Fourmile Island Rookery State Natural Area protects a forested isle in the of bottomland hardwoods historically used by nesting birds. Though nesting habitat availability has suffered in recent years due to a variety of factors (Dutch elm disease, a 1984 windstorm, and the effects of accumulated guano), the island remains a protected bird sanctuary that…
Tag: River
Baraboo River Floodplain Forest (330/693)
Baraboo River Floodplain Forest State Natural Area encompasses a millieux of lowland forest, sloughs, oxbows, streams, and the eponymous Baraboo River covering 23 acres adjacent to Interstate 90/94 in Columbia County. Owned by the Wisconsin DNR, access is only possible by water. As I had rented a kayak for the day, I planned to make…
Catfish Eddy Terraces (293/681)
Catfish Eddy Terraces is comprised of northern dry-mesic forest and various gorges and wet terrain along the eastern bank of the Black River in Jackson County. There are no trails or parking areas here, so I found it easiest to park along Clinton Road and walk approximately 1/3 mile west into the natural area. After…
Upper Black River (290/681)
Upper Black River features a variety of natural communities along stretches of the Black River and a few of its tributaries. Floodplain forest, mesic forest, and dripping cliffs line these waterways. As one would expect with a property this large containing several parcels, there are numerous ways to access it. A DNR parking area and…
East Fork of the Black River (289/681)
East Fork of the Black River features one of the longest stretches of undeveloped river in the state and a ridge and swale complex with alternating bands of northern dry-mesic forest and a variety of wetlands. This site is directly adjacent to yesterday’s blog post, Arbutus Oaks, and the same parking area at the end…
Yellow River Oxbows (287/681)
Yellow River Oxbows features a floodplain forest around the meandering Yellow River and its oxbows and sloughs in central Juneau County. A parking area is located on the west side of 17th Avenue midway between 28th Street and 30th Street just northwest of Buckhorn State Park. From the parking area, a primitive trail leads toward…
Eagle Eye (282/681)
Eagle Eye, so named for a slit in the rocky ridge, features a mosaic of natural communities including dry prairie remnants, oak woodland, oak savnna, and a trout stream, all occurring on a narrow, curving ridge that rises 250 feet above the surrounding landscape in eastern Vernon county, northwest of Viroqua. The site is located…
White River Sedge Meadow (278/681)
White River Sedge Meadow encompasses the largest southern sedge meadow in Wisconsin. Located just one mile south-southeast of White River Prairie/Tamaracks and also a part of the larger White River Marsh State Wildlife Area, this natural area can be accesses by numerous parking areas scattered around its perimeter. The most direct access is from parking…
Van Loon Floodplain Savanna (234/679)
Van Loon Floodplain Savanna is, as its siter site Van Loon Floodplain Forest, found within the Van Loon Wildlife Area along the Black River in La Crosse County. The access directions as described on the DNR site, are not recommended to put it mildly. They describe walking 1 mile along the Seven Bridges trail and then north…
Van Loon Floodplain Forest, SNA #568 (233/679)
Van Loon Floodplain Forest is comprised of two parcels of floodplain forest amidst sloughs and channels on the eastern shore of the Black River on either side of STH 35. It can be reached from a boat landing on the south side of STH 35. The southern parcel lies just 200 feet further south while…
Tunnelville Cliffs, SNA #542 (217/675)
Tunnelville Cliffs features a series of sandstone cliffs above the East Fork of the Kickapoo River southwest of La Farge. Access is via Tunnelville Road where the road bends sharply north. Park on the roadside near, but not blocking, the DNR access gate. Walk west into the site. From the road, the access lane passes…
Kickapoo Wild Woods (207/675)
Kickapoo Wild Woods encompasses forest types ranging from dry to mesic and floodplain strecthing from ridgetops down to the Kickapoo River 350 feet below. The site is comprised of two parcels north of Wauzeka with parking areas available from STH 131 and Badger Lane. Well, the rain that had begun at my previous stop, Wauzeka…
Wauzeka Bottoms (206/675)
Wauzeka Bottoms encompasses a massive floodplain forest near the confluence of the Kickapoo and Wisconsin Rivers. Parsed with numerous sloughs, channels, and oxbows, the site is best observed via canoe or kayak. A boat launch with parking is available on East Front Street in downtown Wauzeka. Paddle southeast under the railroad trestle to reach the…
Lemonweir Bottomland Hardwood Forest (197/675)
Lemonweir Bottomland Hardwood Forest encompasses a floodplain forest amidst a maze of river channels, slough, and oxbows. The site can be reached by parking on the side of Arens Road and walking east into the forest. Parking near the end of Arens Road will lead you to an access road/trail heading east/southeast into the site….
Milwaukee River Floodplain Forest (194/675)
Milwaukee River Floodplain Forest features floodplain and dry-mesic forests along a stretch of the East Branch of the Milwaukee River in Washington County. Parking is along the roadside on Oak Drive, just north of CTH H, where the gravel shoulder widens a bit near the Ice Age Trail. My first visit here was in too-early…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 