Preserving Door County’s Green

As the baby boomer generation has flocked to Door County in the last decade to build second homes and snatch up condominiums for vacations, investments, and retirement, the open space and natural beauty that drew them here has dwindled precipitously. Fortunately several organizations have materialized and grown in this same era to preserve some of that beauty for generations to come, including the Door County Green Fund, now approaching its 10th anniversary.

The Green Fund was formed in 1998 at the urging of Karen Raymore, then director of the Door County Chamber of Commerce, and Paul Regnier.

In the years since the fund has doled out $132,500 in grants to groups including Crossroads at Big Creek, Door County Land Trust, Ridges Sanctuary, and several municipalities for preserving and enhancing open space.

While other organizations on the peninsula purchase and manage property, the Green Fund simply aids them in gaining the dollars to do so. Mariah Goode, a longtime board member and past president of the Green Fund, explained how it functions.

“The organization doesn’t buy or take on conservation easements, rather, it gives money to groups,” Goode said. So for those who aren’t looking to give to a specific project or property purchase, a gift to the Green Fund is a way to support preservation efforts more generally. One of the goals of the fund is to provide an avenue for local businesses to contribute to and be recognized for such efforts.

“We’ve been likened to the United Way of Conservation,” said current president Trish Konowalski. “We have the ability to review what organizations are doing and make the most appropriate contribution to where the money will have the most value that year. It’s a great way to give to several organizations over the years.”

“We only fund projects for the permanent protection of open space,” Goode said. “We grant between $10,000 and $25,000 per year, which often goes toward getting matching dollars from the stewardship fund or other funds, making it more effective.”

Konowalski said the group puts an emphasis on protecting areas of high visibility.

“We especially try to find people with land in the vista areas along the highways to protect for everyone to see,” she said. “The environment here is largely the reason people come here. Go to The Ridges and walk around and you’re bowled over by the variety of species here. We want to keep that aspect of this place.”

The board of directors includes land planners, representatives from other preservation groups, and representatives from the business community. Business membership in the Green Fund starts at $50 per year. Members receive the Green Fund logo in digitized format to use in ads, in print materials and a link from the Green Fund Web site. Goode stressed that the logo is not to be misconstrued as a certification of green business practices, but as a badge of support for the organization.

Ironically for an organization whose membership (of about 125) is 90 percent businesses, it has had a somewhat uneasy relationship with the business community.

Like Bob Hastings’ battle against billboards in the early 1990s, Raymore’s involvement in the Green Fund – and the Chamber’s ties to it – would draw the ire of some in the business community who viewed the Green Fund’s purpose as diametrically opposed to that of the business community.

The Chamber sponsored an annual bulb sale each spring with the funds going to cover the administrative costs of the Green Fund. Raymore sat on the group’s board of directors, and the Chamber provided some administrative support. Chamber member businesses that supported the fund were given special recognition in Chamber publications and on the Web site as well, which some members saw as pressure for them to become members.

Goode stressed that the early support of the Chamber was vital to the group and only given with the best of intentions. Unfortunately it has left the group fighting a negative stigma ever since. Now it has cut ties to the Visitor Bureau aside from a limited amount of support services provided by the Visitor Bureau’s Information Technology Director Kathy Lynch. Lynch keeps track of her time spent on the Green Fund, which then reimburses the Bureau for her time.

Though Goode understands the concern some had, she disagrees with those who view conservation efforts as opposition to business and tourism.

“Protection of the Door County environment is protection of the economy,” she said. “Most people come up because of the Natural Beauty. There’s some short-sightedness by those who don’t appreciate the value of conservation.”

One of the group’s major selling points is that none of the membership dollars goes to paperwork or wages, so they can rest assured their money is going directly to preservation.

“Every membership dollar goes to the grant fund,” Goode said.

In the past this was accomplished by raising money through the Chamber’s bulb sale. The bulb sale now discontinued, the Green Fund has organized a holiday fundraising gala they hope will bring in enough money to cover next year’s administrative costs.

“We’ve tried to plan an event that was a little different than others and also tied to our mission,” Konowalski said.

The gala will be held Dec. 8 at Peninsula Art School, starting at 6 pm, highlighted by a Door County Photo expo and contest. The public is urged to contribute photos for auction (must be framed, though the frame can be simple), which will be judged by a four–person panel with the top photos chosen for inclusion in the Green Fund’s 2009 calendar.

Wine and appetizers will be served at the event, with music provided by Craig Konowalski. The 2007 Green Fund Grant Recipient will be announced, as well as the winner of the Partner of the Year Award. To submit photos or for more details email [email protected].

Even though it may seem that much of Door County is preserved already, Goode said there’s work remaining. The head of the Door County Planning Department recently reviewed the peninsula’s conservation properties.

“Less than 20 percent of Door County land is under permanent protection,” Goode said. “In Cape Cod I believe it’s near 30 percent. There’s still a lot of land that could and probably should be protected on the peninsula.”