Johnson Preserve

The Andersen family established the Gustav and Elizabeth Johnson preserve in 1996. The preserve was formalized when Julian Anderson donated a conservation easement to the West Wisconsin Land Trust in 2016 and sold the property to the Deer Lake Conservancy in early 2017. The Preserve is now available for generations of Deer Lake residents and the public to enjoy for many years to come. This 95-acre parcel has 425 feet of lake front including a lagoon.

The Preserve’s wetland ponds and shallow wet depressions capture significant watershed runoff, preventing the delivery of sediments and nutrients to the lake and allowing infiltration to recharge the springs which feed the lake.

The trails that wind through the property showcase the many native woodland plants, birds, and animals that call the Preserve home. The Preserve will be managed to support these species including the Red Shouldered Hawk, listed as threatened in Wisconsin. Results of biologist surveys of preserve plant and animal life and the management plan are available by clicking these links: Management Plan | Plant Survey | Bird Survey

A non-motorized trail system provides a link to the Rock Creek trails to the west and the Dry Creek trails to the east, with parking available on either side. The terrain is surprisingly varied and there are stunning woodland and open field views from the trail.

A water quality project was installed in 2016 to slow water flow from the ponds on the eastern edge of the preserve which receive agricultural runoff from north of 140th Avenue. The resulting ponding area allows runoff water to settle and release slowly to reduce significant erosion along an intermittent stream channel which flows to Dry Creek then directly to Deer Lake. In 2020, capacity of a pond upstream of this pond and just east of Anderson Lane was also increased.   Grants from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources paid for 75 percent of the cost of these projects.

Johnson Preserve Map