Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow

State Natural Area (No. 85)

Location: Within Buena Vista Wildlife Area, Portage County. T22N-R7E, Section 26 S½SE¼. 80 acres.

Access: From the intersection of State Hwy. 54 and County Hwy. F, west of Plover, go south on County Hwy. F 6 miles, then east on Griffith Avenue 0.75 mile to the southern boundary of the natural area.

Description: The Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow is a part of Buena Vista Marsh, a large outwash plain and former glacial lake bed. The original marsh and tamarack swamp have been altered by land drainage, agricultural use, and wildfires. Much of the topography has been altered by fire and wind erosion, but the depressions still retain some organic matter and support sedges, bulrush, and willow. The remainder of the site is grassland dominated by bluegrass and is managed for prairie chickens. The natural area contains a pesticide and herbicide-free tract, studied extensively by the Hamerstroms in their classic work with prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus), a state threatened species. Because the site has been maintained as an open grassland, several rare and uncommon grassland bird species thrive: grasshopper (Ammodramus savannarum), Henslow's (Ammodramus henslowii), clay-colored, and savannah sparrows; bobolink; meadowlarks; and northern harriers (Circus cyaneus). Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1970.