by Katie Cervenka | Dec 22, 2025 | Connect with Nature, Driftless Trail, Preserves
For many, a New Year’s Day hike is a way to reset. It is a way to step outside, breathe deeply, and begin the year grounded in the places that matter most. Across southwest Wisconsin, Driftless Area Land Conservancy offers a growing network of preserved lands and open trail segments where that radiation can take root.
Whether you’re looking for a quiet walk or a more adventurous climb, these places invite reflection, movement, and connection as the new year begins.
Driftless Trail Segments Open for Hiking
The Driftless Trail winds through conserved lands, working farms, woodlands, and ridgelines, offering hikers a chance to experience the Driftless Area as a living, working landscape. Open segments provide meaningful ways to explore the land while honoring the people who care for it.
Knobs Road Segment – 3.9 mile loop
Explore 3.9 miles of rolling oak woods, open pastures, and a working grass-fed beef farm. Hike past hayfields, an orchard, and along a Mill Creek tributary, then climb to the ridge for a breathtaking 360-degree view of the Driftless hills. Perfect for spotting wildlife and enjoying wide-open vistas, this trail combines farmland charm with forested beauty.
Weaver Road Segment – 1.2 mile loop
Take a short but unforgettable 1.2-mile loop north of Governor Dodge State Park, featuring fascinating rock formations and a large, ancient pine relict. The trail opens to spectacular, windswept vistas, perfect for a quick hike that feels bigger than its distance. A great spot for nature lovers who enjoy geology, forest beauty, and dramatic Driftless scenery.
Phoebe Point Segment – 1.1 mile loop
Discover sweeping views of the Wisconsin River, Taliesin, and the Lowery Creek watershed on this 1.1-mile “lollipop loop.” Wander through peaceful forests, pause at scenic overlooks, and experience a trail shaped by a unique collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Taliesin Preservation. Ideal for photographers and anyone who loves dramatic river valley panoramas.
DALC Preserves to Explore
DALC preserves are protected forever, offering spaces where people can experience the Driftless while ensuring these lands remain healthy and resilient for generations to come.
Erickson Conservation Area – 220 acres
Erickson Conservation Area spans 220 acres with easy, relatively flat trails winding through woodlands, open fields, and diverse habitats. Wildlife is abundant, and scenic vistas offer peaceful moments along the way. The preserve is open year-round and accessible from Argyle Legion Park, making it a great spot to explore on foot.
Sardeson Forest Preserve – 12 acres
Sardeson Forest Preserve offers hilly, rocky trails through woodlands, prairie remnants, and along sandstone bluffs. Hikers can explore a small northern loop or a longer trail circling the property, with red trail blazes guiding the way. A short side trail leads to Roland’s Rock, a scenic overlook with sweeping views of the valley and surrounding hills. Foot traffic only, the preserve is ideal for hiking, running, or snowshoeing.
Please follow all trail rules and respect the land. For detailed maps, trail conditions, and access information, please visit preserve and trail pages on our website.
by Katie Cervenka | Dec 19, 2025 | Conservation, Driftless Trail, Land Protection
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.
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.
by Katie Cervenka | Nov 10, 2025 | Connect with Nature, Driftless Trail
There is nothing quite like hiking in the Driftless. Crisp mornings, bright light filtering through oak leaves, it is one of the best times of the year to get out and explore this incredible landscape.
As you plan your hikes this season, we encourage you to enjoy the open trail segments and properties cared for by Driftless Area Land Conservancy. These protected lands offer plenty of opportunities to connect with nature and enjoy this crisp weather.
But as fall gives way to winter, it is also the hunting season. To keep everyone safe and ensure a positive experience for all, here are a few tips to keep in mind when hiking during hunting season: wear bright colors, stay on designated trails, keep pets leashed, be mindful of time, and plan ahead.
You can safely enjoy the Phoebe Point and Welsh Hills segments of the Driftless Trail currently! We encourage you to head out, explore a new place, and take in this remarkable region as the seasons change.
For future trail alerts and updates, please visit our Facebook.
by Katie Cervenka | Nov 3, 2025 | 25th Anniversary, Staff Updates
Welcome to Our New Website!
We’re so excited to welcome you to our new online home!
This redesign has been a labor of love, and we’re beyond grateful to Sarah Shumaker at Minocha Design Co. for her incredible work and generous teachings throughout this process. Sarah brought not only her creative brilliance but also a deep understanding of how to build a site that feels true to who we are. We could not have done this without her.
We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who graciously reviewed the site during its development. Your thoughtful feedback and honest insights helped shape this space into something we’re truly proud of. It means the world to have a community that shows up with care and intention.
We invite you to explore this new site! Check out what’s new, revisit what you love, and find fresh ways to get involved. Whether you’re here to learn more, connect, or contribute, we hope this space feels welcoming and inspiring.
Thanks for being part of this journey. We are so glad you’re here.
by Katie Cervenka | Sep 3, 2025 | Land Management, Land Protection, Legacy Society
Presented by Richard (Dick) Cates, August 12th, 2025
On August 12th, 2025, Driftless Area Land Conservancy welcomed all to the Legacy Society Picnic. During this gathering, Gathering Waters had the honor to present the Land Legacy Award to Richard (Dick) Cates and his family for their outstanding commitment to conservation. After the Cates family warmly thanked the Gathering Waters and DALC teams for bestowing such a meaningful recognition for their work, Dick spoke on behalf of the family and offered the following:
“The history of every nation is written in the way in which it cares for its farms, farmers, soil and water, flora and fauna— collectively, the land. So it is my commitment, as a farmer and teacher, to communicate the conviction that the fate of how we care for our land is everybody’s future, everyone’s vital concern.
Perhaps the greatest existential crisis human civilization faces is the destruction of the natural conditions necessary for our own survival. I believe that the most significant work any of us can do at this time in the history of human beings on Earth is to live in reciprocity for her gifts in a way that cares deeply for all she has bestowed.
This is respectful, honorable work. It is work we should all be engaged in—not just those of us who produce food, but all of us who leave any sort of footprint of our time here, supported by the gifts of the Earth.
I have followed my heart through life. A land ethic has guided my journey on this place. The wisdom of my dearest friend, Kim, guided our business in a life-giving direction, and with imagination, we worked together to put together the pieces of a life-sustaining puzzle.
For our family, conservation has indeed not been that feared set of constraints, but a very positive part of our lives, which has involved skill and learning to understand what the land can sustain. I look at the land we tend as a portrait and a statement of self, and to try to understand how we and the land, living together as partners, can do well. That’s an uplifting way to farm and to live. So many of us on the land long for this. It’s a process of finding our way.
Here Kim and I are so many years later, with love in our hearts for our grown children, our grandchildren, and this magical land. We are still here precisely because of Eric and Kiley’s commitment to this land, “a commitment to conservation” as they have taken as their farm tag line.
We feel gratitude for our family, our community, and for the gifts of this place. We feel hope that the next generation of our family on this land and our community will thrive.
One must have faith that as seasons change, the Earth’s gifts will always be there for us if we care for them. The greatest gift we can bestow is to be thankful, to show gratitude, and to accept them with respect, a promise of care, and great humility.
To the next generation of farmers, and to all, we need to— we must— leave a proud legacy. This is what I hope for.
What kind of ancestors do we want to be?
A creek runs through this Driftless land, and it is cold and clear…and the brookies are back.
