Conservation Grant to St. Mary's, Dousman
St. Mary's, Dousman Receives Conservation Grant
By Theodore Bryant-Nanz
St. Mary's Dousman applied for and received a grant of $4,000.00 from the Waukesha County Community Foundation to preserve and restore a natural area on the church's property along the Bark River. The granting process was competitive and St. Mary's was one of only two organizations that received money for conservation work out of 25 groups that received funding from the foundation.
St. Mary's purchased land for its new church in 2006, which included about 1,200 feet of the Bark River. In 2012 a parishioner discovered the significance of the riverbank. It is a combined sedge meadow and fen habitat. The area is a nearly intact natural community.