The Ridges Sanctuary

The Ridges Sanctuary is a 1600 acre nature preserve and land trust in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. It is listed as a National Natural Landmark, Important Bird Area and Wisconsin State Natural Area. It was founded in 1937 and was the first land trust in the state.

The sanctuary is also home to the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center opened in 2015. The 7,400-square foot facility is LEED certified, and includes displays about the preserve's karst topography, wildflowers, plants, animals and the history of the site's founding.

The sanctuary includes a small amount of the raw humus rendzina soil type, which is globally uncommon. and is also found in the Marshall's Point State Natural Area, a residential development not open to the public.

Orchid project
Although the sanctuary is home to wild orchids, it also operates an orchid restoration project to cultivate and introduce rare orchids into otherwise natural plant communities. 25 native orchid species are currently kept at the Ridges. A 1998 survey of wild, native orchids was carried out in response to continued theft of the sanctuary orchids. 28 species were identified.