Our protected Properties
Our protected preserves we own and steward include our Seno Woodland Center and Drumlin Farm properties in Burlington, as well as three beautiful pieces of property in the Des Plaines River Basin.
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Jean MacGraw Memorial Nature PreserveThis property is a 14.75 acre upland and wetland complex in Bristol. The preserve is located on the east frontage road of I-94 between Hwys C and 50. the property contains a half-mile looped trail through the upland portion of the property along the Des Plaines River.
Named after avid environmentalist and former board member of the Kenosha Racine Land Trust, Jean McGraw helped to develop the fledgling land trust into a viable organization. The property is currently being managed to help maintain trails and help control invasive species in both the wetlands and woodlands. Through generous funding from North America Wetlands Conservation Act and WI-DNR Nelson-Knowles Stewardship Fund this property will remain open space and is available for public use. We welcome you to visit the property. It is open to the public for recreation, such as hiking, canoeing, and birding. |
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Coker-Barnes PropertyCoker-Barnes Preserve is a 9.5 acre parcel located in Pleasant Prairie. The Des Plaines River runs through the property. The entire property is part of a large primary environmental corridor and contains hardwoods and wetlands. Acquisition of this property was completed to save the hardwoods and help restore the Des Plaines shoreline. The preservation of this property will continue to provide potential habitat for Blanding’s Turtle and Waxleaf Meadowrue, a plant species of concern in Wisconsin.
Coker-Barnes currently has no trails or parking access which has hindered efforts to complete long-term management tasks. Currently Seno K/RLT seeks to create access to the property both to enable easier public access and to complete stewardship of the property that will enhance the natural habitat and shoreline. Through generous funding from North America Wetlands Conservation Act and WI-DNR Nelson-Knowles Stewardship Fund this property will remain open space and is open to the public. |
Village of Pleasant Prairie Preserve
Our Village of Pleasant Prairie Preserve, located in it's namesake was donated by the village to the Kenosha Racine Land Trust to support their efforts to protect, restore, and enhance watershed and wildlife habitat, and expand the protected primary environmental corridor along the Upper Des Plaines River. The property contains marsh, floodplains, and uplands.
Located between I-94 and private property to the North and West and Village of Pleasant Prairie public land to the East, the property is slated for future stewardship pending cooperation with the Village to establish access for ecological restoration work to take place. There are currently no established trails or route of access to this property, though it is open to the public.
If you wish to access our VPP property please only do so from the East via River Road and not from the Frontage Road, as the private landowner to the West has not provided access through their property for the public!
Located between I-94 and private property to the North and West and Village of Pleasant Prairie public land to the East, the property is slated for future stewardship pending cooperation with the Village to establish access for ecological restoration work to take place. There are currently no established trails or route of access to this property, though it is open to the public.
If you wish to access our VPP property please only do so from the East via River Road and not from the Frontage Road, as the private landowner to the West has not provided access through their property for the public!
Seno Woodland Center
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3606 Dyer Lake Road, Burlington, WI 53105
Dr. Elvira Seno had a vision for her beloved Slippery Slopes Tree Farm. When she retired from her medical practice in 1974. Dr. Elvira Seno bought this farm near Slade Corners where she had grown up as a child. In fact, she had visited this farm many times and played with the children who lived here. She restored the old fields and pastures to support trees and wildlife, as well as crops. She planted 49,000 maple, ash, walnut and oak tress on the pastured hillsides, renovated the crop land, built a pond, and purchased a 26 acre tamarack marsh, just to protect it. She dearly loved this farm and wanted it to always remain as it was. Her wish was to find someone to carry our her wishes and be used to show others, especially children, the value and importance of the forests and the natural world. In 1994 she turned to the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA) who created a non-profit educational foundation to accept the gift of the land.
The WWOA Foundation continued manage the property according to Dr. Seno’s wishes, eventually merging with the Kenosha Racine Land Trust in 2014 to become Seno K/RLT Conservancy as it is known today. The Wisconsin DNR holds a perpetual easement on the property that ensures it will always be cared for as she intended. Throughout the years staff, volunteers and friends have renovated the barn as an educational center; planted trees, controlled exotic species, improved young forests and wildlife habitat. Before her death, in 1996, Dr. Seno was pleased to see the first groups coming to visit her farm and we continue to honor her legacy today as school classes and groups come to enjoy, learn, and appreciate this wonderful gift. And Dr. Seno’s beloved farm stands as a tribute to her deep conservation ethic. With almost 3 miles of winding trails through our prairies, woodlands, and rare southern tamarack bog, you can hike the trails with your friends and family and see something new every time! Bring your camera, your binoculars or your sketch pad and enjoy the beautiful landscape Dr. Seno helped to preserve. Seno K/RLT Conservancy's headquarters, Seno Woodland Center, is open to the public daily from dawn until dusk. Leashed dogs allowed, but please clean-up after your furry friends and keep the trails clean! |
"It almost seems that I was born with the 'land ethic” already instilled in me. But that was probably because, among the things repeated in grown up talk, was my grandfather’s repeated remark to remember “we don’t own the land – it is only ours to take care of for a while.” – Dr. Elvira Seno
Dr. Seno (L) with Rachel Jordan at dedication of the property, June 17, 1995
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Drumlin Farm
4×3 foot cedar sign at property entrance.
Graphic design and construction by UW-Stevens Point Schmeekle Reserve sign shop. 
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NOTE: Drumlin Farm is closed to the public.
Located on Cranberry Road just two miles to the south and west of the Seno K/RLT Conservancy is Drumlin Farm. Consisting of 84 acres of marsh, prairie and pine plantation that was donated to the WWOA Foundation in 2006 by Dr. Shirley Peterson, the land is under a conservation easement held by the Geneva Lakes Conservancy.
Dr. Peterson, of Barrington, Illinois, was an avid conservationist who protected and improved the property over the years. She planted prairie and forest species and protected the marsh areas. She also built a one acre pond and a shallow water pond for wildlife. Doctor Peterson planted and maintained the prairie as well as 26 acres of the red pine, white pine and white spruce plantations in 1963. Then in 1971 she planted an additional 4 acres red pine on the south edge of the property. The property has a small stream that wanders north through a sedge prairie fen which is a Critical Species Habitat Site identified within the Commission’s Regional Natural Area and Critical Species Habitat Management and Protection Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin. The entire property is in a designated primary environmental corridor as identified by the Southeast Regional Planning Commission. Dr. Peterson’s strong land ethic and philosophy of protecting and preserving the land is very similar to that of Dr. Seno. Ironically, the two doctors never met. Dr. Peterson passed away on January 17, 2009. Her memory will endure with the gift of her farm. |