Land Trust Moves into New Home

Nature photos donated by local professional photographers adorn the walls of Door County Land Trust’s new offices on the second floor of the Door County Epicenter. Photo by Craig Sterrett.

One of Door County’s most active protectors of the great outdoors ran out of room for operations indoors.

Door County Land Trust (DCLT) this month finished moving files, maps, photographs, personnel and equipment fewer than two city blocks from an awkward, outdated space into a more versatile and modern office in the former Nicolet Bank building – now known as the Door County Epicenter – at the corner of 4th Avenue and Kentucky Street.

Founded in 1986, DCLT now conserves and protects more than 8,800 acres of land throughout the county. Through the years, the Land Trust has needed more personnel to handle operations and better spaces for completing often-complicated grant applications and complex and confidential land agreements, according to Cinnamon Rossman, its director of charitable giving.

DCLT has operated for the past 14 years out of an old, two-story house at 5th and Louisiana streets in Sturgeon Bay. Walls for three former bedrooms and other living spaces separated the employees in such a way that they had to walk from room to room to discuss projects and just about anything else.

“We had one guy working out of a closet,” Rossman said.

The staff has grown in recent years to 10 people, and that number will increase to 12 soon with new hires and replacements. Some employees work full time in the office, while others are mostly in the field, with some office hours each week. 

The Epicenter – which owners Chad and Jan Ladick have transformed into a multifaceted space for multiple uses and businesses – provides DCLT staff members with eight cubicles (or “pods”), desks for casual meetings with visitors and potential donors, and private offices for complex real estate transactions and discussions. 

High-quality nature photography from local photographers adorns the office walls, including those in a large conference room that DCLT will use for events, training sessions and volunteer projects. Rossman said the framed prints on the walls were donated by the professional and amateur photographers who frequently provide photos for the Land Trust’s promotional materials and online content.

DCLT also took possession of a wall of medical-office-style shelves and cabinetry, which will help to update its physical filing system. The organization is reusing available office furniture and did not spend much on outfitting the space, other than replacing ceiling tiles and some carpeting, and adding a fresh coat of paint.

A casual observer might not think the DCLT’s site-maintenance crew members would need desks, but each has areas of expertise and contributes to grant writing and applications. The organization has completed an average of seven to nine land deals per year in recent years, Rossman said. Each requires a great deal of teamwork and a lot of emails, surveys, meetings, forms and paperwork, whether it’s a land acquisition or a conservation easement.

“It takes the same amount of work to protect a 10-acre parcel or a 120-acre parcel,” she said.

Rossman said DCLT’s board of directors saw urgency in improving the work space for the ultimate goal of protecting land and waters.

“The relocation allows the Land Trust to expand its professional land-protection and stewardship staff without diverting any resources away from land protection,” Rossman said. “The board recognizes the enormous need to protect as much land as possible – now – without embarking on a fundraising campaign to build a new building. Reusing an existing building follows our mission to protect wild places that have not yet been developed.”