Changing the Message by Myles Dannhausen Jr.
Destination Door County board member Jeff Lutsey and volunteer Mary Spittel collect trash in 2021. Photo by Yvonne Torres.
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n March of 2020, as restrictions spread across the country in the wake of the threat presented by COVID-19, residents of Door County noticed one impact immediately: They had a lot more neighbors. Hundreds of seasonal residents flocked to Door County that March and April to wait out what most expected to be a weeks- or monthslong upheaval. They were followed in June by an influx of visitors flocking to the peninsula seeking its open spaces, and many came for the first time.
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door county living / doorcountypulse.com
Long lines of cars at state parks, waiting lists for campsites and overflowing garbage cans took a toll on municipal budgets and the patience of residents. But the tourism backlash had started to heat up before the word “coronavirus” became ubiquitous. At Destination Door County (DDC), marketing director Michelle Rasmussen had begun hearing increasing rumblings from residents and business owners for a year or more prior, inspiring a shift in strategy at the organization from purely destination marketing to destination management.
In 2019, DDC entered into a partnership with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to formulate the Door County Leave No Trace 7 Principles. (See those at doorcounty.com/care-for-doorcounty/leave-no-trace). A year ago, DDC launched the Door County Pledge, and then it initiated the Care for Door County program to expand visitors’ “understanding of the county and help them realize the role they play in keeping it the special place it is.” Morgan Rusnak now leads the organization’s Care for Door County outreach efforts, and she said the
