The Wetland Gems® of Central Wisconsin

Bear Bluff Bog

County: Jackson

Property Owner: Jackson County

Bear Bluff Bog, located in the bed of the extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin, comprises the most intact remaining portion of the Great Swamp of Central Wisconsin. This vast, remote wetland complex includes coniferous swamp, coniferous bog, open bog, fen, marsh, and shrub carr habitats. The site is important because of its size, wild character, diversity, and the significant number of rare species it supports. Bear Bluff Bog provides connections to a number of other public conservation lands in the area, creating a large mosaic of protected wetland and upland habitats that support a wide diversity of wildlife species and offer excellent recreational opportunities. Mammals using the site include black bears, fisher, and several packs of timber wolves.

For information about how to access this site,  visit the Bear Bluff page of the State Natural Areas Program website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Bear Bluff .

Black River

County: Jackson

Property Owner: Wisconsin DNR

This Wetland Gem® is located along the Black River near its confluence with Morrison Creek within the Black River State Forest in Jackson County. The Black River is high quality because the floodplain corridors and associated wetlands for the main river and several tributaries are protected within public lands, including the Black River State Forest and Jackson and Clark County Forests. Morrison Creek itself is a high-quality stream that meanders through extensive floodplain forest in its last miles before flowing into the Black River. Groundwater seeps are common in this forest. These wetlands help support a diverse warm-water fishery and high-quality recreational opportunities in the Black River corridor. These forested riverine wetlands provide excellent habitat for many bird species, including forest interior songbirds and forest raptors, because they are bordered by extensive stands of upland forest. Floodplain forests of this region provide habitat for a number of reptiles and amphibians. The Black River and its floodplain serve as an important north-south corridor for mammals like black bears, timber wolves, and fisher.

This Wetland Gem® is best enjoyed by canoe. For information about how to access this site,  visit the Black River State Forest website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for the Black River. 

Blue Swamp

County: Clark

Property Owner: Clark County

The Blue Swamp features 560 acres of high-quality wetlands on Clark County property that serve as headwater areas for small tributaries in the Eau Claire River basin. The swamp drains north into a tributary of the North Fork of the Eau Claire River as well as south into the South Fork of the Eau Claire River. This wetland is largely an acid peatland featuring excellent coniferous bog, open bog, and northern sedge meadow habitats. These headwater wetlands are important not just because they are high-quality examples of various wetland community types, but also because they contribute to the health of the biologically diverse Eau Claire River system. Coniferous bog of tamarack and black spruce dominates the eastern part of the site. West of the bog is a brushy sedge meadow dominated by various sedges and bog birch. High-quality habitats at this Wetland Gem® support a diversity of animal species, including at least one globally rare invertebrate. Noteworthy bird species include sedge wren, and sandhill crane.

For information about how to access this site,  visit the Blue Swamp page of the State Natural Areas Program website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Blue Swamp .

Comstock-Germania Marsh

County: Marquette

Property Owner: Wisconsin DNR

This Wetland Gem® comprises more than 630 acres in two adjacent wetland complexes that are both protected as State Natural Areas: Comstock Bog-Meadow and Germania Wet Prairie. Unusual combinations of hydrologic and nutrient conditions within the site support unique assemblages of plants. The term “bog-meadow” refers to the fact that the site has a mixture of plants typically found separately in sedge meadow, open bog, and fen communities. Comstock Bog-Meadow is characterized by a diverse, quaking sedge meadow. Germania Wet Prairie features diverse low prairie habitat on floodplain terraces along the Mecan River. Some rare plants, including bog arrowgrass and livid sedge, are present in large numbers here. These diverse wetlands also support a variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies, and birds. Birds using the site include sandhill crane, sedge wren, and a number of rare species like Le Conte's sparrow.

For information about how to access this site, visit the  Comstock Bog-Meadow  and  Germania Wet Prairie  pages of the State Natural Areas Program website.

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Comstock-Germania Marsh .

Dewey Marsh

County: Portage

Property Owner: Wisconsin DNR

This Wetland Gem® comprises nearly a thousand acres within the Dewey Marsh State Wildlife Area just north of Stevens Point in Portage County. Dewey Marsh is not a marsh at all, but rather is a large peatland featuring high-quality sedge meadow, coniferous bog, open bog, coniferous swamp, and shrub carr habitats. Current plant communities are influenced by recovery from a large fire in 1976 that burned large areas of coniferous bog and shrub carr. The eastern portion of the site is characterized by acidic soil conditions while the western and southern portions are more alkaline. The headwaters of Hay Meadow Creek, a slow, warm, soft-water tributary to the Wisconsin River, form here. Large adjacent areas of upland forest increase the wildlife value of these wetlands. The Dewey Marsh State Wildlife Area is a popular destination for hunting and wildlife watching. This extensive and diverse wetland complex is relatively undisturbed and supports an abundance of wildlife and rare species. Dewey Marsh is considered a high-priority bird conservation site for this region. 

For information about how to access this site, visit the  Dewey Marsh page of the State Natural Areas Program website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Dewey Marsh .

Jay Creek

County: Jackson

Property Owner: Wisconsin DNR

This riverine Wetland Gem® features a high-quality coniferous swamp exemplifying a plant community that is rare and found only in the bed of the extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin: white pine-red maple swamp. These wet woods flank Jay Creek, a fast-moving, cold, soft-water stream that supports brook trout. While this is a relatively small site (360 acres), it is located in close proximity to expansive public lands like the Black River State Forest. High-quality coniferous swamp with a canopy of white pine and red maple grows on gently sloping sands at this site. Several rare plants, including northern long sedge and Massachusetts fern, grow at this site. These forested wetlands support diverse and abundant wildlife. Mature coniferous swamps of this type in the Central region support a number of rare animals. Jay Creek itself supports brook trout and a diverse assemblage of macroinvertebrates, including two rare dragonflies.

For information about how to access this site,  visit the Jay Creek Pine Forest page of the State Natural Areas Program website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Jay Creek .

Page Creek Marsh

County: Marquette

Property Owner: The Nature Conservancy

This Wetland Gem® features more than 600 acres of open wetland communities along the headwaters of clear water Page Creek, a tributary to the Fox River in Marquette County. This relatively undisturbed wetland complex includes not just marsh, but also sedge meadow, low prairie, and fen habitats. Page Creek Marsh supports a rich diversity of plants, including several rare species. Lush marsh, the dominant wetland community at this site, features a variety of emergent and floating-leaved aquatic plants. This site also supports several rare plant species, including downy willowherb and bog reedgrass. Wetland habitats at Page Creek Marsh support an abundance and diversity of waterfowl and other migratory birds. The site is of particular value as a staging area for sandhill cranes during fall migration. Other birds include wood duck, willow flycatcher, and green heron. Mammals include beaver, coyote, red fox, and woodchuck. This site provides important habitat for several rare animals.

Old roads and primitive trails provide access for hikers at this site. For information about how to access this site,  visit the Page Creek Marsh page of the State Natural Areas Program website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Page Creek Marsh .

Quincy Bluff & Sohlberg Lake

County: Adams

Property Owner: The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin DNR

This large Wetland Gem® (>5,000 acres) comprises two State Natural Areas: Quincy Bluff and Wetlands and Sohlberg Silver Lake, located in the bed of the extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin. Quincy Bluff and Wetlands features a high-quality, diverse wetland complex of sedge meadow, coniferous bog, coniferous swamp, and shrub carr surrounded by unique upland communities and features. Spectacular views of this wetland complex are provided by Quincy Bluff, running two miles in length and rising 200 feet above the valley, and Lone Rock, a sandstone mesa with one-hundred-foot cliffs. Sohlberg Silver Lake, adjacent to Quincy Bluff and Wetlands to the northwest, is a small seepage lake surrounded by marsh, open bog, and coniferous swamp habitats. This Wetland Gem® provides one of the best examples of presettlement vegetation in the region. Because of its location in Wisconsin’s vegetation tension zone, the site includes examples of both northern and southern plant communities. Several rare plants grow on these mudflats. These high-quality, diverse wetlands support a wide variety of wildlife. Sandhill cranes use the open wetland areas. Many migratory birds, especially sandpipers and other shorebirds, forage along Sohlberg Silver Lake’s shoreline and exposed mudflats. The site also supports a number of rare insects.

For information about how to access this site, visit the  Quincy Bluff and Wetlands  and  Sohlberg Silver Lake  pages of the State Natural Areas Program website. 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Quincy Bluff & Sohlberg Lake .

Suk-Cerney Wetlands

County: Juneau

Property Owner: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

This Wetland Gem® site features a large (> 3,000 acre) wetland complex in the southwestern corner of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Juneau County. The more than 43,000-acre Refuge was established in 1939 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. Suk-Cerney Wetlands is a remnant of the once vast Central Wisconsin Swamp in the bed of the extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin. The site is now highly managed to maintain wildlife habitat using water level manipulations, prescribed burns, and other management tools. This site and the larger Refuge are popular destinations for recreational activities including hunting, trapping, fishing, and wildlife observation. Suk-Cerney Wetlands features a mosaic of sedge meadow, open bog, marsh, and other wetland habitats. Thousands of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds use wetlands for stopover habitat during migration each spring and fall. Sedge meadows at the site support a variety of birds including sedge wren, and sora rail. Trumpeter swans were reestablished on the Refuge in the 1990s. Timber wolves are also found at the site.

For information about how to access this site,  visit the Suk Cerney Peatlands page of the State Natural Areas Program website  and the  Necedah National Wildlife Refuge page of the USFWS website . 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for the Suk-Cerney Wetlands .

Summerton Bog

County: Marquette

Property Owner: The Nature Conservancy

Summerton Bog is a highly diverse wetland complex of sedge meadow, coniferous bog, open bog, fen, and shrub carr habitats. This 475-acre Wetland Gem® is located in a glacial lakebed with peat and muck soils. Several artesian springs feed the site’s wetlands, which are characterized by plants more typical of northern wetlands as well as plants that are indicative of high-quality southern wetlands. Past restoration efforts, including filling a ditch on the periphery of the site, have increased the value of this wetland habitat. Sedge meadow is the predominant wetland community type at the site, which also includes coniferous bog areas. Lush and diverse wetland vegetation at the site supports more than 65 species of nesting birds, including sandhill crane, belted kingfisher, green heron, mallard, sedge wren, Nashville warbler, blue-winged warbler, yellow warbler, northern waterthrush, common yellowthroat, veery, sora, swamp sparrow, and song sparrow. The rare pickerel frog has also been documented at the site. 

For information about how to access this site,  visit the Summerton Bog page of the State Natural Areas Program website . 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Summerton Bog .