Wintergreen property closing. Pictured from left to right: Danni Niles, DALC Board President; Stephanie Judge, Conservation Director; Terry and Susanne Shifflet, Wintergreen property owners; Jennifer Filipiak, Executive Director; and Angie Buelow, Development Director
We are thrilled to share some joyful, long-awaited news! Driftless Area Land Conservancy (DALC) has officially closed on the iconic Wintergreen property in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
This remarkable place encompasses 245 acres and a 15,000-square foot, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired event center perched high above the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. With this milestone, Wintergreen is now protected forever, joining the growing network of lands DALC stewards across southwest Wisconsin.
Overlooking the longest-free flowing stretch of river in the Midwest, nestled beside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Estate, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wintergreen holds ecological, cultural, and community significance that is difficult to capture in words. For generations, it has been a place of gathering and joy. Once a working ski hill and lodge, Wintergreen welcomed families, students, and visitors who came for snowy winters, sweeping summer views, and a sense of belonging rooted in the land.
Wintergreen lies within the 95,000-acre Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance recognized globally for its ecological value. The Riverway supports many critical habitats and provides habitat for 121 rare animal species, including 17 species listed as glocally threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List.
Wintergreen also serves as a gateway to something larger.
As the future anchor of the emerging Driftless Trail, the property connects people to a growing regional recreation corridor and responds directly to what the community has asked for: greater access to the Riverway and meaningful ways to experience the Driftless landscape.
Looking ahead, Wintergreen has the potential to become a trailhead, a retreat and visitor center, a conservation-focused community hub, and a year-round destination for environmental education, gatherings, and low-cost recreation. It is a rare opportunity to preserve one of the last large-scale community spaces in the Driftless Area and to ensure it remains accessible to all.
For now, Wintergreen will not be open to the public as we take the time to carefully plan for safe public access and recreation. DALC is working with the land itself and with community and business leaders to envision what the event center can become.
The land and the people who care for it are at the forefront of every decision. We will continue to share updates through our website and social media as plans unfold, and we invite you to stay connected by signing up for DALC newsletters to learn about opportunities for public input.
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This achievement would not have been possible without extraordinary community support. Many people made their first-ever gift to DALC to help protect Wintergreen. Others stepped forward with their most generous contribution to date. In fact, private donations made up half of the funding needed to protect Wintergreen. Together, you carried this project across the finish line and demonstrated what is possible when a community shows up for the land it loves. We are deeply thankful and truly humbled by the trust you placed in DALC.
DALC staff with Terry and Susanne Shifflet (bottom row, fourth and fifth from the left).
We extend heartfelt thanks to Terry and Suzanne Shifflet for their vision, stewardship, and willingness to permanently conserve this incredible property. Their care and collaboration laid the groundwork for everything that comes next.
We are also grateful for critical funding support from partners including the State of Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Ducks Unlimited, and the Schlect Family Foundation. Their commitment to conservation in Wisconsin made this milestone possible.
Wintergreen is now protected forever–a place shaped by memory, grounded in community, and open to possibility. Together, we are caring for the Driftless Area and carrying its story forward for generations to come.
For press related matters, please contact Jennifer Filipiak, Executive Director, at jennifer@driftlessconservancy.org, (608) 930-3252
If you feel inspired to be a part of Wintergreen’s next chapter, we invite you to support the revitalization of this special place. Your gift will help ensure the land remains healthy, the building remains a community asset, and Wintergreen continues to connect people to the Driftless.
