The historic Kurth property is located along the shore of Lake Michigan in southeastern Mequon. The property contains a designated Natural Area known as the Donges Bay Gorge. The site is also home to several rare and threatened plant and animal species including a pair of bald eagles and their offspring. This is the first successful nesting by eagles in Southeastern Wisconsin in over 100 years. The Land Trust was able to raise funds to purchase 23 acres on the east side of the property including most of the Nature Area, the entire ravine and shoreline.
The Kurth property is one of the last remaining 20 plus acre undeveloped sites located along the shore of Lake Michigan in southeastern Ozaukee County. The property includes such features as steep lake slopes, beach, an undulating upland lake bluff and a ravine which extends through the central and southern portion of the property. The proximity to Lake Michigan results in a climate of cooler summers and persisting snowfall that enables species of the northern conifer-hardwood forest to coexist with those of the typical southern hardwood forest. The interspersion of vegetation of the upland area, ravine, bluff slopes and lake shore provides a diversity of habitats for a variety of wildlife including songbirds, wild turkey, waterfowl, squirrels, woodland mice, raccoons, opossums, fox and deer. Recently a pair of bald eagles and their offspring were documented inhabiting the site. In similar habitat and further along the lake shore sightings have been made of bobcat and pileated woodpeckers. On occasion the rare Kirtland's warbler has been known to use these lake-shore conifers. Read More
