Pickerel Lake

State Natural Area (No. 227)

Location: Portage County. T21N-R10E, Section 5-8. 135 acres.

Access: From the intersection of County Highways A, J, and D in the city of Almond in south central Portage County, go east on County D 4.5 miles, then turn north on D 4 miles to an access road which is next to a town hall.

Description: Pickerel Lake is a hard water seepage lake with a fluctuating shoreline and a sand bottom that gently slopes to the center. The water flux has limited the lake’s value as a fishery due to severe winter kills during periods of low water. In summer, oxygen depletion and corresponding fish kills are not uncommon due to dense blooms of algae. While the fluctuating water inhibits the fishery, it provides ideal conditions for some specialized plants by flooding out competing plants and killing trees when water is high and providing habitat when water is low. The lower beach contains mostly mats of needle spike-rush and slender flat sedge. The middle beach has semi-open vegetation with boneset, Kalm’s lobelia, heart’s-ease, silver-weed, common false foxglove, and eastern willow-herb. The surrounding upland is wooded with oaks of varying sizes and ages. Scattered throughout the oaks are small patches with prairie species, indicating this area was once a savanna. Pickerel Lake is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1990.