bella vista

In 2020, Pamela purchased 58 acres along Highway 57 just north of where routes 42 and 57 split near Sturgeon Bay — land visible to every car arriving in or leaving Door County. The idea: plant trees that would capture emissions from that traffic and, in time, offer a little beauty.

To date, over 35,000 hardwood and conifer seedlings have gone into the ground. The property is enrolled in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program, and 20 acres are being seeded with wildflowers to support Monarchs and ground-nesting birds. One section features a concentric tree circle — trees planted in an expanding spiral from a central point, invisible from the ground but striking from the air as the canopy fills in.

Proceeds from art sales help fund the restoration. The trees, the wildflowers, the slow return of wildlife — these are investments in a future Pamela won't fully see, and she's at peace with that.