A Wisconsin family's nearly 2,000-acre property along the Sugar River in Rock County is now permanently protected after Groundswell Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited purchased it. The deal came after years of legal disputes over tax assessments for conservation easements and challenges with farming due to frequent flooding. This is the largest land protection project in Groundswell's 43-year history and Ducks Unlimited’s biggest acquisition in Wisconsin, creating a wildlife corridor that supports endangered species like Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and Ornate Box Turtles, as well as providing natural floodwater management benefits. The property will be transferred to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and is already open for public use including hiking and hunting.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A Wisconsin family spent years trying to make nearly 2,000 low-lying acres along the Sugar River work as farmland.
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acres → spend → farmland
But the property’s location in a floodplain made farming difficult, and the drainage system could not keep pace with the water.
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system → make → water
The former Applegate-Bader Farm is now permanently protected after Groundswell Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited completed the purchase of the property, The Good Press reported.
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Press → protect → property
The land stretches along more than two miles of the Sugar River in Rock County, about 45 minutes south of Madison.
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land → stretch → Madison
It includes wetlands, floodplain forests, prairies and river frontage.
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It → include → wetlands
The conservation deal came after years of difficulty for the family.
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deal → come → family
In 2016, Applegate-Bader sued Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue after a rule change excluded permanent conservation easements from the state’s “use-value” farmland tax assessment.
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change → sue → assessment
The dispute went through the courts before the family eventually found a conservation buyer for the property.
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family → go → property
The organisations plan to transfer ownership of the property to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, keeping the land protected and open to the public.
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organisations → plan → public
The nearly 2,000-acre property will become part of the Avon Bottoms Wildlife Area.
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property → become → Area
The area is already recognised as a state Conservation Opportunity Area and an Important Bird Area.
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area → recognise → Area
The newly protected land connects wetlands, prairie and forest into one continuous wildlife corridor.
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land → protect → corridor
“Protecting nearly 2,000 acres at once creates an even larger, connected corridor where wildlife of all kinds can move, feed, nest and thrive,” said Amy Mertz, Groundswell Conservancy’s director of development and communications, as quoted by The Good Press.
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Mertz → protect → Press
The property provides habitat for several species, including endangered Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and Ornate Box Turtles.
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property → provide → Herons
It also supports threatened Cerulean Warblers and Acadian Flycatchers, as well as protected Blanding’s Turtles, according to wildlife biologist Jason Cotter, who spoke to The Daily Cardinal.
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who → support → Cardinal
The wetlands also have a role beyond providing habitat.
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wetlands → have → habitat
They filter nutrients, store floodwater and recharge aquifers.
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They → filter → aquifers
The conservation groups said the property is especially significant because large opportunities to protect land of this size are uncommon in southern Wisconsin.
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opportunities → say → Wisconsin
Land opens up for public use
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Land → open → use
It also provides new access to the lower Sugar River on its south side.
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It → provide → side
Tony Abate, senior director of conservation at Groundswell Conservancy, said the property gives people more space for outdoor activities.
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property → say → activities
“This project creates new access to the lower Sugar River on the south side,” Abate said.
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Abate → create → side
“There’s tremendous opportunity for outdoor recreation, so people who love to get outside and hike, birdwatch, hunting, fishing, trapping, cross-country skiing, those kinds of activities.
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who → ’ → activities
They now have nearly 2,000 more acres to do that.”
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They → have → that
Abate said the land could have had a different future without the conservation purchase.
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land → say → purchase
He said it might have been subdivided and sold to people seeking private recreation, which would have kept the land in private hands and limited public access to the southern part of the lower Sugar River.
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which → say → River
Habitat work planned
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work → plan → ?
Ducks Unlimited plans to manage the property to improve its wildlife habitat.
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Unlimited → plan → habitat
The organisation expects to carry out wetland enhancements and upland management.
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organisation → expect → enhancements
“We hope to maximize wildlife habitat potential on the property through wetland enhancements and upland management,” said Brian Glenzinski, Ducks Unlimited’s director of conservation programmes for the Upper Midwest.
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Glenzinski → hope → Midwest
He said one part of the plan will involve controlling woody growth that has spread across the property.
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that → say → property
Prescribed fire will be used to remove some of that growth and improve nesting habitat for waterfowl and other grassland birds.
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fire → use → waterfowl
With this acquisition, the total protected area across four linked Avon Bottoms projects has reached about 2,600 acres.
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area → link → acres
The Aporia
