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American wigeon. (Refuge Reporter) |
Like many other national wildlife refuges, Necedah NWR in central Wisconsin was established in part to provide protected habitat for migratory waterfowl.
In fact, for a short while after establishment in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was called the Necedah Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. It was not surprising, therefore, that during the 1960s refuge management was engaged in prairie restoration to improve waterfowl nesting opportunities. Making 10,000 acres of treeless uplands required burning, spraying, and killing thousands of oaks and other trees. But there was a catch. Trees kept coming back. Why? Because it was not prairie that was being restored. The refuge was in an oak-barrens habitat.
The learning from that mistake is invaluable to us now, says refuge manager Larry Wargowsky. Oak-barrens restoration has become a key management objective and wildlife response promises to be striking. The refuge already has the distinction of supporting the world's largest population of endangered Karner blue butterflies, a barrens-loving insect.
Melting glaciers left ridges of well-drained sands amidst extensive wetlands in this part of Wisconsin. The scattered oaks and pines that grew in the sand were kept in a shrubby form by the frequent lightning-caused wildfires that were fanned by the prevailing northwesterly winds. The forbs, grasses, and blueberry bushes that filled in and covered the surface were grazed and browsed by once plentiful bison and elk.
Settlement of the area by Europeans in the early 1900s brought with it radical change to the landscape. Bison and elk populations were nearly erased by uncontrolled hunting and wildfires were aggressively extinguished. With grazing nearly gone and fires quickly controlled, the oaks and pines grew larger and more numerous, shading out the forbs and grasses. The oak savannas, or barrens as they are misleadingly called, were no longer recognizable. The diversity of birds declined and the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly lost valuable habitat.
In 1992, refuge personnel realizing the presence of barrens type habitat began a 20-year program of restoring nearly 3,000 acres. The program requires choosing trees that are selectively cut to open the forest canopy and stimulate grass growth. The grass is burned periodically, emulating the natural fires that would set back the growth of woody plants. Experts report that currently only 5,000 acres remain of the historic 4 million acres of oak barrens in Wisconsin.
The barrens are anything but barren because the shrubby trees interspersed with open grassy areas are host to over 100 species of nesting birds and rare species that include the massasauga rattlesnake, phlox moth, and Blandings turtle as well as the Karner blue butterfly. The larvae of the Karner butterflies feed exclusively on wild lupine, a beautiful blue wildflower that grows abundantly in the dry soil of the barrens. The adults feed on the nectar of lupine as well as on the other wildflowers in the refuge.
Although the refuge is suitable massasauga rattlesnake habitat, none is presently found there, a grim reminder of the snake's status and the reason for its consideration as a federally threatened species. Over 220 bird species have been recorded on the entire refuge. Migrating ducks and geese peak in early October and sandhill cranes peak in early November. Nesting birds include black terns, woodcock, ruffed grouse, sandhill crane, and snipe. The first nesting of trumpeter swans occurred in 1996 and the fledging of 2 eaglets in 1996 was the first in 25 years.
Water levels in the several refuge impoundments are manipulated to provide feeding areas and appropriate depths for waterfowl and marsh and shorebirds.
White-tailed deer are numerous and black bears are spotted occasionally. Northen pike and bullheads are the most common refuge fish.
Instead of an auto tour route, Necedah NWR has designated six sites as viewing hotspots on the refuge with a brochure showing their locations and how to get to them. Several foot trails have been developed including two where restored barrens can be observed. Viewing sites include an excellent blind and several observation platforms. Flights of Karner blue butterflies are best seen in mid-July to the first week in August. The refuge also permits the picking of wild blueberries between July 1 and August 15.
A 90-mile area adjacent to the west boundary of the refuge is owned by the federal government and leased to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for wildlife management. The Meadow Valley Wildlife Area is open for a number of public uses including primitive camping and was obtained at the same time as the refuge under federal relief programs involving the purchase of abandoned and tax-delinquent private farms.
If money were available, up to 18,000 acres adjacent to the east side of the refuge would be purchased from willing sellers. The approved Yellow River addition contains an unusual number of species that have all but disappeared from the rest of the state, but development pressures are serious threats to its relatively undisturbed state.
Cranberry farming especially is a major Wisconsin industry that continues to create huge new beds that are flooded so the berries can be floated to the surface for harvesting, posing a contamination threat to area waters and potential competition for water in the refuge. The demand for cranberry production has raised area land values making proposed refuge acquisitions that much more difficult.
Surveys of the Yellow River addition by the refuge staff identified 20 amphibian and reptile species including both Blanding's turtle and the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake. Two new Karner blue butterfly populations were discovered and 48 bird species were recorded with song sparrows, red-eyed vireos, and common yellow-throats being the most frequently detected.
Both the Little Yellow River, which drains the refuge, and the Yellow River flow into the Wisconsin River just south of the refuge. The yellowish color in the waterways attributed to area minerals and rocks is thought to be the derivation for the name Necedah, a word from the Winnebago tribal language meaning "land of yellow waters."
Whether the refuge expands to include the unique Yellow River addition is uncertain, but what is certain is that Necedah NWR will play an increasingly important role in wildlife conservation as a remaining small part of the unusual oak barren ecosystem.
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