North Branch Milwaukee River Wildlife and Farming Heritage Area - Feasibility Study

In 2002 the Natural Resources Board along with the Governor of Wisconsin approved the establishment of 19,487 -acre North Branch Milwaukee River Wildlife and Farming Heritage Area.  This project encompasses river and stream corridors, large wetland complexes, agricultural lands and three small lakes.  The entire study area lies within the Milwaukee River basin in northeastern Washington, northwestern Ozaukee, and southwestern Sheboygan counties.

The Department anticipates using a variety of real estate tools, including fee title, easements and purchase of development rights to help protect the natural features and rural/agriculture landscape in the area.

In addition to protecting the natural resource features, one of the primary goals is to help maintain farming as a viable land use in this area.  Agriculture and natural resources protection efforts have a common interest in "stabilizing the rural landscape".  American Farmland Trust, a nationwide organization working for farmland preservation, identified southeastern Wisconsin as the third most threatened agricultural landscape in the country (behind California's Central Valley and the area around Seattle).

Two ways to read more about the study.....................