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Tall Pines Conservancy is pleased to announce the hiring of Susan Buchanan as our Executive Director. Susan brings a wealth of experience we believe will help us further our cause of Land Preservation in NW Waukesha county. Please join us in welcoming Susan to our team.

Susan Buchanan has over 20 years of experience working specifically in the areas of marketing, real estate, land-use planning, historic preservation, architecture, and construction. She holds a master's degree in land Use Planning from UW-Milwaukee's School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of WasteCap Wisconsin, a non-profit environmental organization that promotes waste reduction and recycling programs for business and the environment. Susan has ties to Waukesha County, having been the Executive Director for the Waukesha Business Improvement District for 7 years – an organization charged with revitalizing downtown. In addition, she is a licensed real estate broker and is currently studying to become an LEED accredited professional. She currently serves on the Shorewood Plan Commission and on the mayor of Milwaukee’s Green Building Task Force. Formerly she served on the Board of Directors for Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women and was the Chairperson for the Waukesha Public Art Commission for 5 years. She and her husband own two farms, one on Washington Island and the other in Windsor, Connecticut, where they are active with the Door County Land Trust and Windsor Land Trust, respectively. Susan is a serious cycling enthusiast and enjoys kayaking, sailing and skiing in her free time.

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This summer, TPC will hold its 2nd Annual Summer Dining Series. Last year the dining series included four events, each having its own unique theme – Clambake on the lake, Barbeque & Bluegrass, Irish Summer Evening and Summer Fare at the Meadows.

We have many hosting opportunities available and they’re not just limited to the summer months. Come up with any idea to make your dining event special, such as brunches, hikes, lunches, sail boat races, cross country/down hill ski, après ski dinner or a hunting excursion!

Our goal in continuing this dinner series is to go forward each year with more unique opportunities for gathering, reaching a wider audience and attracting more friends of TPC. All proceeds from the dinners will go directly to TPC, as each host will cover all expenses as their donation to Tall Pines.

We hope you’ll consider hosting or attending TPC’s dining events with friends and family. Volunteering helps provide TPC the support it needs to further its mission of preserving open spaces in Northwestern Waukesha County. For more information, please contact Katie Brumder at 262-369-0500.

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Jeff Harris had only owned his property along the west side of Pine Lake for a year before he was approached by the Tall Pines Conservancy about conserving a parcel of farmland near his home. Prior to that, he had not heard of the Tall Pines Conservancy (TPC) nor was he familiar with their mission to protect open space in the area. TPC wanted Jeff to join their efforts to protect a large corridor of farmland along the east side of HWY C just north of Nashotah. The land along the east side of Hwy C had historically been in agricultural crops such as corn, alfalfa, and soybeans for many decades, but was now under some pressure to be developed. Jeff was asked to purchase a 20-acre piece of the farmland that abutted his property on the lake.

Jeff and his family use their property to escape from the bustle of the city during the summer months. They were originally attracted to the peacefulness of the rural environment. "It feels like you are far away from the city" says Jeff. He and his wife like the idea of placing the tract under conservation easement because they thought that the peaceful feeling would go away if their land and the other land surrounding Hwy C were developed. As Jeff went through the process of placing the 20-acre tract under a conservation easement, he became more educated about land conservation in general and grew strong feelings about TPC’s mission. As a result of his involvement, he soon became a Board member of TPC. As a testament to Jeff’s dedication to the organization, he succeeded Ted Rolfs as President of the TPC Board in 2005. When asked what he would say to other potential easement donors who are considering giving to TPC, he stated that "there is an intangible value to preserving the character of where you live that can’t be expressed in dollar terms."

Jeff plans to continue to lease the property for agricultural use as long as there is an interested farmer. He would like to open up the hedgerows that border the field along Hwy C so that the general public can enjoy the openness of the land as they pass by.

As President of the TPC Board, Jeff feels that Tall Pines can best serve the community by being a tool for the community and for local government. "Tall Pines is a resource for people who want to do conservation in the area. It gives municipalities another option for land use." When asked about what projects TPC would like to do in the future, Jeff indicated that the Kieckhefer project is still ongoing, and funds are needed in support of this project. The Kieckhefer property is a key parcel located west of Hwy 83, and will be instrumental to preserving the rural character of the land on the east side of pine lake. He would also like to see Tall Pines become a stronger presence at public forums to educate people about alternative options for land use.

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State land trusts applauded Governor Doyle and legislative leaders for coming to agreement on legislation that would reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund at $86 million a year through 2020 up from the current $60 million, calling the agreement a major bipartisan step forward in continuing to conserve the best of outdoor Wisconsin.

"We commend Governor Doyle and legislative leaders for recognizing the vital importance of investing in our nationally renowned forests, lakes, and streams; conserving habitat while supporting our forestry, tourism, and other industries," said Mary Jean Huston, state director of The Nature Conservancy.

"Future generations will look back and thank Governor Doyle and our legislative leaders for having the foresight to support and expand the Stewardship Fund," said Vicki Elkin, Stewardship Campaign Director for Gathering Waters Conservancy. "We are in a tight race to protect Wisconsin’s last remaining wild places. The budget agreement reached on Friday will help ensure our success."

The Stewardship Fund is a state program established in 1990 that protects natural areas, water quality, wildlife habitat, parks and recreational lands through voluntary agreements with willing landowners. More than 470,000 acres in 71 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties have been protected to date. The program provides public access for outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, wildlife watching and biking.

If you have any questions or need extra assistance, please contact Vicki Elkin at 608-251-9131 or email Vicki@gatheringwaters.org.

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We have many new exciting projects always in need of extra hands and help. Even if you can only spare a little time, WE NEED YOU! TPC is looking to fill a few positions on our communications, fund-raising and conservation committees. We also need help with our special events! Get involved with a great cause and share your special expertise! For more information, please give us a call at 262-369-0500 or email info@tallpinesconservancy.org.

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It is an honor to be chosen as the first Executive Director of Tall Pines Conservancy! This is a great organization with a very important and ambitious mission to preserve land and resources in northwestern Waukesha County.

I congratulate the Board of Directors on the timely decision to hire an Executive Director who can help TPC further its goals and mission. The face of Waukesha County is changing rapidly, and Tall Pines Conservancy will play a significant role in preserving the agricultural and natural area heritage of Waukesha County for future generations. I applaud the board, the membership and our partners for their dedicated vision in shaping an enduring legacy.

As a planner, I have embraced thoughtful open space preservation as a way to protect our resources for the benefit of the community and the environment. I am pleased to say that Tall Pines Conservancy is aligned with this philosophy. Simply said, Tall Pines is working to achieve a balance between preservation and growth. It is through balance that we will preserve a valued quality of life in perpetuity.

I look forward to working with the dedicated Tall Pines Conservancy Board and members to further their vision and to enhance the great progress that has already been realized. We are a small organization with large goals – we could use your help! Please consider becoming a volunteer, serving on a committee and/or providing needed resources. Feel free to give me a call, I will be happy to talk to you about Tall Pines conservancy, your views, and how you can help!

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This past fall, TPC co-hosted its first annual Fall Harvest Fest on the Furse Farm. Thanks largely to our generous hosts, Liz and Bill Furse, and all the work they put into making their property beautiful, the event was a great success and a fantastic evening. The setting could not have been more perfect, a crisp, clear fall night, complete with a picture perfect harvest moon rising over the newly refurbished barn. The night was magical, the moon, the barn, (an absolute treasure and the perfect "site" for viewing auction items), a delicious dinner buffet, and the square dancing that followed, as perfect compliments. The evening began with cocktails on the lawn and in the barn as guests mingled and perused some of the unique items that were featured for auction. Most of the items were of the earth or art nature. Sammy Meier provided the appropriate mood music with his fiddle. TPC member Lynn Rix hand painted the Furse’s barn and it was used on the invitation and also given to the hosts as a gift. Reproductions of the original painting were printed on canvas and were a hit as an auction item.

A simple, hearty fall theme buffet dinner was the next attraction, replete with homemade breads, beef stew, white bean chicken chili and roasted root vegetables. The guests were able to enjoy their delicious dinner under a nicely let and heated tent in the yard. Earlier in the week a few board members and their children hand carved all the pumpkins that adorned the dining tables, lit up for the festivities.

Bruce Rosenheimer unleashed his inner auctioneer talents during dinner to great applause, as he engineered a fantastic bidding war for our only live auction item! Dessert was as homespun as it gets, as each board member bought a variation of apple crisp to serve up to guests a la mode. As the auction closed and the neophytes organizing the auction scrambled to organize bid sheets and check out the winners, the real party was starting back up in the barn, as Len and Ruth Siegmann got the square dancers hoofin', hollerin' and learning how to have fun with it. All the newcomers were eased in and pretty much all the guests were game to join in. It doubled as a great picture op and a fun way to work off the hearty meal.

All told, the evening ended pleasantly, with some guests preferring to stay awhile and chill by the fire pits. TPC raised nearly $20,000 from this first annual fall harvest, which was a pleasing result for tour first foray into this type of event. Worthy of note, we had only limited auction items, and this year we hope to expand it slightly, yet keeping with the theme of organic products, original art, trees and plantings and services that relate to such. We are also pleased that 20% of the group were "first timers" to any TPC event, and we also seek to continue and improve on that trend.

We already have our sights set on October 11, 2008 for our 2nd Annual Fall Harvest Fest – so mark your calendars. It promised to be as much fun as our first annual – and we will have more fresh ideas in store to improve on this terrific base that we’ve established. Many thanks to the Furse family, the TPC Board especially the Quadraccis, Seidels and Traudts, Carrie O’Malley, Gary Chitwood and his staff, Sammy Meier, Denise Ochmcke, Len and Ruth Siegmann and many others who volunteered their time to make this happen.

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