What Is the Conservancy for Healing and Heritage?

Behind a medical office building on Rawson Avenue, a woodland trail and a staircase lead down to a glacial lake, and the land around it is the Conservancy for Healing and Heritage. It is a 36-acre nonprofit preserve with just under a mile of trail, a spring-fed glacial lake, a healing garden and a chapel in the woods.

The Conservancy lists no admission fee. You park, walk in and sit on a bench for as long as you like.

Finding the entrance

The address is 7410 W. Rawson Ave., but the way in is not obvious. The Conservancy's directions send you to the far end of the Ascension medical building parking lot at South 74th Street and West Rawson Avenue, where the trailhead starts. The property runs north from Rawson toward Loomis Road, between South 76th and South 68th streets.

BizTimes described the site in 2018 as next to the Reiman cancer center, which helps if you are using hospital signs to navigate.

Kopmeier Lake

Kopmeier Lake is the reason to come. The Conservancy describes it as about 15 acres and about 75 feet at its deepest, a spring-fed lake formed by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. It calls it one of the only glacier lakes in Milwaukee County.

The Conservancy notes that the lake is also called Priests Lake. A covered deck and a pier sit at the water's edge, and our listing mentions a boat dock.

The trail, the stairs and the benches

The trail is short, with one staircase. The Conservancy lists just under one mile of woodland and wetland trail, with a staircase down the kettle between the upper and lower trails. Twelve rustic benches and two observation decks are spread along the way.

Our listing says families donated many of the benches. Dogs are welcome on a leash, and waste bags are at the trailhead.

The published Franklin guides give the trails and garden as open from sunrise to sunset. If steps are a problem, call the Conservancy about access before you go, since its trail page describes a staircase between the upper and lower trails.

The Reiman Healing Chapel in the Woods

The Reiman Healing Chapel in the Woods opened to the public in 2016, and its chapel page credits the Reiman Family Foundation with funding it. Its tall east-facing windows look out above the treetops, and the Conservancy compares its style to chapels across Poland.

The chapel is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our listing notes that it is heated and has a bathroom, which is welcome on a winter walk.

It hosts weddings, baptisms and celebrations of life under a user agreement with a fee; the Conservancy does not post the amount, so call 414-510-4771 to ask.

The healing garden

The We Energies Foundation Healing Garden wraps around the chapel and covers nearly an acre. The Conservancy's timeline lists the garden and trails as completed in 2020 and 2021.

Its name tells you the intent: the Conservancy lists partners including the Reiman Cancer Center, Ascension Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Parkinson Association.

How the land came to be a preserve

The Conservancy tells the story in a short timeline. The Kopmeier family bought the land in 1889, and in 1955 it was donated to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which used it for retreats. The Conservancy was established as an independent 501(c)3 in 2003, and in 2005 it bought 36 acres, including Kopmeier Lake.

BizTimes adds, in a 2018 report, that the Conservancy bought the land from the Polish Center for $1 million in 2005. The timeline's newest entry is a Community Welcome Center, listed for spring 2026.

When to go and what to bring

Go on a weekday if you want to see inside the chapel. The chapel keeps weekday hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the published Franklin guides list the trails and garden as open from sunrise to sunset every day.

Wear shoes with grip for the staircase, and bring a leash and a bag if the dog is coming. Allow an hour if you want to sit by the lake for a while; the walking itself is under a mile, with benches and decks along the way.

Programs through the year

The program calendar is small and quiet, in keeping with the place. Nature's Wisdom meets on the third Saturday of the month from 9 to 11 a.m. for a donation, and an Evening of Mindfulness Meditation runs on the first and third Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., free. A Year of Re-Discovery meets on the third Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for $25.

The fall 2026 listings include a Badgerland Birding Owl Prowl on October 27, 2026, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for a $20 goodwill donation, and a children's storytime on November 21. The programs page lists who to contact to register.

The Conservancy also takes individual and group volunteers, and a Friends of the Conservancy group looks after the garden.

Pairing it with a walk or a round nearby

Lunch is close by too.

A round at Whitnall Park Golf Course, about 1.3 miles west, fits on the same day.

Among the things to do around Franklin, the Conservancy sits next to a working farm under the quieter outdoors heading.