How Land Conservation Is Shaping Life at Justin Trails

Land conservation has shaped life at Justin Trails for decades. You can find it in the trails, woods, prairies, and quiet places here.

Most guests notice the wide-open land first: the hills, the Elegant Barn, the wildlife, and the Driftless Region around us. However, behind that view is a longer story.

This land held many lives before ours. We honor the Ho-Chunk Nation and other Indigenous tribes who lived here before European settlement.

Don and I learned that caring for land is a thousand small decisions. Some stay practical, and others take years to show results.

What is land conservation? Around here, it means caring for woods, prairies, water, wildlife, and trails so they continue to support life.

The goal does not freeze the land in time. It helps the land stay healthy and alive. Some days that means removing invasive species. Other days, it means checking trails, watching the weather, or noticing which birds have returned.

It's always been personal here. We farmed, worked, welcomed guests, and built life close to the land.

Don and I purchased this property from his parents, Raymond and Kathryn Justin, in 1970. We farmed 75 acres, grew corn and alfalfa, and milked Guernsey cows. Later, we switched to Holsteins.

Don always thought about the land beneath our feet, our impact on it in everything we do, and how to keep it healthy. Instead of pasturing the cows, he cut alfalfa for green chop feed. That reduced overgrazing and helped our grasslands recover.

In 1974 and 1984, we selectively logged 150 acres of woodland for red and white oak. Careful logging can support healthier woods. By 1991, we brought in a forester to evaluate the woodland and support forest health.

Then life shifted as it often does.

In 1996, we sold our cows. Two years later, we sold our farm machinery. Letting go was hard for Don. He said it felt like selling his best friends. But it also opened something new.

In the 1980s, we started carving out cross-country ski trails. We also opened our home as a bed and breakfast so guests could experience rural life with us.

Once we sold the cows and equipment, we had more time for the woods. We worked on trails, managed land, and found a new purpose. That’s part of our history, and it continues to shape each stay.

These words can sound a bit formal, but we’ve lived both of them here. Some days, the work meant restoring native habitat. Other days, it meant helping tired land recover enough to support wildlife, trails, and future guests.

Restoration brings land closer to a healthier natural condition. It asks for patience, study, and steady work.

At Justin Trails, restoration includes prescribed burns, woodland management, oak savanna work, invasive species removal, and prairie improvements.

Don attended the Woodland Leadership Institute of Wisconsin in 2001. In 2004, we attended the Arbor Day Foundation's Restoring Native Ecosystems Seminar. Those experiences deepened our commitment to nature conservation, and it stayed with us.

Land rehabilitation works differently. It improves damaged or stressed land so it can function better again.

You see that idea in our trails, woods, and flood prevention work today. For instance, I work with the Little La Crosse Watershed on improvements that may reduce future flooding.

Some work shows right away, while others happen quietly. But it all matters.

No one does this work alone.

In 2008, Cindy Becker and Charles Ramseyer helped expand our woodland restoration work. Cindy, a botanist, inventoried our woodland, created a management plan, and connected us with agencies.

Charles, a Native American Woods Doctor and sawyer, brought practical woodland wisdom. He taught prescribed burns, guided mature tree selection, and supported woodland care.

Together, they helped us build volunteer work groups. People came to help, stayed at reduced rates, shared meals, and joined the work.

We also worked with partners who helped shape our land:

• United States Fish and Wildlife Service: helped create our oak savanna

• Monroe County DNR: helped with invasive species

• Wisconsin DNR Landowner Incentive Program: supported goat prairie improvements

• Blue Heron Stewardship: created a land management plan in 2025

People noticed that level of care.

That care also brought two honors:

• 2013: Leopold Restoration Award, also known as the Virginia M. Kline Award

• 2021: Monroe County Conservationists of the Year

Those awards meant a lot. The deeper reward is hearing birds in the morning, then watching guests head toward our hiking trails with coffee.

Guests are part of this story, too. Every stay supports this land. You help by booking our cabin rentals, walking gently, watching wildlife respectfully, or sharing your experiences with other travelers.

You also preserve a different way to travel: not rushed, crowded, or polished into something unrecognizable.

Here, you can hike, ski, birdwatch, or play our disc golf courses. You can sit by the fire and breathe. Some guests want adventure. Some want quiet. Some arrive tired and need room to wander. This land gave us room to change, rebuild, grieve, grow, and welcome people in.

Sadly, Don passed away on July 30, 2024, in the home he treasured. Two days earlier, people gathered for the "Thank you for the trails, Don Justin Disc Golf Tournament."

That says so much about Don. His legacy lives beyond the trails he made. You see it when people use them, love them, and come back again each year.

That is what land conservation looks like here. It lives in the birds outside your cabin, the trails under your boots, and the slower pace people need. So, walk the trails with us, sit by the fire, watch the prairies move, and notice what decades of care made possible.

When you need a quiet Driftless Region getaway, book your stay at Justin Trails and experience this land for yourself.