Wisconsin State Natural Area #2
Jim Reinartz, FOCB President
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Wisconsin State Natural Areas program. With the encouragement of Aldo Leopold, Wisconsin’s most famous conservationist, and his contemporary, State Parks Director C. L. Harrington (Harrington Beach is his namesake) the Wisconsin Legislature created what was initially called the State Scientific Areas Program in November 1951. The program was designed to protect the best examples of Wisconsin’s native “natural communities” – distinct groupings of plants, animals, soils, geology and climate that include different types of grasslands, wetlands and forests (https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/118026).
The State Natural Areas program protects the best remaining examples of pre-settlement Wisconsin – the rarest plants, animals, and landscapes of the state. Leopold and Harrington designed the program because they wanted to safeguard two specific areas – Parfrey’s Glen, near Baraboo, and the Cedarburg Bog. In 1952, the Cedarburg Bog became State Natural Area #2. The Bog was given additional national recognition in 1973, when it was registered as a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. There are only 18 sites designated as National Natural Landmarks in Wisconsin.
The Conservation Commission of the State of Wisconsin, predecessor to the Department of Natural Resources, made its first purchase of land in the Bog in 1946. At that time the Bog was already well-known to naturalists such as the Milwaukee Public Museum Curator of Botany and orchid expert, Albert Fuller. Much of his research on Wisconsin’s native orchids was conducted at the Bog.
There are now 698 State Natural Areas in Wisconsin, each with a management plan designed to protect its biological diversity. In Wisconsin there are over 230 plant and animal species listed as endangered or threatened. More than 90% of the listed plant species and 75% of the listed animal species are currently protected in state natural areas.
Most of the 2,200-acre Cedarburg Bog is owned by the Wisconsin DNR and about 90 acres is owned by the University of Wisconsin. The Friends of the Cedarburg Bog is the first “Friends” group formed to support a State Natural Area. Your support allows us to continue to work to protect this wetland gem from invasive species and showcase the unique plants and animals that call it home.
