The Wetland Gems® of Southeast Coastal Wisconsin
Explore the map below to learn more about the six Wetland Gems® sites in the Southeast Coastal Region of Wisconsin!
Chiwaukee Prairie
County: Kenosha
Property Owners: Wisconsin DNR, The Nature Conservancy, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Village of Pleasant Prairie
Chiwaukee Prairie, located in the southeast corner of the state along Lake Michigan and the Illinois state line, is one of Wisconsin’s largest prairie complexes, the state’s only lake plain prairie complex, and the most intact coastal wetland in southeastern Wisconsin. The site is characterized by gently undulating ridge and swale topography created by the historical ebb and flow of water levels in glacial Lake Michigan. The resulting mosaic of microhabitats and plant communities at this site includes low prairie and sedge meadow with pockets of fen and shrub carr habitat in low areas and dry-mesic prairie on the sandy ridges. The protected area is exceptionally diverse and supports a number of rare and sensitive plants and animals. Chiwaukee is known for its spectacular wildflowers, with spring, fall, and summer each offering a different suite of colors and textures. The site supports more than 400 species of vascular plants, including 24 sedges and at least 26 rare plant species, ten of which are listed as endangered or threatened. The area also supports a diversity of birds during the breeding season, including more than 75 species of grassland and wetland birds. Detailed plant and animal species lists are available on the State Natural Areas Program website. Chiwaukee Prairie is part of a larger complex that was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2015.
Chiwaukee Prairie is open year-round with public parking and self-guided trails. For details, visit the Chiwaukee Prairie page of the State Natural Areas Program website .
Learn more about the international significance of this site on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands website .
Des Plaines River Floodplain & Marshes
County: Kenosha
Property Owners: Village of Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha/Racine Land Trust
Located in southern Kenosha County just east of I-94 and north of the state line, this site along the Des Plaines River comprises several hundred acres of marsh, floodplain forest, low prairie, and shrub carr habitat. In the spring and fall, this area is a significant stopover site for waterfowl in the central migratory flyway. The river has a wide floodplain and undergoes large fluctuations in flow that sometimes result in flooding problems across the border in Illinois. Protection and further restoration of wetlands in this corridor offer many ecological, flood control, and recreation benefits. The Des Plains River Floodplain & Marshes site features a diversity of emergent aquatic vegetation dominated by cattails and a variety of sedges. A total of 216 bird species have been documented at this site. A number of rare species have been observed at this site, including the great egret (state threatened) and red-shouldered hawk (state threatened). In addition to birds, 36 species of mammals, 13 species of amphibians, 5 species of turtles, 11 species of snakes, and numerous fish have been documented in the floodplain.
For information on how to access this site, visit the Village of Pleasant Prairie Parks Department website .
Germantown Swamp
County: Washington
Property Owners: Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Village of Germantown
The Germantown Swamp comprises several hundred acres of forested lowland in the southeast corner of Washington County along the headwaters of the Menomonee River. This site is remarkable and valuable because of its size, high-quality condition, and unique combination of species. The swamp is also one of the few large blocks of open space remaining in this highly urbanized area. Several hundred acres of the swamp are protected and additional acreage is proposed for future acquisition. Protection of the Germantown Swamp—and other wetlands in the uppermost reaches of the Milwaukee River Basin—is of critical importance to preventing flooding downstream in the City of Milwaukee. The site includes vegetation of both lowland hardwood swamp and coniferous swamp community types. The site features substantial areas of coniferous swamp vegetation more typical of the northern part of the state – dominant species include black ash, white cedar, and tamarack. The swamp’s understory flora also includes a mixture of northern and southern species. Little biological inventory work has been conducted at this site and these species lists are not available.
Germantown Swamp is part of a Village of Germantown Wilderness Park that is closed to public access in order to protect the Park’s sensitive natural resources.
Renak-Polak Woods
County: Racine
Property Owner: University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Renak-Polak Woods, located on the east side of the Root River in northeastern Racine County, is relatively small in land area (<100 acres), but protects the best remaining example of lowland hardwood swamp in the Southeast Coastal Region of Wisconsin. An intermittent stream fed by groundwater springs originates on the site and flows through the forest, supporting the swamp. Historical use of the site involved light logging, but much of the forest at this site today is considered “near-climax” growth. Once owned by The Nature Conservancy, the site is now owned and managed by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and is frequently used as a field site by Parkside classes for research and education. Renak-Polak Woods has many large trees, particularly red oak, sugar maple, and white ash. Forest dominants include sugar maple, basswood, and beech. Shrubs have taken advantage of canopy openings caused by elm mortality and have filled these gaps. The woods at this site feature a diverse understory with many spring ephemeral wildflowers including wild leek, hepatica, spring beauty, trout lily, Dutchman's breeches, bloodroot, toothwort, wild Geranium, red and large-flowered trilliums, woodland phlox, and false rue anemone. Breeding bird surveys have documented a diverse community of birds using these wetlands including, wood duck, sora, marsh wren, yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, and swamp sparrow.
For more information about the site and how to access it, visit the Renak-Polak Maple-Beech Woods page of the State Natural Areas Program website .
Root River Riverine Forest
County: Milwaukee/Racine
Property Owners: Milwaukee County, Racine County
The Root River Riverine Forest is an extensive riparian forest corridor located in southern Milwaukee County near the Racine County border that includes nearly 500 acres of forested wetlands. Stands of both lowland hardwood swamp and floodplain forest are present with vegetation that varies based on local microtopography. This site is unique and valuable in part because it is one of few remaining forested blocks of significant size and high-quality condition in this region. As such, the site provides important habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species, including the potential for rare species. This forest and the wetlands within serve as an important buffer to the Root River, storing and filtering runoff from developed and agricultural areas in upland areas of the watershed, making it critical to the health of the Root River, an important recreational resource. The floodplain forest canopy includes silver maple, green ash, and American elm; underneath this canopy are many herbaceous plant species, including nettles, clearweed, sedges, and waterleaf. Forested wetlands at this site provide important stopover habitat for migrating birds and also support numerous resident bird species. While there has not been an extensive inventory of fauna at this site, rare bird species are known to use wetlands of this type in the region. Temporary ponds created during spring floods likely provide important breeding grounds for amphibians and reptiles. This corridor also provides valuable habitat for a number of mammals.
To learn about how to access the site, visit the Milwaukee County Parks website .
Warnimont Bluff Fens
County: Milwaukee
Property Owner: Milwaukee County
Warnimont Bluff Fens, protected within parklands owned by Milwaukee County, is a Wetland Gem® site located south of the city of Milwaukee on the coast of Lake Michigan. The site features highly unusual calcareous fen wetlands positioned 100 feet above the lake on clay bluffs. Calcium-rich springs seep from and flow down the bluffs, creating small wet ravines where fen vegetation thrives. Warnimont Bluff Fens are believed to be the only natural community of this type in the state. Though the land area is quite small, this site provides habitat and refuge for a number of uncommon and rare plants and animals in a landscape that is largely urbanized. Open, moist areas on the bluff are dominated by fen vegetation White cedar, which is the southern limit of its range in Wisconsin, also grows here. The site supports a number of rare plant species including Ohio goldenrod, lesser fringed gentian, and several rare plants, as well as several rare animal species including the prairie crayfish and rare reptiles. The steep eroding bluffs at the site provide habitat for burrowing birds such as the belted kingfisher and bank swallow.
Public access is limited to research and education due to the sensitive nature of these plant communities. Contact Milwaukee County Parks for permission .
For more information about the site, visit the Warnimont Bluff Fens page of the State Natural Areas website .
