Fountain Creek Wet Prairie

State Natural Area (No. 100)

Location: Within the Grand River Marsh Wildlife Area, Green Lake County. T14N-R11E, Section 8 and 17. 252 acres.

Access: From the intersection of Highways 44 and B in Kingston, go west on County B 4.1 miles, then north on an access road 0.1 mile to a parking lot. Walk east or west into the natural area. The site is also accessible by canoe from the Highway B bridge 0.3 mile west of the access road.

Description: Fountain Creek Wet Prairie is a large wet, low prairie situated in the basin of the Grand River Marsh. The wet prairie, a rare community type in Wisconsin, is characterized prairie cord grass, bottle gentian, blue-joint grass, Kalm's brome, mountain mint, prairie blazing-star, marsh fern, and Michigan lily. Higher areas contain prairie drop-seed, marsh muhly, big and little blue-stem, and characteristic fen species such as shrubby cinquefoil, marsh fern, and boneset. Some of the more showy forbs include turtlehead, New England aster, sneezeweed, phlox, wood lily, and the state-threatened false asphodel (Tofieldia glutinosa). Because the area is located within the Grand River Marsh Wildlife Area, it is used by a large number of geese, sandhill cranes, great blue herons, northern harrier, and bobolink. The wet prairie soils are easily compacted and vegetation fragile - please walk softly. Fountain Creek Wet Prairie is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1972.