WisconsinGoose Lake Wildlife and Natural Area - Project # 279https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/WildlifeAreas/goose.html The Wisconsin Conservation Department recognized the Goose Lake Area as productive wildlife habitat, especially for ducks, pheasants and deer and proposed this property as a state wildlife area in February, 1962. The Dane County Conservation League donated the first tract of land for the wildlife area, 11 acres, in August, 1962. Within Goose Lake Wildlife Area lies Goose Lake Drumlins State Natural Area. A remnant of the wetland-drumlin complex left by the receding Wisconsin glacier, the area is a forested complex with tamarack and mixed deciduous forest on adjacent drumlins. Numerous waterfowl use the area including sandhill crane, lesser scaup, blue-winged teal and wood duck. Other animals include otter, mink and muskrat. Rare plants include swamp agrimony, tufted bulrush and two orchids. Goose Lake Drumlins is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2002. Management objective -Today, prescribed burning and chemical and mechanical brush control are techniques used to maintain open grasslands. Occasional timber harvests are conducted to maintain and enhance the oak/hickory woodlands. Timber sales have taken place periodically on the uplands for wildlife habitat management and harvest of forest products. Mount Hope Recreation Area - Project #234This multi-faceted project involves red oak direct seeding, black walnut tree planting, and release of natural oak regeneration at the Mt. Hope Recreation Area in Grant County, Wisconsin. The forester planted 16,000 red oak acorns, 1600 walnut seedlings, and released 3250 red oak, white oak, and black cherry seedlings. In June 2011 the project manager reported that the walnut trees average 2 feet in height but some are taller than 3 feet. The oaks and the cherry trees in the release site are still only about one and one half ft tall on average. In the oak direct seeding area, the seedlings were already six inches high before the spring flush, and the planted oaks are averaging 18 inches tall. On the release site, there is an average of more than three thousand seedlings per acre. Burdock and eastern tent caterpillar are an issue on the property this year. The direct seeding site did not result in as many seedlings as the forester had hoped, so she planted additional red oak seedlings this spring.
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