Wisconsin Dance Instructor Fulfills Dream to Create Wildlife Sanctuary

A dance teacher in northwestern Wisconsin has permanently protected her property for wildlife by donating a conservation easement to The Humane Society of the United States Wildlife Land Trust. The resulting wildlife sanctuary comprises 100 acres in an area that is rapidly losing farmland and forest to development.

Jill Forster acquired the now-protected property near Bruce in 1985. Miss Forster first celebrated the land as an idyllic place for her horses, but soon became attached to the wild animals who called it home as well. Ultimately, she made up her mind that it must never be developed. "This piece of land supports so much life, I don't ever want to see it subdivided," says Forster.

After exploring various land trusts, Forster eventually decided that The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust provided the best fit. "They were the only one that I found that would protect wildlife," For




ster remarks. In addition to her concerns about increasing development, Forster laments the extensive hunting of wildlife around her. "I think there's room enough for everybody, but these are 100 acres where I want the animals to just be. In this area especially, wildlife needs a voice."

A conservation easement is a permanent and legally enforceable agreement between a landowner and a land trust. The landowner agrees to establish the property as a permanent wildlife sanctuary—an agreement that is binding on all future owners of the property—and the land trust enforces the terms of the agreement. For The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust, these terms always include no recreational or commercial hunting or trapping.

Since its founding in 1993, the Wildlife Land Trust has worked with private landowners to create 99 permanent wildlife sanctuaries where recreational and commercial hunting and trapping will always be prohibited. In addition, the Wildlife Land Trust works in collaboration with a variety of partners to protect many other vulnerable lands to benefit wildlife. Proud of its affiliation with The Humane Society of the United States, the Wildlife Land Trust joins in campaigns to protect wildlife from cruel and indefensible practices such as poaching, steel-jawed leghold traps, Internet hunting and canned shoots. Join our online community at wildlifelandtrust.org. Saving Lives by Saving Land.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty – On the web at humanesociety.org.
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