WWA invites you to get your feet wet and experience the wonders of wetlands first hand on one of our upcoming field trips. Unless otherwise noted, field trips are free for WWA members and $10 for non-members. To register for a field trip, email or call our office at 608-250-9971.
Nightdance of the Woodcock, UW Arboretum
Dane County
Tuesday, April 4, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Field trip leader: Arboretum naturalist
Space limited; call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
The American woodcock (Philohela minor), depends on wetland habitats for feeding. A popular game bird in parts of the U.S., the American woodcock is also of interest to non-hunters because of its fascinating mating and foraging behaviors. We will attempt to view this funny-looking bird and witness its amazing spring ritual for attracting mates. We can never guarantee that wildlife will appear on cue, but we will hopefully be able to hear and see woodcock performances near the Arboretum Visitor Center. Naturalists will talk about the woodcock, it's wetland connections, and other rites of spring that can be seen on an April evening.
Directions
Meet at the UW Arboretum Visitors Center. In Madison, heading west on the Beltline (Hwy 12), take the Seminole Highway exit and go north. After several blocks you will see the sign at the Arboretum entrance. Turn right into the Arboretum and continue until the road ends at the McKay Visitors Center parking lot.
>> Click here for a map
Frogs' Night Out, Mazomanie Wildlife Area
Dane County
Thursday, April 13, 6:45 - 9 pm (rain date: April 20)
In partnership with: Madison Audubon Society
Field trip leader: Bob Hay
Free and open to the public; call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Bring a sense of adventure on this trip as you "look" at the world from
a different perspective -- through sounds. Besides listening for a variety of frog calls, participants will learn
about frog lifestyles and wetlands ecology. Bring a flashlight and dress for wet conditions.
NOTE: The trip will be cancelled if the daytime high temperature is below 45 °F and in case of very strong
winds or heavy rain. The rain date for this trip is April 20. Call trip leader Bob Hay only if you have questions;
work: (608) 267-0849 or home: (608)829-3123.
Directions
Meet at the Mazomanie Wildlife Area at 6:45 p.m. From Hwy 14 in Mazomanie, drive north on County Hwy Y for about 4 miles. Just before the highway bends to the east (right), turn left on Law’s Drive. Travel on the access road about 0.25 miles and turn left onto the first gravel road. Follow this about 1.5 miles until it dead-ends at a parking lot. The trip leader will be there to meet you. The trip will last until 9:00 p.m. Plan to walk about 1/3 mile to the site.
Prince’s Point Woods and Bluff Creek State Natural Areas
Jefferson/Walworth County
Sunday, April 23, 1 - 5 pm
Field trip leaders: Galen Smith and Ted Cochrane
Call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Join us for a walk in a wet to dry woodland and learn about the natural history of the Prince’s Point Wildlife Area, then explore high-quality fens at the edge of the Kettle Moraine and learn about the ecology of fens and their associated springs and trout streams. This trip will include diverse high-quality wetlands including woodland vernal pools, calcareous fens, shrub-carr, sedge-meadow and deepwater marsh. Early spring wild flowers will be in bloom and birds will be migrating, so bring your binoculars and camera. Be prepared for damp feet in the woodland and wet feet at Bluff Creek. Bring rain gear if needed.
Directions
Meet at Prince’s Point Wildlife Area at 1 p.m. From Whitewater, travel northeast on WI Hwy. 59 ~2 miles to Cty. D. Go north on D across the Bark River bridge ~4.5 miles to Koch Road. Turn right on Koch Road and go ~1.3 miles and park in the unpaved DNR parking lot on the right, nearly opposite Fromander Road on the left. Click here for a map. We will
drive to Bluff Creek (located along Walworth Co. Hwy. P about 4.5 miles south-southwest of Whitewater) at about 2:30, with a brief bathroom stop on the way at a convenience store in Whitewater.
Northern Pike Rearing at Six-Mile Marsh
Dane County
Wednesday, May 3, 6:30 pm
Part of a series of Watershed Walks hosted by Saint Benedict Center
Field trip leader: Kurt Welke
Call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Walk with WDNR fisheries manager Kurt Welke to the Six-Mile rearing marsh, site of northern pike propagation efforts. Learn about these fascinating fish and how they depend on wetlands for reproduction and habitat for the early stages of their lives. Kurt will also describe measures that WDNR takes to ensure that populations of this native predatory fish remain viable. Learn about the necessity of human intervention in a world of altered land uses, water level control, and intensive harvest pressures. There is more to these fish than meets the eye! Experience the "behind the scenes" world of urban fisheries management while enjoying some quiet and unexpected scenery within a few miles of the capital. Depending on how the weather goes this season, we might even catch a glimpse of the young fry before they're released.
Directions
From Governor Nelson State park near Waunakee, take Cty M heading northeast and turn left (north) on Woodland Dr. The WDNR fish rearing facility is on Woodland Dr. just south of Mary Lake Road. Meet Kurt Welke at the gate.
Wetlands of the Pewaukee River, Simmons County Park
Waukesha County
Sunday, May 7, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
In partnership with Pewaukee River Partnership
Call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Take part in a wetland tour as part of the grand opening of Simmons Woods Park, the newest park in the Village of Pewaukee. The Pewaukee River Partnership will be dedicating the new 800 ft of wetland boardwalk they recently built in partnership with the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District, Pewaukee Park & Recreations Dept. and WDNR. The floodplain wetlands located along this boardwalk provide important functional values, including flood control and filtering runoff, that benefit Pewaukee and communities downstream along the Pewaukee River. Celebrate these wetlands and be one of the first to walk on the new boardwalk. Wetland experts will be present at several board walk stops to share their wetland knowledge with you. There will also be conservation exhibits and youth activities throughout the Park. For more information, read a press release about the event or contact either Donna Baldwin-Haut (695-0172) from the River Partnership or Kelley Woldanski (691-0770) at Pewaukee Park & Rec.
Directions
Simmons Woods Park is located near the intersection of Capitol Drive and Highway 16. Click here for a map.
Frogs of the Bog Evening Walk
Ozaukee County
Sunday, May 7, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
In partnership with: WI Natural Resources Foundation and Friends of Cedarburg Bog
Field trip leaders: Jim Reinartz and Gary Casper
Limited space; call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Come "see" the Cedarburg Bog in a brand new way - through sound. Listen for a variety of frog calls including Wood frog, Spring peeper, Chorus frog, and American toad and possibly Cope's gray tree frog and Eastern gray tree frog. We'll also learn about frog lifestyles and mating behaviors as well as ecology of the bog. Bring a flashlight and wear footgear that can get muddy and wet; bring rain gear if appropriate.
Cedarburg Bog is the most intact large bog in southeastern Wisconsin and composed of a mosaic of vegetation types. Once part of a large glacial lake, the bog is a relict community - a southern example of the type more commonly found in northern Wisconsin. There are six lakes remaining within the bog, all with varying sizes and depths. The 245-acre Mud Lake is the largest, followed by the 34-acre Long Lake. Surrounding the lakes are areas of emergent aquatic vegetation while just outside this zone is a successional shrub-carr area. Most unusual is a string or "patterned" bog, unique here because it lies far south of its usual range in North America. It is composed of ridges of stunted cedar and tamarack that lie in an open flat sedge mat. The meadow vegetation consists of narrow-leaved sedges, pitcher plant, bogbean, water horsetail, arrow-grass, orchids, and the insectivorous sundew and bladderwort. A conifer-swamp hardwood forest is adjacent to the bog. There is a very diverse flora and fauna; many that are more common in northern boreal forests and that are at their southern range limit here. Cedarburg Bog is owned by the DNR and UW-Milwaukee and was designated a State Natural Area in 1952.
Directions
The main Field Station property is located in the Town of Saukville, Wisconsin, about 30 miles (45 minutes) north of Milwaukee and 1 hour 45 minutes from Madison. Map here.
From Milwaukee: Take I-43 north to Hwy 33, then take Hwy 33 west to Blue Goose Road (4.3 miles west of Saukville). Take Blue Goose Road south 1.9 miles to the Field Station, the 2nd driveway on the west side of Blue Goose, south of Knollwood Road.
From Madison: Take Hwy 151 NE to Hwy 60 East. Take Hwy 60 east to Co Hwy Y. Take Hwy Y north about 4 miles to St. Augustine Road. Follow St. Augustine Rd. east for 1 mile; St. Augustine Rd. then turns north and becomes Blue Goose Road. The Field Station will be on your left.
Cherokee Marsh, Yahara Heights County Park
Dane County
Wednesday, May 10, 6:30 pm
Part of a series of Watershed Walks hosted by Saint Benedict Center
Field trip leader: Nancy Schlimgen
Call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Amidst the sights and sounds of spring and chance wildlife encounters we will traverse the field edge over-looking Cherokee Marsh to reach a loop trail through Yahara Heights County Park. The path winds along the shoreline past an effigy mound and an ephemeral pond along the wooded uplands. While we explore this oak-savanna restoration along the Dane County side of the marsh, views across the water of the emergent re-vegetation restoration efforts of the Madison Conservation Parks can be seen and will stimulate further discussion on the walk led by restoration ecologist Nancy Schlimgen.
Directions
From Madison, take Hwy 113 north past the airport and across the Yahara River, and then turn right (east) on River Road. Take an immediate right on Frontage road and meet Nancy Schlimgen at the dog park parking lot.
Wetlands of Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area
Kenosha County
Saturday, May 27
9:30 am- trail dedication followed by hikes from 10:00 am - 12 noon
In partnership with: Chiwaukee Prairie Preservation Fund, WI Natural Resource Foundation
Field trip leaders: Marty Johnson and members of Chiwaukee Prairie Preservation Fund
Call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Chiwaukee Prairie is situated on gently undulating ridge and swale topography created when the level of glacial Lake Michigan was lowered in stages. It is one of the largest prairie complexes in the state and the most intact coastal wetland in southeastern Wisconsin. The natural area features a mosaic of plant communities, ranging from southern sedge meadow, wet prairie, and wet-mesic prairie in the low areas, to dry-mesic prairie on the slightly elevated sandy ridges. Portions of the site are classified as calcareous fen, inhabited by calcium-loving plants. Oak opening dominated by bur and black oaks occupies higher, drier ground along the southern and western parts of the preserve. The northernmost portion, Kenosha Dunes, contains open and stabilized sand dunes. This variety of habitats, coupled with their location in the extreme southeastern corner of the state, allows several rare and geographically restricted plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds, invertebrates, and mammals to thrive here. More than 75 species of grassland and wetland birds have been observed during the breeding season. Chiwaukee Prairie is a cooperative project of the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, UW-Parkside, and WDNR.
Directions
Heading south on I-94, pass exits for Kenosha and then take exit for Hwy 165 east. Travel east on Hwy 165 for about 5 miles and turn right (south) on Hwy. 32. Take Hwy. 32 south for about 1 mile and turn left (east) on 116th St. Take 116th almost to the lakeshore and turn right (south) on Marina Rd. Turn right (west) on 121st St. and then right (north) on Al Krampert Tr. Park along the roadside near kiosk. Click here for a map.
Paddle Wetlands of Door County: Mud Lake, Moonlight Bay and Bedrock Beach
Door County
Saturday, May 27, 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Part of Door County Festival of Nature
In partnership with: WI Natural Resource Foundation
Field trip leader: Vinni Chomeau
Moderate paddling skill required; bring your own canoe or kayak
Space limited; call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
This canoeing and kayaking trip will feature two Wisconsin State Natural Areas, Mud Lake SNA and Moonlight Bay and Bedrock Beach SNA. Mud Lake State Natural Area consists of a 155-acre shallow (maximum depth 5 feet) drainage lake surrounded by an extensive shrub and timber swamp. The lake itself has a truly wild character to it. Moonlight Bay Bedrock Beach, a 112-acre SNA, protects a 5-acre undisturbed bedrock beach, rare plant and animal communities, geological features, and adjacent boreal forest relict, all which are dependent on the dynamic influence of Lake Michigan (Wisconsin DNR). Each of these State Natural Areas protect rare species: Mud Lake wetlands and lake provide habitat for the federally-endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana); and the forest associated with Moonlight Bay harbors a population of the federally and state-threatened dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris).
The paddle will start where County Q crosses Reibolts Creek. We will paddle up Reibolts Creek (be prepared to portage around downed logs or a beaver dam) to view the natural communities at Mud Lake SNA, and out into Moonlight Bay to view the natural community represented at Moonlight Bay and Bedrock Beach SNA. Paddlers are strongly encouraged to bring a lunch, a beverage(s), life jacket, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. You must also provide your own canoe or kayak. This trip will cover a good bit of distance, so attendees must be prepared to do a bit of paddling!
Directions
From Milwaukee: Take I-43 north; merge onto WI-57 N via EXIT 185 toward STURGEON BAY/ALGOMA; turn RIGHT onto WI-58/JORNS LN., continue to follow WI-57 to Baileys Harbor; stay on WI-57 N through town; just North of Baileys Harbor HWY Q will branch to the RIGHT; take HWY Q; after about 1 ˝ miles, you will come to Reibolts Creek; park here along the roadside.
From Madison: Take Hwy 151 NE to WI-26 N (via EXIT 128 toward RESENDALE/OSHKOSH); merge onto US-41 via the ramp on the LEFT toward OSHKOSH/APPLETON/GREEN BAY; merge onto WI-172 E via EXIT 165 toward I-43; merge onto I-43 N via the exit on the LEFT toward STURGEON BAY; merge onto WI-57 N via EXIT 185 toward STURGEON BAY/ALGOMA; turn RIGHT onto WI-58/JORNS LN., continue to follow WI-57 to Baileys Harbor; stay on WI-57 N through town; just North of Baileys Harbor HWY Q will branch to the RIGHT; take HWY Q; after about 1 ˝ miles, you will come to Reibolts Creek; park here along the roadside.
Lost Lake Wetland Restoration at Saint Benedict Center
Dane County
Wednesday, May 31, 6:30 pm
Part of a series of Watershed Walks hosted by Saint Benedict Center
Field trip leaders: Nancy Schlimgen and Paul Boutwell.
Call WWA to register: 608-250-9971
Saint Benedict Center lies on 130 acres of rolling glacial topography stretching from a kettle lake, Lost Lake to a panoramic view of Lake Mendota. Learn how Lost Lake was restored in 1999 to its original size of approximately 8 acres with its resurgence of wetland edge species grading into prairie uplands from restoration ecologists Paul Boutwell and Nancy Schlimgen. Walk through the oak woods to see an expansive prairie restoration where a retention basin reduces nutrient runoff, thus improving water quality of our Yahara Lakes while allowing for ground water infiltration. This wildlife corridor extends into Governor Nelson State Park along the lakeshore.
Read more about restoration at Saint Benedict Center here
Directions
Saint Benedict Center is located at 4200 Cty M in Middleton on the northwest side of Lake Mendota. It is 3.5 miles east of the junction of Cty M and Hwy 12, or 4 miles west on Cty M from the junction of Cty M and Hwy 113. Click here for a map.
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2006 FIELD TRIP SERIES