Approximately 113 acres of land in Wood County was donated to Gathering Waters last year by landowner Sallie Wylie upon her passing in 2025. Following her wishes to conserve the land, Gathering Waters and NCCT worked together to permanently protect the property with a conservation easement.
The property features a diverse landscape of woodlands, open fields, and peat-filled wetlands. The surrounding lands include forest, wetlands, and agricultural fields that contribute to the property’s ecological significance. Sallie Wylie carefully stewarded the property for many years, working to restore formerly hayed and grazed fields back to their natural condition. In 2025, she bequeathed the land to Gathering Waters, the statewide alliance for Wisconsin land trusts. The North Central Conservancy Trust is the local land trust who holds the conservation easement and will work with future landowners to ensure the agreement is upheld. With the conservation easement now in place, the property’s important natural features, wildlife habitat, and ecological value will be permanently protected. The property remains privately owned and is not open to the public.
This project is unique for both NCCT and Gathering Waters, marking the first time Gathering Waters has placed a conservation easement on a property donated directly to their organization. The project also highlights the strong collaborative relationship between the two nonprofit conservation organizations, who continue to work together to protect Central Wisconsin’s natural resources and advocate for conservation. NCCT and Gathering Waters’ Land Conservation Law Program worked together to develop a conservation easement agreement tailored to protect the property’s specific ecological and conservation values.
