The Mequon Nature Preserve (MNP) was  founded in 2000 through a partnership between the City of Mequon, Ozaukee Washington Land Trust (OWLT), and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.  The ultimate goal of the MNP is to purchase Section 33 within the City limits and restore it to the deciduous hardwood forests and wetlands that existed prior to European settlement.  This effort to acquire and preserve one square mile of land (640 acres) was inspired by a generous gift from the Paddock Fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.  Mr. Richard Paddock envisioned connections between the new Preserve and the immediately adjacent Kohl Park to encourage cooperation between Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties.

With its location on the urban edge of metropolitan Milwaukee, the MNP is uniquely situated to provide an environmental education and passive recreation resource for a rapidly growing population.  Not only will the public be able to visit and observe the exciting transition of the MNP from agricultural fields to hardwood forest, they are invited to be active participants in the Preserve’s restoration and management.  Also, the MNP is a key piece of a regional network of green space, recreational parks, river corridors, and wetlands.  At more than 1,700 acres, the combined area of the MNP, Kohl Park, and other protected green space forms a contiguous network that is approximately double the size of New York’s Central Park.

February 2003 marked the initial acquisition of 356 acres for the MNP with the purchase of the Stauss, Batzler, and Fox parcels.  As of Spring 2006, the Preserve has grown to 438 acres through the purchase of the Bacher and Spirit Life Church properties.  The land purchases were made possible through Mr. Paddock’s generosity, additional donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, City of Mequon funding, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and three Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Stewardship grants.  Future land acquisitions are planned to meet the goal of restoring all of Section 33 and possible additional contiguous acreage. These acquisitions will occur only as property owners are willing sellers and grants or donations are available to assist in the purchase.

In March 2004, the City of Mequon and OWLT entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the partnership and create a legal structure to manage the MNP .  In the memorandum, the partners agreed that OWLT would initially own the purchased property, with the title transferred to the City at a mutually agreed upon future date.  When the ownership of the MNP is transferred, the City will grant OWLT a conservation easement on the property to ensure protection of the Preserve in perpetuity.  The MNP Advisory Board was established as a governing body under the aegis of OWLT.  The Advisory Board manages the business and affairs of the MNP, and is composed of seven voting members.