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 Ozaukee Washington Land Trust was able to raise funds to
purchase 23 acres on the east side of the property including most
of the natural area, the entire ravine, and the 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.