Troemner Trail: a Certified Wildlife Habitat

Troemner Trail is a reminder that good land is never just ours—it also belongs to the birds, insects, and animals with whom we share the planet. Troemner Trail is now open to the public 8AM-8Pm. Because this is a certified wildlife habitat, dogs and pets are NOT allowed. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a complete list of rules.

Troemner Trail winds through one small part of the living world we are lucky to care for here in the Keweenaw. It is a place where cultivated ground begins to loosen its grip, where grasses lean into the wind, where trees hold their own quiet conversations, and where the farm meets something older, wilder, and less controlled. It is also now a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

That recognition matters to us, not because it makes the land any more alive than it already was, but because it reflects something we believe deeply: farming and habitat do not have to be at odds. Food can be grown in a way that leaves room for birdsong, pollinators, native plants, shelter, and movement. A farm can nourish people while still making space for the many other lives rooted in the same ground.

Troemner Trail is part of that vision.

Along the trail, the landscape is textured and layered. Trees offer cover and nesting space. Native grasses and flowers create food and shelter. Seasonal water, fallen leaves, stems, and brush all play a role. What might look “messy” by manicured standards often turns out to be exactly what wildlife needs: places to hide, forage, rest, and return.

This habitat did not appear overnight. Like so much on a farm, it has been shaped slowly—through observation, intention, and a willingness to work with the land. We pay attention to where water moves, where birds gather, where shade settles, where young trees want to establish themselves, and where the land seems to ask for a lighter touch. Over time, those observations become decisions. Those decisions become systems. And those systems become places where life can flourish.

To us, a wildlife habitat is not separate from the rest of the farm. It is part of the same ethic.

The soil beneath our crops is alive. The plants around the edges matter. The insects matter. The trees matter. The wet places matter. The untidy corners matter. When we talk about regenerative farming, this is part of what we mean: not just producing food, but participating in a healthier, more resilient web of relationships. A trail, a hedgerow, a stand of grasses, a patch of cover, a basin that slows runoff—these are small things on their own. Together, they shape a farm that gives more than it takes.

Troemner Trail reminds us that stewardship is about more than yield. It is about belonging. It is about responsibility. It is about recognizing that the land feeds more than just us.

We are grateful to care for a place where food grows, wildlife finds refuge, and one path can hold both. Becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat is one small marker along that journey, and we hope it is far from the last.

Thanks for following along with our work and for believing, with us, that farms can be places of both nourishment and wildness.