without the help of many; among
them the hard working conservancy board members (and
previous board members), members of the land conservation
department of Chippewa County, and the Stewardship fund
of Chippewa County. In November we were at last able to put
pen to paper and fulfill this long time wish of Joe’s.
Chippewa County Land Conservancy
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President’s
message,
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Notes
We are extremely pleased and grateful to Joe for his persistence, tenacity, and generosity and are preparing to celebrate
with Joe at our annual board meeting in May (see below).
We hope you will come and share in the event. You will be
amazed and delighted to see this special place right next to
the city limits of Chippewa Falls.
And as always, we want to thank you our members for your
continued support. During these trying times, not only
economically but environmentally, this support is more
important and valued than ever. It is a positive change we
can make without the pressure of partisanship that we are
constantly reminded of! Please be sure to let your friends and
family know about the work we do and don't forget to visit
the great properties you helped to preserve, right in your own
back yard.
Here's to positive changes, one small step at a time!
Alison Sazama
President
Election
of
Directors:
Elect
three at
Annual
Meeting
Up to three board members will be elected at the annual
members meeting on Tuesday, May 10. Two current board
members are running for re-election: Alison Sazama and
Dan Simonson.
Board member and treasurer Jerry Brost has decided to
retire!
"With the completion of the Joas project, it's time for me
to retire. It's the first project I worked on when I joined the
board!" said Jerry.
Alison is president of the Conservancy and is a founding
board member. Dan Simonson joined the board in 2005 and
was first elected in 2008. He serves on the land management
committee.
Nominations for board member can be made at the meeting.
Members interested in serving on the board are encouraged
to contact a current board member. The board meets monthly, in addition to periodic field activities.
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CCLC Field Notes
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Thanks
To Our
Friends
Notes
Our organization requires funds for the expenses involved in
conserving land. We have received many donated services,
but appreciate the financial support of the following donors
during 2010:
Individuals:
Pat Andress Michael Arneson
Hugh Barnes
Barbara McNaughton Bernhardt
Bob & Lois Bodeau
Gerald & Jerilyn Brost
Jacque & Dan Cloninger Diane Dahl
Eleanor Flunker
Ruth Anne Gilbertson & John Lauson
Bob & Connie Hartshorn John Hibbard & Terry Stanley
Marilyn Holte
Gerald & Mary Jacobson
Joe Joas Thomas & Pamela Kell
Charles Kemper
Sam LaRue
Bill & Karen Lea
Sally L. Lewis
Richard A. Magyar
Dan Masterpole & Kathy Lembezeder
Jay & Jill Mayer
John Molloy
David Nashold Kenneth & Judy Parejko
Dr. Gordon Polder
Karen & John Possley Bonnie Lynn Robinson
Alison & John Sazama Gerald Sazama Don & Mary Schaefer
Dan & Ida Simonson
Richard Smith & Pat McKearn Bill & Peggy Sprague
Steve Thaler
Mark & Ursula Whelan
Jane Whiting
Eleanor Wolf
Businesses:
Northwestern Bank
XMI Corp
Important › Your membership support tells others that our goals are
shared by a broad cross-section of the community!
Please renew your support today! Contributions to the Conservancy qualify as tax deductible charitable contributions.
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A Legacy
of
Public
Land
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county leaders to dedicate them for that purpose.
The parks that were established using county land during
his tenure included Pine Point in 1963 and Morris-Erickson
in 1965. Later, Round Lake was initiated under his watch
and Otter Lake was created in 1969 with a dam built for
$200,000.
Joas Park Nature Preserve, however, is not the first privatelycreated park he had a hand in creating. In 2004, CCLC
acquired the Boyd Park Nature Preserve at Pine Point in the
Town of Lafayette, which was a donation/sale from the estate
of Joe’s late wife Evelyn. Evelyn’s donation of the 24 acre site
reflected some of the values that she and Joe had developed
over their years together.
The Boyd Park Nature Preserve story started with Evelyn’s
first husband’s father, Donald Boyd, who acquired the land
and surrounding shoreland in 1917. During the 1920’s to the
1940’s, Donald and his son Robert (Evelyn’s first husband)
sold most of the property, but it was difficult to sell due to
lack of interest in lake property! The remaining non-shoreland property became Boyd Park Nature Preserve in 2004.
Board of
Directors
2010-2011
Lots of
ways to
Help!
Alison Sazama
Richard Smith
David Nashold
Jerry Brost
John Molloy
Jerry Sazama
Pat Andress
Dan Simonson
Chippewa Falls
New Auburn
Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls
Boyd
Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls
———
Newsletter editor: Richard Smith
Webmaster: Jerry Brost
723-7438
967-2164
726-2086
723-9534
644-3314
723-6955
723-9157
723-9649
President
Vice Pres
Secretary
Treasurer
We’re looking for volunteers for many tasks, from webmaster to treasurer, from land management work to invasives
removal. Interested? Contact us: [email protected]
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Our
mission
and vision
Notes
Mission of the
Chippewa County Land
Conservancy:
•
To protect and
preserve natural and
scenic Chippewa
County Lands.
Our Vision:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
We’d love
to see
you!
Retain greenspace as growth occurs
Protect groundwater and a healthy environment
Keep a Central Park (Irvine Park) Vision: thinking about
the future landscape and how to integrate greenspaces
into it
Maintain the quality of life through a connection with
nature
Protect land at a scale that an invidual person could not
achieve
Preserve scenic beauty
Provide subsequent generations with at least the natural
resources that we have
Protect from the effects of global warming
Protect biodiversity
Offer alternatives to development
The Chippewa County Land Conservancy Board of Directors
meet monthly on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30
PM at Chippewa Falls Library, Chippewa Falls WI 54729.
Any member is welcome and encouraged to attend a board
meeting, or to get involved by helping on a committee. The
Land Stewardship and Outreach committees especially
encourage your participation. For ways you can get involved,
please call any board member or call Alison Sazama, 715723-7438, or email [email protected].
www.chippewaconservancy.com
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