Libertyville residents give a big gift to Wisconsin

All his life, Libertyville business owner Ken Aldridge has held the Northwoods of Wisconsin dear, a kind of heaven-on-earth combination of glacial topography and wildlife.

The preferred destination always has been Minocqua in the north central part of the state, an area his mother first visited in 1920.

While the family's relationship with the wooded landscape was cemented long ago, Aldridge and his wife, Carolyn, have ensured their love and enjoyment of the outdoors will be shared forever through what is regarded as a monumental gift.

On Thursday, ecstatic open space advocates dedicated the Winter Park Pines Nature Preserve, 3,195 acres — or nearly five square miles — owned by the Aldridges that will be preserved in perpetuity in its natural state.

“If you've ever been up in the Northwoods, you know why I did it,” said Aldridge, owner of Aldridge Electric Inc. “The community support for this has been overwhelming. It's not for us, it's for the next generation.”

Besides eliminating the threat of development, the perpetual conservation easement also will keep a lengthy corridor open to the public for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and other winter sports.

While the family can sell the land or pass it down to heirs, the agreement with the private Northwoods Land Trust, signed and recorded Dec. 1, runs with the property forever.

“This is the largest (ever) conservation easement donation to a Wisconsin land trust,” said Bryan Pierce, the group's executive director. There are 50 land trusts in Wisconsin, he added.

Pierce said there have been larger purchases of conservation easements and one larger donation — to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The new preserve shares more than a mile boundary with the Squirrel River Pines State Natural Area and protects more than 13 miles of shorelines on rivers and streams.

“The immense size of this property ... provides opportunities for protection on a landscape scale that can't be duplicated on smaller tracts of land or those that are scattered,” said Bill Cosh, a spokesman for the Wisconsin DNR.

It also serves as a complement to state efforts to protect some of Wisconsin's best old growth forest, wetlands and habitat for rare species, Cosh added.

The easement permanently allows public access for winter recreation to about 26 miles of cross country ski and snowshoe trails, according to Pierce.

“It's really an extraordinary gift the Aldridges have given,” he said.

The Aldridge property surrounds the Minocqua Winter Park and Nordic Center, one of the premier cross country ski trail systems in the Midwest. The 40-acre facility is owned by the town of Minocqua and operated by the Lakeland Ski Touring Foundation Inc.

Winter Park has had to secure annual access to an extensive network of trails that extend beyond its chalet. The threat the land could be sold for development or other uses that would deny access, made it tough to plan ahead.

“There were never serious plans because we knew the rug could have been pulled out from under us,” said Jim DiDomenico, an Elgin resident and executive director of Winter Park.

Aldridge, 61, said his family has had a home in Minocqua since 1946. He has been going there all his life and now spends about half his time there.

An avid hiker and skier, Aldridge noticed a potential problem as he skied one of his favorite trails and saw that the paper company that owned the land had been clear cutting.

“It was going to be the end of Minocqua Winter Park,” he said. “We tried to get in front of it before they got to the ski area.”

He offered to buy about 1,000 acres, but that wouldn't solve the problem. So in June 2010, Aldridge bought 3,195 acres for $4.5 million.

“It was what it took to get them to not develop it,” he said. “They were just going to destroy it. It wouldn't be the same.”

Aldridge and Lakeland were in discussions regarding some type of protection from the start.

“We're good to go now. We're breathing easier,” DiDomenico said.

Pierce said the acreage remains private property and is subject to property taxes. But a portion of the value of the property, which is being determined, can be deducted for federal income tax purposes, he added.

Other conditions limit forestry practices and development. The property can be split into 12 tracts, but each tract can have only one small cottage away from trails, according to Pierce.

Ironically, Aldridge broke his ankle ice skating just minutes before the dedication Thursday and went to the hospital instead of the ceremony.

“It's just an inconvenience,” he said. “It'll heal.”