Gifts of land to the Lakeshore Nature Preserve

A history of extraordinary generosity

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been blessed with many individuals who have supported virtually every aspect of the institution with extraordinary vision and generosity. Such people have made possible the construction of buildings essential to research and teaching. They have supported scholarships, professorships, and academic programs. They have established services to help special groups of students. They have contributed to the arts, to technology, to medical research, to sports, and more.

In fact, philanthropic donors have contributed to almost every aspect of UW-Madison, and have truly made possible the "margin of excellence" that assures the continued greatness of the university.

Gifts to protect the campus landscape

Among the most unusual gifts—gifts that likely to outlast most buildings and programs—were given by donors who sought to preserve the essential character of the campus landscape, especially the green spaces that set UW-Madison apart from most of its peers.

Such donors have preserved and extended the lands, the views, and the natural environments that have meant so much to UW students, staff, faculty, and Madison residents. Such donors have contributed gifts of land or provided funds to acquire and protect important campus landscapes. Their gifts have quite literally made possible the Lakeshore Nature Preserve.

Three major gifts have brought key portions of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to the University. Without them, the Lakeshore Nature Preserve would not be what it is today. They are:

•   Eagle Heights Woods
  
•   Wally Bauman Woods
  
•   Frautschi Point

Permanent protection for the Lakeshore Nature Preserve

Gifts of land to the Preserve have protected the character and beauty of the campus and assure that the community will continue to enjoy the special places that provide some of the fondest memories of the UW experience for alumni and others.

Gifts of land do much more than that, of course. They give us what many regard as the most beautiful campus anywhere in the nation, if not the world. They provide access to nature just a few steps away from classrooms and residence halls. They create outdoor classrooms that support teaching and research.

Perhaps most important, such gifts remind us of the land and ecosystems without which human institutions like the university could not survive. They reconnect us to the web of life and affirm our commitment to what the great Wisconsin ecologist Aldo Leopold called the land ethic: learning to live on a piece of land without destroying it.

Author: Richard McCoy Version 1b, 11/17/06, with edits by Bill Cronon