The Swan Lake Wildlife Area is a tract of protected land located in Columbia County, Wisconsin, managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR).WDNR Website- Retrieved 2022-03-07 Land to be used for the wildlife area was first acquired in 1963 to provide for hunting and other outdoor recreational activities in the county. In addition to outdoor recreation activities, the wildlife area was established to protect the Fox River watershed.State Parks Website- Retrieved 2022-03-02
Swan Lake The lake for which the wildlife area is named after has an area of and has a maximum depth of with an average depth of . The Lake is made up of 55% muck, 30% sand and 15% gravel. There is a single boat jetty that provides boating access to the Lake.WDNR Swan Lake Website- Retrieved 2022-03-07
There are five different invasive species present in the Lake; the curly-leaf pondweed, eurasian water-milfoil, Japanese knotweed, purple loosestrife and zebra mussel. In addition to these invasive plants and animals, while not invasive, the Lake and surrounding Wildlife Area are dominated by large swathes of cattail marshes.Wisconsin Wetlands Association Invasive Plant Profile Website- Retrieved 2022-03-07
There are ten different types of cover in the wildlife area, including aspen, bottomland hardwood, developed, grassland, marsh, oak, shrub wetland, tamarack, upland coniferMinnesota State DNR Forest-Upland Coniferous Classifications PDF- Retrieved 2022-03-08 and the most common, Emergent Wetland.Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States PDF from Federal Geographic Data Committee-Retrieved 2022-03-08United States Environmental Protection Agency Classification and Types of Wetlands PDF- Retrieved 2022-03-08
+ Cover type acreage Cover type Acres Percentage cover Aspen 150 6% Bottomland hardwood 50 2% Developed 4 <1% Emergent wetland 1,227 50% Grassland 90 4% Marsh 500 20% Oak 190 7% Shrub wetland 230 9% Tamarack 20 1% Upland conifer 5 <1% Total acreage 2,466 100%
Flora and fauna There are several different types of trees residing in the wildlife area, the most prominent being oak, maple, hemlock, and red pine. In addition to the varied flora, in both Swan Lake and the surrounding marshland, musky, Northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye and northern pike are commonly found. Besides sea dwelling fauna, black tern, turkey and shorebirds have been known to frequent the area.
Other flora besides trees include bur-reed, common reed grass, various bulrush, pickerel-weed and wild rice.Columbia County Master Plan WDNR PDF- Retrieved 2022-03-08
See also Porcupine Lake Wilderness
References
External links U.S. Geological Survey Map at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved March 7, 2022.