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: Wisconsin State Wildlife Area
Jackson Marsh (327/693)
Jackson Marsh State Natural Area protects a southern wet forest with silver maples and a white cedar-tamarack swamp. The site is part of the larger Jackson Marsh State Wildlife Area, a 2,600 acre tract of forested wetlands in east-central Washington County. The large size and lack of formal trails make this not a particularly easy…
Rice Lake (323/693)
*experimenting with post format; bear with me* Rice Lake State Natural Area contains the eponymous lake as well as surrounding wetland, sedge meadow, poor fen, and upland islands found within Thunder Lake State Wildlife Area in northeastern Oneida County, just south of Eagle River. The site can be easily accessed from a couple of Wildlife…
Karcher Springs (322/693)
*experimenting with post format; bear with me* Karcher Springs contains wetland and upland natural communities in southern Kenosha County. Located within Karcher State Wildlife Area, the SNA can be easily accessed from a Wildlife Area parking lot on the north side of CTH JB/31st St just west of STH 83. The west side of the…
New Munster Bog Island (321/693)
New Munster Bog Island State Natural Area contains a small hill, or knoll, surrounded by shrub-carr and tamaracks in southern Kenosha County. I found the DNR prescribed access to be fairly straightforward. From a State Wildlife Area parking area on the north side of 75th St, a rudimentary path leads to Palmer Creek. I recall…
Kingston Pines (318/693)
Kingston Pines features northern dry to dry-mesic forests as well as bog/fen areas situated on a rolling, sandy moraine near the Kingston Flowage. Access to the site is via Cranberry Rd to 4th St SW, the latter becoming a two-track into the forest. I recall pulling off into a clearing and then walking further into…
Meadow Valley Barrens (313/689)
Meadow Valley Barrens is aptly described in its name. It is simply put, a barrens within the Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area. The site exists in two parcels, both of which can be accessed via CTH H. Further interior access to the larger southern parcel can be had via Eisefeldt Rd and 15th St SW….
Blueberry Trail (312/688)
Blueberry Trail preserves a floodplain forest along the slow, wide turns of Beaver Creek within the Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area in Juneau County. The site can be accessed from Mulloney Road. No parking areas are present, so this was another pull the car as far off the gravel road as possible situation. There are…
Suk Cerney Peatlands (311/687)
Suk Cerney Peatlands is a massive complex of meadow, bog, swamp, and pine barrens covering over 3600 acres (11th largest SNA) in Juneau County’s Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area. The site is located west of Necedah and can be reached by taking North 6th Avenue north from CTH H to Bewick Trail which runs along…
Mead Conifer Bogs (295/686)
Mead Conifer Bogs includes northern wet forest, shrub-carr, and bog habitats spanning the intersection of 3 counties in central Wisconsin: Wood, Portage, and Marathon. The larger eastern parcel spans the northwest corner of Portage County and crosses into south-central Marathon County while the smaller western parcel rests in the northeast corner of Wood County. It is part…
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…
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…
White River Prairie / Tamaracks (277/681)
White River Prairie/Tamaracks features sizable wet prairie and tamarack bog communities along the White River in northwestern Green County west of Berlin. Found within the White River Marsh State Wildlife Area, there are ample parking areas in the general vicinity. The two nearest this natural area are located on the south side of CTH E…
Germania Wet Prairie (276/681)
Germania Wet Prairie includes a wet to wet-mesic prairie with sedge-meadow- and fen-like areas in central Marquette County, just north of the subject of yesterday’s blog entry, Comstock B0g-Meadow. A DNR parking area is found east of Eagle Road and is accessible via an access lane just north of the intersection of Eagle Road and…
Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow (263/679)
Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow comprises another parcel of Greater prairie chicken habitat, just 2 miles north of Buena Vista Quarry Prairie. Both sites are part of the the Buena Vista Wildlife Area located in southwestern Portage County. The meadow is bound by 130th Street on the east and Griffith Avenue on the south and…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 