Coon Fork Barrens

State Natural Area (No. 313)

Location: Eau Claire County. T26N - R5W, Sections 19, 20, 28, 29, 30. 580 acres.

Access: From the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and County Highway G in Augusta, go east on Highway 12 1.6 miles, then northeast on County Highway CF (Coon Fork Road) 4.2 miles to a parking area just past the creek on the north side of the road. Ski/hiking trails traverse the site.

Description: Coon Fork Barrens features an extensive and diverse barrens community of variable composition and structure located between Coon Fork and Pea Creek, two Eau Claire River tributaries. The gently rolling to flat sandy uplands support a barrens which varies from open woodlands with jack pine and oak to open savanna and brush prairie. Jack pine dominates the area with occasional red pine and Hill's, black, white and bur oaks are present mainly as grub trees. Some areas of vegetation are heath-like with species including bracken fern, sweet gale, early low blueberry, American hazelnut, and Pennsylvania sedge. Other patches feature a rich sand prairie and savanna flora including big and little blue-stem, June grass, western sunflower, prairie coreopsis, wild lupine, lance-leaved loosestrife, sky-blue aster, prairie goldenrod, rough blazing-star, and cylindrical blazing-star. Additionally, the rich, moist low terraces and steep slopes along the creeks support species of white and red pine, and red maple. The barrens is critical habitat for the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), which is common throughout the area. Wisconsin supports the largest and most widespread Karner blue butterfly population in the world, a disturbance-dependent species adapted to barrens and other early successional habitats that has been extirpated from much of its historic range. Thus, the protection and management of areas such as Coon Fork Barrens is critical to its continued survival. Coon Fork Barrens is owned by Eau Claire County and was designated a State Natural Area in 1996.