Northeast Lake

State Natural Area (No. 472)

Location: Within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Bayfield County. T44N-R7W, Sections 23, 25, 26, 27, 35, 36. 833 acres.

Access: The site is located approximately 5 miles northeast of Cable, WI. From Cable, go east on County M 2.5 miles, then north on FR 214 4 miles, then east on FR 373 to the site.

Description: The primary features of this site are the two largely undeveloped lakes and a mosaic of upland northern dry-mesic forest and open bog. Both Northeast Lake and Sugar Bush Lake are soft-water seepage lakes surrounded by peatlands that support numerous rare plants and animals. Extensive emergent aquatics are found in Northeast Lake, which attracts large numbers of ducks and waterfowl. Near the northeast shore of Sugar Bush Lake (Mud Lake) is a diverse, extensive sphagnum-cranberry lawn with numerous sedges, leatherleaf, bog rosemary, grass pink, tawny cotton-grass, creeping snowberry, bog buckbean, pitcher plant, and horned bladderwort. To the south is an alder/tamarack/black spruce swamp with Labrador-tea, three-leaf solomon’s-seal, bunchberry, small green-fringed orchid, and bog birch. Of note are the rare species present including the state-endangered lesser wintergreen, swamp pink, brown beakrush, and bog fritillary butterfly. Other lepidoptera include bog copper, brown elfin, eastern pine elfin, arctic jutta, and hobomok skipper. The uplands are comprised of a dry red oak and white pine forest with canopy trees 28 to 30 inches in diameter. Red pine is also present. Numerous white pine saplings occur in scattered areas. The ground flora includes bracken fern, wild sarsaparilla, Canada mayflower, American starflower, rice grass, blueberries, and Pennsylvania sedge. Birds using the area include bald eagle, common raven, hermit thrush, cedar waxwing, red-eyed vireo, white-breasted nuthatch, red-breasted nuthatch, and eastern wood pewee. Northeast Lake is owned by the US Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.