Gardner Swamp Wildlife Area
{{Short description|State Wildlife Area in Door County, Wisconsin}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Gardner Swamp Wildlife Area
| alt_name = Gardner Swamp State Wildlife Area
| iucn_category = V
| iucn_ref = [https://www.protectedplanet.net/44444068 Protected Planet Website]- Retrieved April 13, 2023
| photo =
| photo_alt =
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| photo_width =
| map = Wisconsin#USA
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location within Wisconsin
| map_width =
| location = Door County, Wisconsin
| nearest_city = Sturgeon Bay, WI
| coordinates = {{Coord|44|47|37|N|87|35|31|W|region:US-LA|display=title,inline}}
| area_acre = 1,180
| established = 1980
| visitation_num =
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| governing_body = Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
| url =
}}
The Gardner Swamp Wildlife Area is a {{Convert|1,180|acre}} tract of protected land located in Door County, Wisconsin, managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.[https://www.stateparks.com/gardner_swamp_state_wildlife_area_in_wisconsin.html State Parks Website]- Retrieved 2022-02-28 Land to be used for the Wildlife Area was first acquired in 1958, and the master plan for the Wildlife Area was completed in 1980.[https://widnr.widen.net/s/wvqb2wwnzr/fl_mp_gardnerswampwa_masterplan_1980 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Master Plan]- Retrieved 2022-02-28
Gardner Swamp
The swamp for which the Wildlife Area is named after has several different types of land covering it. Land cover types include Upland Broad-leaved Deciduous Forest, Upland Grass, Open Wetland/Marsh, Shrub Wetland, and the most commonly found, Forested Wetland, which covers {{Convert|442|acre}}, or 38% of the entire Wildlife Area. When the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began to consolidate parcels of the swamp into a , hunters and landowners in the area were supportive of the actions as the area would frequently flood due to beavers constructing dams along the Keyes Creek, a river that bisects the Wildlife Area.[https://widnr.widen.net/s/mqtfbjggjd/fl_mp_el_northernlakemichigancoastal_regionalmasterplan_2018 State Parks Website]- Retrieved 2022-03-01[https://dnr.wi.gov/maps/WM/NER/7520gardnerswamp.pdf WDNR Map]- Retrieved 2022-03-01
Flora and Fauna
The above-mentioned river, Keyes Creek, in addition to bisecting the Wildlife Area, is also classified as a Class II Trout Stream, and is used as a spawning ground for Northern pike and White sucker. In addition to varied species of fish that can be found in Keyes Creek, the Wildlife Area is home to various waterfowl, deer, beaver, woodcock, shorebirds, and the occasional bald eagle.[https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/baldeagle.html WDNR Website on Eagle populations in Wisconsin]- Retrieved 2022-03-01
The Wildlife Area is also home to the critically endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly.[https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Animals.asp?mode=detail&SpecCode=IIODO32110 WDNR Website on Hine's Emerald Dragonfly]- Retrieved 2022-03-01
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://maps.usgs.gov/padus/#share=g-da8d30e9d295d052d1a93f2df3ff3138 U.S. Geological Survey Map] at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- [https://focusonenergy.com/sites/default/files/research/andersonbiodiversity_report.pdf Biodiversity in Selected Natural Communities Related to Global Climate Change Report] at the Focus Energy Website. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
{{Protected areas of Wisconsin}}