Nelligan Lake

State Natural Area (No. 484)

Location: Within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Oconto County. T32N-R17E, Sections 22-27, 36. 1,500 acres.

Access: The site is located about 7 miles northeast of Mountain and 9 miles southeast of Lakewood on the Marinette County border. Access is via FR 2272 in the west, FR 2327 from the north, and FR 2309 from the south.

Description: Nelligan Lake is characterized by extensive areas of conifer swamp including black spruce swamp, white cedar swamp, black ash swamp, and wet jack pine forest. Embedded within this wetland matrix are igneous outcrop islands covered with northern dry-mesic forest comprised of red oak, aspen, paper birch, and red maple. Pin oak and white oak are also present. In areas of exposed bedrock are acid bedrock glades and shaded and exposed cliffs. The tree dominance changes to white pine, red pine and stunted red oak. Sheer cliff faces of 30 feet are present. From the highest point in the complex, Butler Rock is visible approximately 3 miles southeast. On sandy low ridges are good quality stands of red and white pine with some trees approaching 24 inches in diameter. Of note is an apparent beach ridge around the north shore of Nelligan Lake that supports red and white pine about 5 feet above the water level and separates the lake from the black spruce-tamarack swamp to the north. A wet jack pine forest borders the swamp. The groundlayer is covered with sphagnum, bog sedges, and ericaceous shrubs including leatherleaf, Labrador tea, and bog laurel. At the west end of the complex is clear-water, sandy-bottomed Nelligan Lake, which harbors a fine community of rosette-forming submerged aquatic plants including two species of rare bladderworts. Nelligan Lake is owned by the US Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.