Bean Lake

State Natural Area (No. 111)

Location: Within Lake Mills Wildlife Area, Jefferson County. T7N-R13E, Section 22. 195 acres.

Access: From the intersection of County Highways B and S west of Lake Mills, proceed south on S, 2.3 miles, then east on Bean Lake Road to a parking lot at the southwest corner of the site. Walk north on the old road and trail, which leads to the lake.

Description: Bean Lake is a 33-acre alkaline seepage lake surrounded by tamarack and shrub swamp. Maximum depth is 6 feet, and the bottom substrate is poorly decomposed brown and black peat. The water is usually turbid and supports algal blooms; yellow pond-lily is the most common macrophyte. Surrounding the lake is a narrow zone of swamp loosestrife with cat-tails, sedges, and soft stem bulrush on the northeast edge. Tamarack and shrub-carr of dogwood, bog birch, poison sumac, and willows surround the lake and encompass the entire area to the edge of Rock Lake. Along the northeast edge of the lake are two small upland islands forested with deciduous hardwoods. Within the swamp surrounding the lake there are few characteristic bog species. Bird species nesting within the natural area include green-backed herons, wood duck, mallard, blue-winged teal, sandhill crane, great horned owl, and long-eared owl. Bean Lake is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1973.