Rapid Ecological Assessment for Driftless Area Study Streams A Rapid Ecological Assessment Focusing on Rare Plants, Selected Rare Animals, and High-quality Natural Communities Properties included in this report are listed on the next two pages Wisconsin’s Natural Heritage Inventory Program Bureau of Endangered Resources Department of Natural Resources June 2012 P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707 PUB-ER-836 2012 Properties included in this report, grouped by county: Chippewa ▪ Elk Creek Fishery Area Jackson ▪ Sand Creek Fishery Area ▪ Albion Rearing Station ▪ Beaver Creek Rearing Station Crawford ▪ Buffalo River Fishery Area ▪ Gordon's Bay Landing Public Access ▪ Buffalo River Trail Prairies SNA ▪ La Crosse Area Comprehensive Fishery ▪ Half Moon Bottoms SNA Area ▪ Half Moon Lake Fishery Area/Statewide ▪ Statewide Public Access Habitat Areas ▪ Stream Bank Protection Fee Program ▪ Halls (Stockwell) Creek Fishery Area ▪ Rush Creek SNA (FM-owned parcels) ▪ North Branch Trempealeau River Fishery Area Dane ▪ REM-So Branch Trempealeau River ▪ Black Earth Creek Fishery Area ▪ REM-Washington Coulee ▪ Mount Vernon Creek Fishery Area ▪ Sand Creek Streambank Protection ▪ REM-Elvers Creek Area ▪ Stream Bank Protection Fee Program ▪ Smith Pond Fishery Area ▪ Stream Bank Protection Fee Program Dunn ▪ Tank Creek Fishery Area ▪ Bolen Creek Fishery Area ▪ Trump Coulee Rearing Station ▪ Lake Menomin Fishery Area ▪ REM-Elk Creek La Crosse ▪ REM-Gilbert Creek ▪ Statewide Habitat Areas ▪ REM-Otter Creek ▪ Coon Creek Fishery Area ▪ REM-Tainter Lake Spawning Marsh ▪ La Crosse Area Comprehensive Fishery ▪ REM-Wilson Creek Area Eau Claire Monroe ▪ REM-Clear Creek ▪ Big Creek Fishery Area ▪ Statewide Habitat Areas ▪ Coon Creek Fishery Area ▪ Stream Bank Protection Fee Program ▪ Eureka Maple Woods SNA ▪ La Crosse Area Comprehensive Fishery Grant Area ▪ Mount Hope Rearing Station ▪ La Crosse River Fishery Area ▪ REM-Big Green River ▪ Pinnacle Rock Rearing Station ▪ REM-Blue River ▪ Portland Maples SNA ▪ REM-Castle Rock Creek ▪ REM-Rathbone Creek ▪ REM-Little Platte River ▪ Sand Creek Pines SNA ▪ Snow Bottom SNA ▪ Sand Creek Streambank Protection Area Iowa ▪ REM-Big Spring Creek Pierce ▪ REM-Conley Smith Creek ▪ Rush River Delta SNA ▪ REM-Love Creek ▪ Statewide Habitat Areas ▪ REM-Pompey Pillar Creek ▪ Statewide Habitat Areas ▪ Stream Bank Protection Fee Program ▪ Trout Creek Fishery Area Continued on next page 2 Rapid Ecological Assessment Richland ▪ Bear Creek Fishery Area ▪ Pine River System Fishery Area ▪ REM-Ash Creek ▪ REM-Camp Creek ▪ REM-Elk Creek ▪ REM-Hansell Creek ▪ REM-Knapp Creek ▪ REM-Milancthon Creek ▪ REM-Mill Creek ▪ REM-Pine River ▪ Sabin Springs Fishery Area ▪ Statewide Public Access ▪ Willow Creek Fishery Area Sauk ▪ Bear Creek Fishery Area ▪ Bear Creek Sedge Meadow SNA ▪ Hulbert Creek Fishery Area ▪ Hulbert Creek Woods SNA ▪ REM-Baraboo River ▪ Statewide Habitat Areas Trempealeau ▪ Buffalo River Fishery Area ▪ Buffalo River Trail Prairies SNA ▪ REM-Buffalo River ▪ REM-Pine Creek ▪ Trempealeau Lakes Fishery Area Vernon ▪ Coon Creek Fishery Area ▪ La Crosse Area Comprehensive Fishery Area ▪ REM-Bishop Branch Creek ▪ REM-Maple Dale Creek ▪ REM-Rainbow Springs ▪ REM-West Fork Kickapoo River ▪ Statewide Habitat Areas Driftless Area Study Streams 3 Acknowledgments We extend our appreciation to the following for their support and assistance: the Ecosystem Management Planning Team, Kate Fitzgerald, Diane Brusoe, Ann Runyard, Rebecca Schroeder, John Pohlman, Paul Cunningham, and the 26 property managers. Funding for this project was provided by the Bureau of Fisheries Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sportfish Restoration Program, and the Endangered Resources Fund. Primary Authors: Terrell Hyde and Amy Staffen Contributors: • Julie Bleser – data management • Bob Hay – herptile surveys • Dawn Hinebaugh – report maps and editing • Randy Hoffman – ecology, State Natural Areas • Terrell Hyde – data processing • Christina Isenring – inventory coordination • Kathy Kirk – lepidoptera surveys • Ryan O’Connor – rare plant and natural community surveys, data processing • Gary Emerson, A. Ludvig, Paul White, T. Brandt, Heather Kaarakka – bat surveys • Elizabeth Slivinski – report maps • William A. Smith – zoology • Amy Staffen – breeding bird and natural community surveys, data processing • Rich Staffen – breeding bird surveys, herptile surveys, data processing, inventory coordination • Kurt Schmude – aquatic invertebrate surveys • Ryan Stephens – small mammal surveys • James Theler – land snail surveys Cover Photos: Top four pictures depicting natural communities: • Upper left: Pine Relict and Dry Cliff at Snow Bottom SNA, by Ryan O'Connor • Upper right: Floodplain Forest at Rush River Delta SNA, by Richard Staffen • Lower left: Southern Mesic Forest at Tainter Creek Fishery Area, by Ryan O'Connor • Lower right: Bear Creek Fishery Area, WDNR staff. Lower line of pictures depicting plants and animals, left to right: • Giant water-leaf (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum) at Eureka Maple Woods SNA, by Ryan O'Connor • Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer), by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • Cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea), by Dennis Malueg • Broad-banded forest snail (Allogona profunda), by Armund Bartz • Pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris) at Big Spring, by Richard Staffen • Northern wild monkshood (Aconitum novaboracense), by Darcy Kind 4 Rapid Ecological Assessment Table of Contents Acknowledgments......................................................................................................... 4 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. 5 List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. 6 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... 6 Appendices ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 10 Purpose and Objectives.................................................................................................................. 10 Overview of Methods .................................................................................................................... 10 Background on Past Efforts ........................................................................................................... 16 Special Management Designations ................................................................................................ 18 Public Lands .................................................................................................................................. 20 Regional Ecological Context ...................................................................................... 21 “Southwest Savanna” and “Western Coulee & Ridges” Ecological Landscapes.......................... 21 Regional Biodiversity Needs and Opportunities ........................................................................... 22 Rare Species of the Southwest Savanna and Western Coulee & Ridges Ecological Landscape .. 23 Description of the Study Area .................................................................................... 25 Location and Size .......................................................................................................................... 25 Ecoregion ....................................................................................................................................... 25 Physical Environment .................................................................................................................... 29 Vegetation ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Rare Species and High Quality Natural Communities .................................................................. 42 Management Opportunities and Considerations for Biodiversity Conservation ... 50 Landscape Level Opportunities and Considerations ..................................................................... 50 Community Level Opportunities and Considerations ................................................................... 60 Species or Taxa Level Opportunities and Considerations ............................................................. 64 Primary Sites: Site-specific Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation .................................... 74 Future Needs ............................................................................................................... 77 Glossary ....................................................................................................................... 78 Species List ................................................................................................................. 79 Reference List ............................................................................................................. 83 Additional Resources ................................................................................................. 87 Driftless Area Study Streams 5 List of Figures Figure 1. Location of Driftless Area Study Streams Study Area ..............................................................