Chiwaukee Prairie

State Natural Area (No. 54)

Location: Kenosha County. T1N-R23E, Sections 7, 8, 17-20, 29-32. 410 acres.

Access: The natural area consists of two parts, separated by 116th Street. The southern portion (managed by The Nature Conservancy) is a large, contiguous prairie area; the northern part (managed by the DNR) consists of prairie fragmented by roads and scattered homes. Southern access: from the junction of State Highways 165 and 32 south of Kenosha, go south on 32 1 mile, then east on 116th Street 0.7 mile, then south on 1st Court 0.3 miles, then west on 121st Street 1 block, then north on 2nd Avenue to 119th Street and a parking lot. The northern portion is reached via the network of roads between 116th Street and 85th Street. The Kenosha Dunes unit is located north of 85th Street. State Natural Area signs mark the boundary of DNR-owned parcels.

Description: Chiwaukee Prairie is situated on gently undulating ridge and swale topography created when the level of glacial Lake Michigan was lowered in stages. It is one of the largest prairie complexes in the state and the most intact coastal wetland in southeastern Wisconsin. The prairie contains an exceptional diversity of plants and animals -- more than 400 species of vascular plants have been found here. The natural area features a mosaic of plant communities, ranging from southern sedge meadow, wet prairie, and wet-mesic prairie in the low areas, to dry-mesic prairie on the slightly elevated sandy ridges. Portions of the site are classified as calcareous fen, inhabited by calcium-loving plants. Oak opening dominated by bur and black oaks occupies higher, drier ground along the southern and western parts of the preserve. The northernmost portion, Kenosha Dunes, contains open and stabilized sand dunes. This variety of habitats, coupled with their location in the extreme southeastern corner of the state, allows several rare and geographically restricted plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds, invertebrates, and mammals to thrive here. Twenty-six rare plant species, 10 of which are listed as endangered or threatened grow in the prairie. Rare plants include smooth phlox (Phlox glaberrima ssp. interior), ohio goldenrod (Solidago ohiensis), and marsh blazing star (Liatris spicata). Rare animals include Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), silphium borer moth (Papaipema silphii), and Franklin's ground squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii). More than 75 species of grassland and wetland birds have been observed during the breeding season. Chiwaukee Prairie is a cooperative project of the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, UW-Parkside, and the DNR. The area was subdivided into hundreds of small residential lots many years ago, making land acquisition a challenge. Chiwaukee Prairie is recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 1967.