Southeast Glacial Plains Ecological Landscape
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Southeast Glacial Plains ecological landscape Attributes and Characteristics Legacy Places This ecological landscape is home to some of the world’s best examples of continental AP Arlington Prairie PT Patrick Marsh glacial activity. Drumlins, eskers, kettle lakes, BK Bark and Scuppernong Rivers RC Raccoon Creek kames, ground and end moraines, and other glacial Bong Grassland Rush Lake features are evident throughout the entire area. BG RL A particularly striking area is the long “ridge” CD Campbellsport Drumlins SH Sheboygan County (known as a kettle interlobate moraine) that CC Cedar Creek Trout Streams formed between the Green Bay and Lake SY Sheboygan River Marshes Michigan lobes during the Wisconsin CB Cedarburg Bog Glaciation. The area is protected in part CW Crawfish River - Waterloo SL Shoveler Lakes - by the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Drumlins Black Earth Trench In addition to the many small kettle lakes DR Dunn - Rutland Savanna SV Sugar Creek Valley in this landscape, there are also a number of and Potholes SG Sugar River much larger lakes, such as the Lake Winnebago Pool system, the Yahara Chain of Lakes, Lake GH Glacial Habitat UR Upper Rock River Koshkonong, and Geneva Lake. Major rivers Restoration Area UL Upper Yahara River include the Rock, upper portion of the Milwaukee, HM Horicon Marsh and Lakes middle portion of the Fox, and the Illinois Fox. IF Illinois Fox River WB White River and Bloomfield Area WAUPACA OUTAGAMIE JM Jefferson Marsh WOOD PORTAGE BROWN LB WM White River Marsh Appleton Lake Koshkonong to T QUEEN LK R WINNEBAGO MANITOWOC and Uplands ROBE CALUMET Kettle Moraine Corridor WAUSHARA Manitowoc Canada geese congregating at Horicon Marsh LP LP Lakes of the Winnebago Pool NE Along the ADAMS WM RL MH LR Lower Rock River MARQUETTE GREEN SY SHEBOYGAN Kettle Moraine LAKE FOND DU LAC LB Lower Wolf River JUNEAU GH Sheboygan SH KM Kettle Moraine NE KM Bottomlands CD State Forest OZAUKEE MI Milwaukee River GH HM COLUMBIA WASHINGTON MI Lake Michigan MK Middle Kettle Moraine Southeast Glacial Plains Glacial Southeast SAUK MM Monroe - Muralt Prairie DODGE CC CB Millhome Woods AP MJ Mukwonago River MH DANE PT MK and Jericho Creek SK Southern Kettle CW UR Moraine: Whitewater UL WAUKESHA SL Milwaukee NE Niagara Escarpment IOWA JM Lake to Turtle Creek JEFFERSON BK DR MJ MILWAUKEE LK GREEN KM RACINE ROCK SV Racine MM BG LAFAYETTE SG LR SK KENOSHA Kenosha RC WALWORTH WB Beloit IF 182 Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Although many of the landscape’s natural This landscape also offers excellent oppor- wetlands have been drained, a large amount tunities to expand and restore prairie and oak still remains. The largest single wetland savanna. A recent Department study of management in this landscape, Horicon Marsh, opportunities for grassland birds identified nearly is a globally significant area. forty areas in this landscape with good potential to establish functioning grassland systems. Soils are mostly silt loams but there are also areas of clay soils and sandy soils. Historically, many of the state’s richest and Most of the tillable land is intensively farmed, most diverse streams and rivers were found in with dairying and cash-cropping of grains the southeastern part of Wisconsin. Although and vegetables being the predominant types many have been degraded from a variety of non- of agriculture. The natural vegetation of this point pollution sources, improving management landscape was formerly a mix of hardwood forest, practices and the removal of dams have greatly prairie, savanna and wetlands. Today, very little improved many of these waters. One river in of the prairie and savanna habitat remains. particular that has maintained its quality, the Mukwonago, harbors one of the highest Conservation Needs and Opportunities concentrations of fish, mussels, and other aquatic The Southeast Glacial Plains is a particularly invertebrates in the Midwest. Many of the region’s important region of the state for nesting and lakes have extremely productive fisheries that draw migrating waterfowl. The large marshes and shallow anglers from throughout the Midwest. The water lakes that occur throughout the area provide critical quality in many of these lakes would benefit from feeding, nesting, and resting habitat for ducks additional watershed management practices. and geese and other marsh dwelling birds. Many opportunities exist to restore drained wetlands as Recreation Uses and Opportunities these areas are retired from farming. Also occurring Almost all types of outdoor recreation occur here are a number of less common wetland types within the Southeast Glacial Plains. A variety R such as bogs, fens, tamarack fens and wet prairies, of terrain and cover types and abundant lakes EYE M many of which harbor rare species. Of particular note and streams accommodate a broad range of land HOMAS are the many, mostly small, calcareous fens that are and water based recreation activities. However, use T scattered through this landscape. In fact, more fens of public lands and waters is very heavy and demand Kettle Moraine Low Prairie in Waukesha County occur here than in any other part of North America. for recreation is rapidly exceeding the capacity Figure 111: Land cover of the Southeast Glacial Plains Figure 112: Public conservation and other land ownership Figure 113: Land cover of public conservation lands in the Southeast Glacial Plains in the Southeast Glacial Plains Open Water Urban County Forest State 4% Urban 6% 5% 0% Federal 0% Agriculture Open Wetland 0% 15% 9% Forested Wetland Grassland 3% 9% Plains Glacial Southeast Forest 8% Shrubland 0% Shrubland 0% Open Wetland Other 45% Forest Grassland 96% 18% 11% Agriculture 58% (private land, roads, schools, cemetaries, military lands, etc.) Forested Wetland 13% Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape 183 Figure 114a: Legacy Places and public conservation lands of the Southeast Glacial Plains Marion Marshfield Clintonville 41 10 Algoma Legacy Places and public conservation lands Seymour Green Stevens Southeast Glacial Plains Bay Point Kewaunee Manawa Pittsville 10 De Pere Wisconsin 70 New 43 Rapids 44 London Waupaca LB 45 41 Nekoosa 39 Weyauwega Kaukauna 10 Appleton W o lf 53 Menasha 71 R iv e r Brillion Neenah 10 22 Two Rivers 50 Manitowoc 33 Wautoma 15 LP 69 Chilton Lake Omro r Winnebago ive 151 R Oshkosh Berlin Fox New Holstein 41 NE 43 Adams Kiel 68 WM RL MH Lake Michigan 30 Legacy Places 52 CD Campbellsport Drumlins Ripon SY Green GH Glacial Habitat Princeton 1 32 Restoration Area Lake 16 57 HM Horicon Marsh Montello MaustonLP Lakes of the Winnebago Pool Fond du Lac GH Plymouth LB Lower 90Wolf River 45 Sheboygan Bottomlands 94 Sheboygan MI Milwaukee River Falls 12 SH Markesan 19 NE Niagara Escarpment 47 Southeast Glacial Plains Glacial Southeast 41 KM RL Rush Lake Public Conservation Lands 39 SH Sheboygan County NE 28 State Trout Streams CD SY Sheboygan River Marshes Wisconsin Waupun WM White River Marsh Dells Federal 18 and Uplands 151 1 45 Portage County Forest Along the Kettle Moraine Fox Lake HM KM KettleReedsburg Moraine State Forest 12 51 60 Miles MH Millhome Woods (continued) GH 25 Mayville 0 2.5 5 10 Milwaukee Baraboo 48 Beaver West R i v MI e Dam Horicon Bend r 184 Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Figure 115a: Legacy Places and land cover of the Southeast Glacial Plains Marion Marshfield Clintonville Algoma 10 41 Legacy PlacesWOLF RIVER and land cover WATERSHED Green Stevens Southeast Glacial Plains Seymour Bay Point Kewaunee Manawa De Pere Pittsville 10 LOWER FOX Wisconsin TWIN-KEWAUNEE WATERSHED 43 Rapids New WATERSHED Waupaca London 41 LB 45 Nekoosa 39 Weyauwega Kaukauna 10 Appleton Menasha UPPER WISCONSIN SOUTH WATERSHED Brillion Neenah 10 Two Rivers MANITOWOC Manitowoc WATERSHED Wautoma LP Chilton Lake Omro Winnebago Oshkosh 151 Berlin New 41 NE Holstein 43 Adams WM RL Kiel MH Lake Michigan Land Cover UPPER FOX WATERSHED Urban Ripon SY Princeton Green Lake Agriculture SHEBOYGAN Montello Mauston Fond du Lac WATERSHED Grassland GH Plymouth 94 Sheboygan 90 Sheboygan Shrubland Falls 12 SH Markesan 41 Forest KM Plains Glacial Southeast 39 Open Water NE CD Wisconsin Waupun LOWER WISCONSIN Open Wetland Dells UPPER ROCK MILWAUKEE WATERSHED 151 WATERSHED WATERSHED 45 Forested Wetland Portage Fox Lake Reedsburg HM Miles 12 51 (continued) 0 2.5 5 10 GH Mayville Baraboo Beaver West MI Dam Horicon Bend Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape 185 Figure 114b: Legacy Places and public conservation lands of the Southeast Glacial Plains Markesan 19 KM 47 28 43 Legacy Places NE Wisconsin CD AP Arlington Prairie Legacy Places and publicWaupun conservation lands Dells BK Bark and Scuppernong Rivers 18 1 BG Bong Grassland Portage SoutheastFox Glacial Plains Cedar Creek CC 12 Lake CB CedarburgReedsburg Bog (continued) CW Crawfish River-Waterloo HM 60 GH Mayville Drumlins 45 M i l DR Dunn-Rutland Savanna Baraboo 48 Beaver w 25 a u and Potholes Dam k 41 MI e Horicon e R GH Glacial Habitat iv West e 90 r Restoration Area 56 11 42 151 Bend HM Horicon Marsh 94 Juneau 2 Port Washington IF Illinois Fox River 39 CB JM Jefferson Marsh Hartford CC 26 R Columbus o LK Lake Koshkonong to AP c k 49 Cedarburg Kettle Moraine Corridor Lodi R i v LR Lower Rock River e r MI Milwaukee River 43 MM Monroe-Muralt Prairie 43 Lake Michigan MJ Mukwonago River MK Mequon and Jericho Creek 14 PT Patrick Marsh 66 39 12 67 PT Watertown RC Raccoon Creek 12 Sun CW C Prairie r SL Shoveler Lakes-Black 14 a UR w f Earth Trench i 21 s h Middleton Oconomowoc 45 SV Sugar Creek Valley 41 20 SG Sugar River Lake 94 Pewaukee UL Mills Delafield Milwaukee UR Upper Rock River Madison 4 Brookfield SL Monona R Wauwatosa i UL Upper Yahara River v e 35 r 36 and Lakes 12 Jefferson 64 West White River and 18 Waukesha WB Verona 25 New Allis Bloomfield Area 90 39 JM 18 58 40 Berlin Dodgeville 54 55 St.