Paul Klawiter and David Kopitzke
What are some ways to leave a positive, lasting impact on our world? Helping found a land trust is a pretty good one. So is a permanent conservation easement on private land with diverse native ecosystems. Joining DALC’s Legacy Society and supporting our future is another. And David Kopitzke and Paul Klawiter have done all three.
Their deep love and care for the Driftless began nearly fifty years ago. Paul grew up in Eau Claire, and David grew up in Indiana. They met at UW-Madison, and later David ended up in Milwaukee. But since they were both nature lovers, they wanted to live out in the country, and started searching for a spot. On field trips for his master’s degree in plant ecology, David had been out to Southwest Wisconsin. “I said, oh, that’s a pretty part of the state, let’s look there.”
And in 1974, they found the perfect place: fifty acres tucked into a steep valley in Richland County, part of a former farmstead. Over the years, they were able to add another thirty-plus acres. This land showcases nearly all the diversity of habitats the Driftless has to offer. It ranges from a small hilltop prairie to a wetland along a river bottom. There are warmer, drier south-facing slopes supporting oak and hickory, and cooler, shadier north-facing slopes supporting maple, basswood, and yellow birch, which is uncommon in this part of the state. A small spring flows into a trout stream that leads to a four-acre wetland, a later addition to the property. “That’s where we hear spring peepers,” David notes.
The wide range of native plants on the land was a great match for David’s skill in botanical illustration, as well as the native plant nursery he ran on the property for ten years, with woodland flowers growing under a big maple in the front yard. The old barn offered abundant hay for mulching their garden. In return, Paul and Dave worked to steward the land, especially by planting, tending, and protecting oaks. The combination of working full-time and owning a large property meant it was important to pick their battles when it came to restoration projects. But Paul still picked a big one: clearing out the black locust blanketing the hillside behind their house.
Originally found further south of our region, black locust trees are fast-growing and have been widely planted for erosion control. Unfortunately, they spread rapidly and form dense stands that crowd out native species. They also resprout from roots and cut stumps, making them very difficult to remove. But Paul’s arduous fight against the black locusts paid off – first with lots of firewood, and today with a young forest of diverse native trees where ephemeral wildflowers bloom in the spring.
While David and Paul were growing oaks and wildflowers, something new was growing all across Wisconsin: the land trust movement. Responding to increased suburban sprawl and loss of farmland, conservationists all over the state came together in the 80s and 90s to create organizations that could protect special places forever.
At the time, David was working for the DNR’s Bureau of Endangered Resources. In the late 90s, he was part of a group of conservationists brought together by Vicki Elkin, then the executive director of Gathering Waters, Wisconsin’s alliance for land trusts. David and others agreed that the Driftless Area needed protection. But who would provide it?
To the east of the Driftless, Groundswell Conservancy (originally the Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation) was founded in 1983, and on the river bluffs to the west, Mississippi Valley Conservancy was founded in 1997. But both organizations were too busy to expand into the heart of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area.
“So,” David says, “we bit the bullet and started a separate land trust.”
David credits DALC’s early success with board members who brought lots of diverse talents to the table. Eventually, the young organization hired its first staff member, started closing conservation easements, and kept growing, becoming nationally accredited in 2017.
“Accreditation is very important,” David notes. “It makes the whole organization more credible.”
From the start, David and Paul hoped that their property would be eligible for a conservation easement with the organization they had supported from day one. Wanting to be sure that the easement was free from conflict, David was not involved in any board decisions. The merits of this diverse landscape were enough to warrant permanent protection, and the property received its conservation easement in 2015.
“Neither of us regret it or had any hesitation about doing that,” Paul says.
Today, the land will always have the protection of the conservation easement. Knowing that DALC will always be here to defend it, Paul and David decided to include us in their will to ensure that our organization has the resources it needs to keeping doing good work. But what else does the future hold for this place? And how can landowners prepare for it?
Biodiversity has always been a primary focus of land stewardship for David and Paul, but in the face of climate change, it’s even more significant. A tulip tree, historically found in warmer regions to the south and east of Wisconsin, is thriving in a neighbor’s yard, demonstrating how plant ranges are shifting north.
That’s why Paul and David emphasize flexibility, and, in David’s words, “Taking a long-term view.” Managing land for a broad diversity of species – instead of monocultures of aggressive plants, like black locust – enhances ecological functions such as food for wildlife, ground water recharge, and carbon storage. It allows species to find the resources they need or move to more suitable locations as conditions shift. Overall, thriving ecosystems are better adapted to a changing climate.
But biodiversity wasn’t the only reason for the conservation easement. “Also, in the back of both our minds, we didn’t want to see irresponsible development,” David says. “To me, that’s a big part of the reason for Driftless Area Land Conservancy – prevent the breaking up of land.”
Fragmenting land with houses and roads reduces habitat, increases weedy species, and prevents plants and animals from moving freely. As part of our goal to protect 16,000 acres of land in the Driftless by 2027 – doubling the amount we conserved in our first 20 years – DALC is striving to create large, contiguous blocks of protected properties that will forever support people, wildlife, agriculture, and beautiful views across the Driftless.
Paul and David both hope that more private landowners will see how important their role is in protecting and sustaining wildlife habitat, green space, and biodiversity.
“I think public lands are very important,” David says. “But for private landowners, it should be a responsibility, and really a joy, to do stewardship on one’s own property.”
Written by Emilee Martell