cranes rise as two pairs take off. tion strategies they did 70 years ago, habitats, such as many warblers that live Spring is coming to one of Wis- or even 35 years ago when the last only deep in large blocks of forest. LISA GAUMNITZ consin’s southernmost bogs, bringing strategic plan was created,” Meyer Other species need more than one new life to a unique landscape sculpted said. “Even in that seemingly short habitat to survive and require room by immense forces over thousands of period of time, the impacts to the en- to roam. State-threatened wood years and now protected as part of the vironment have changed, sometimes turtles, for example, need streams for On a warm, sunny March day, Wisconsin State Natural Areas significantly.” hibernating, forests for foraging and honeycomb ice floats over mats Program. sand for nesting. of last season’s pickerel weed at The SNA Program celebrates 70 SIZING THINGS UP And all species are part of, and de- years in 2021, making it the nation’s Conservation giants Aldo Leopold, pend on, a larger community of spe- Beulah Bog State Natural Area oldest statewide system of natural John Curtis and Albert Fuller planted cies linked across larger landscapes. in Walworth County, masking areas. It also is the largest — nearly the seeds for the State Natural Areas “All of these factors and more have the spongy peat beneath. 700 jewels sparkling across Wisconsin Program in the 1940s, compelled by led us to protect larger habitats, habi- with the sole statutory purpose of sav- their concern Wisconsin was losing tats that are connected and enable Short tamarack trees with cones ing for now and future generations a its vast southern prairies and wetlands species to move across Wisconsin’s hanging from stunted branches ring living record of diverse prairies, forests, and other places they could take stu- landscapes and also to work with the outer edge of the bog lake, and wetlands and other natural communi- dents to see native flora and fauna. landowners outside of State Natu- taller tamaracks reach skyward away ties in the state. Plant species, not whole, function- ral Areas to minimize impacts that from the shoreline. For Wisconsin, these areas represent ing ecosys- A single puff of tawny cotton grass, the legacy of geologic forces, geo- tems, were a welcome holdover from last year’s graphic destiny and immutable time, their focus. growth, clings to its stalk, while the and the collective commitment to That was blood-red funnels of pitcher plants caring for these special places. reflected in poke through the ice, soon to unfurl a The last 30 years in particular have 1951 when new set of insect-trapping leaves in a challenged this natural heritage, as in- the State Leg- bed of sphagnum moss. vasive species, climate change, historic islature cre- The ancient bugling calls of sandhill levels of white-tailed deer, encroach- ated the State Preserve, ing development and other human- Board for the caused stressors collectively pose an Preservation existential threat to many of these sites of Scientific and a seemingly endless task for their Areas and the protect, caretakers. group set the “These places that still retain a sem- minimum blance of Wisconsin’s pre-settlement size for pro- landscapes and the native species they tecting prairie appreciate support are in danger of winking at 1 acre and out,” said Thomas Meyer, the DNR 10 acres for conservation biologist who has played woods. a big role in shaping the system over If a site

the last three decades. harbored a di- THOMAS MEYER State Natural Areas Despite the challenges, Meyer and versity of na- other DNR staff plus 60 partners like tive tree and The State Natural Areas Program marks 70 years of protecting Program strategizes The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. plant species, places that represent Wisconsin’s natural heritage, such as Forest Service and The Prairie En- even if it was Beulah Bog, where tawny cotton grass lines the path. to safeguard natural thusiasts that own State Natural Areas a tiny rem- aren’t throwing in the towel. They’re nant of a previously more widespread extend into preserves,” Miller said. heritage lands tooling up and evolving their ap- ecosystem, it was deemed worthy of “Partnering with farmers on water proaches to meet these challenges. protection. quality is one example.” A new strategic plan has been cre- “The scientific thinking has evolved ated to save these diverse habitats, tremendously since then,” Meyer said. SHIFT FOCUS TO SURVIVE CHANGE many of them globally rare, by work- “Those little places just don’t cut it That approach is especially important ing smarter. anymore. as climate change means some spe- New technologies developed with “What we’ve been trying to do for cies will have to move, perhaps long partners are helping prioritize the a few years is to protect not only small distances, to find the conditions they identification, protection and manage- specific examples of a given natural need to survive under potentially ment of natural areas in an era of lim- community — like a dry prairie, for warmer and wetter settings. Some ited resources and changing environ- example — but the full diversity of already are. mental conditions. Grants, donations community types that all reside in the The Nature Conservancy, with Beulah Bog State Natural Area is filmed by James Donovan from the Natural Resources Founda- same larger landscape and flow from partners including science experts for a PBS Wisconsin documentary. One of the state’s tion of Wisconsin and other organiza- one to another.” from the DNR, developed a new southernmost bogs, it requires special care to ensure the tions, and thousands of hours from Nick Miller, scientific director at landscape-scale vision for conservation unique landscape can adapt to future climate conditions. volunteers are adding to the work that The Nature Conservancy, said this called the Resilient and Connected can get done at dozens of sites. landscape-scale approach recognizes Network (also known as Conserving

THOMAS MEYER PHOTOS “We can’t use the same protec- that some wildlife species need larger Nature’s Stage).

36 wnrmag.com Summer 2021 37 Together, they’ve produced maps water chemistry supporting this unique cold, anoxic conditions may diminish lected earlier from the property itself. and an online tool that identify the assemblage of acid-tolerant plants, said with the higher temperatures forecast. Wetlands are maintained as habitat places across Wisconsin and the U.S. Pete Duerkop, the district ecologist with By tending to uplands, adapting for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds where species have the greatest chance responsibility for the site. management where possible and part- stopping over en route to Canada. A of surviving, as well as habitat cor- To counter that threat, crews care- nering with land trust volunteer stew- 1,000-acre sedge meadow gives way ridors that will give species access to fully place and angle firebreaks on ards, managers hope to build healthy to undulating hills with scattered jack these resilient areas. upland oak savanna that surrounds the surrounding ecosystems and resiliency. pine, Hill’s oak and a variety of shrubs. This vision for climate resilience is bog to minimize gullying. Prescribed Grasses and plants characteristic of now guiding where and how The Na- fire in the savanna will in turn boost BROKEN DREAMS barrens and sandy prairies are found ture Conservancy protects and man- a healthy, native plant understory and TO GLOBAL TREASURE here again. Last summer, when Ro- ages lands, and where they’ll designate filter runoff. In Adams County, another State baidek and Karow were collecting their next nature preserves, Miller said. Warmer temperatures are expected Natural Area features one of the pro- seed, they discovered a Karner blue Those tools are helping the DNR to goose the growth of brush and gram’s best examples of landscape-scale butterfly, an endangered species. shift in its new strategic plan from invasive species, limiting oak regen- management. “After all this barrens work, it was trying to keep all State Natural Areas eration and reducing the vigor of na- Quincy Bluff and Wetlands SNA Management strategies pretty rewarding to find it here on the looking like they did prior to Euro- tive plants in the understory. To help is a short detour off Interstate 90 at Quincy Bluff and property,” Robaidek said. American settlement to a more prag- maintain the upland oak communities, near Mauston but feels a world away, Wetlands include At the top of Lone Rock, one of matic goal — “less diorama and more SNA crews conduct regular prescribed down country roads past a smatter- prescribed burns and the property’s sandstone buttes, a dynamic,” the plan’s drafters said. burning and brushing. ing of houses and potato fields. DNR native plant seeding. panoramic 360-degree view showcases “We envision a system of State the variety of habitats, along with the Natural Areas that protects the full crew’s handiwork. For Robaidek and range of Wisconsin’s natural heritage, Karow, what they do here is a labor addresses environmental challenges Karow, who lives 2 miles of love. through stewardship and is valued by away and hunts and hikes “I’m just a small blip in time in the all generations.” the area when he’s not management of this thing,” Robaidek managing the habitat. said. “We’re not going to see the end CLIMATE IMPACTS “You can stand on the JOSH KAROW PHOTOS of this, but we do see the changes we AFFECT PLANNING property and not see anything that is challenge and promise ahead with a are making to the landscape.” Meyer and other conservation bi- man-made except for the fire tower, mix of prescribed burns, brushing, The work will go on long into the ologists and SNA managers are now Wild lupine at Quincy which will be coming down. The selective timber harvests and native future, Karow added. turning the new strategic plan into a Bluff and Wetlands property is 7 miles long and 3 miles plant seeding. Yellow outlines show “We’re painting a 200-year picture boots-on-the-ground implementation offers ideal habitat wide and uninterrupted by roads.” the habitat types Robaidek and Karow here,” he said. “All we can do right guide for managing the system. for the endangered At 6,700 acres, Quincy is the third are aiming for. “Barrens to sand prai- here is the best we can to push this For years, DNR Natural Heritage Karner blue butterfly largest State Natural Area in the state. rie. Oak woodland. Oak to oak-pine to the next level and hope the next Conservation staff have been working and other species. Pieced together by the DNR over the barrens. Old-growth.” people keep pushing it in the same as part of the Wisconsin Initiative on last 30 years, it was crowned in 2013 by Oak savannas, prairies and barrens direction.” Climate Change Impacts to analyze how The Nature Conservancy’s donation are all globally rare, and in Wiscon- climate change will impact State Natural of 1,700 acres and an endowment of sin, less than one-tenth of 1% of the Lisa Gaumnitz is a natural resources educator Areas and Wisconsin’s rare species and $178,000 to care for it, Robaidek said. acreage of these ecosystems present at and program and policy analyst for the DNR. to weigh adaptations. More recently, Quincy’s location yields an amaz- statehood remains. workshops have helped SNA manag- ing diversity of habitats, species and “We’re caring for and restoring MORE ABOUT SNAs ers translate the science into action at JON ROBAIDEK landforms. It is found on the lakebed of ecosystems that are rarer than many specific sites, including Beulah Bog. former Glacial Lake Wisconsin and near you’d see in the Amazon rainforest,” The perils and promise of State Natural SNA crew members Trent Leaf and the ecological tension zone where Wis- Karow said. “People don’t grasp the Areas are evident in Beulah Bog and Mackenzie Manicki and NHC col- SNA crews and consin’s northern mixed forest transitions truly special and incredibly rare nature Quincy Bluff and Wetlands, two SNAs league Amy Staffen teamed with the Kettle Moraine to its southern prairies, with plants and of a place like this.” whose beauty and uniqueness are Northern Institute of Applied Climate Land Trust vol- animals of both intermingling. shown in unprecedented aerial and Science to dig into likely climate unteer stewards When glaciers receded and the ice A SUITE OF ECOSYSTEMS on-the-ground video footage in the changes and potential threats to the will keep a keen dam holding the glacial lake broke Prescribed burning is one good way to new PBS Wisconsin documentary bog and ways to adapt management. eye on invasive some 10,000 years ago, the lake achieve certain management goals for “Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures: Southern Survival of this southern bog will species in an at- drained, leaving a flat, sandy plain Quincy. Vistas.” Guided by DNR conservation depend largely on what happens on tempt to control with scattered sandstone buttes and “We are trying to return fire to biologist Thomas Meyer, the show

surrounding land. There, upland oak them before they JOSH KAROW mesas rising 100 to 200 feet above the where it used to be before settlement,” features 15 State Natural Areas filmed savanna with scattered white and bur get a foothold. DNR conservation biologist Jon Robaidek helps to plain, including the namesake Quincy Robaidek said. “With our having a last summer. Stream it on-demand oaks and an understory of native plants Managers manage Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area Bluff, which extends 2 miles. large site and sole ownership, we can at pbswisconsin.org and on the free vie with non-native buckthorn and won’t be able to near Mauston, where the view from Lone Rock features The sandy soils were poor for grow- return fire to a larger area with mul- PBS app. honeysuckle and are fragmented by counteract all a panorama of the property’s various habitats. ing crops and rich in broken dreams. tiple habitats with one big burn.” Nearly all State Natural Areas are subdivisions flanking Beulah Bog’s climate change The property’s maintenance shed once A section of young sand prairie open to the public to enjoy bird southern border. impacts. Tamaracks here are already regional ecologist Jon Robaidek and housed a private fish farm raising min- shows how the restoration effort can watching, hiking, hunting and fishing. More precipitation is predicted at the southern edge of their range, so conservation biologist Josh Karow are nows. A commercial wild rice operation, have gratifyingly quick results. It was Most are largely undeveloped and do for the future climate here. That increasing temperatures may reduce responsible for this site and 17 others in cranberry bog and practice area for water a fallow farm field until Robaidek and not have restrooms, trails and other raises concerns of increased runoff from their extent in the four kettle bogs. the area. skiers have all come and gone. Karow conducted a prescribed burn facilities like state parks. For details on uplands carrying nutrients and sedi- And the thick layer of peat created “This is an amazing property, A large aerial map inside the main- and seeded the field with 30 species of the program and SNAs statewide, go ment into the bog that could disturb the when the bog plants decompose under the most beautiful in the state,” said tenance shed outlines the restoration native grass and wildflower seed col- to dnr.wi.gov and search “SNA.”

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