Wolf River/Green Bay Habitat Preservation
Status: Ongoing Location: Wolf River Basin, Door County, and the West Shore of Green Bay, Wisconsin Description: The Wisconsin DNR has numerous project boundaries established for the purpose of protecting, preserving and enhancing the unique and threatened habitat of fisheries and wildlife resources within the restoration area of the Lower Fox River/Green Bay project area. These areas include the Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area, the Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resource Area, and the Washington Island Wetlands. The DNR has been working cooperatively with The Nature Conservancy, the Coastal Zone Management Program, and county agencies to identify and protect these state natural areas. Benefits: Bottomland hardwood forests are unique for their yearly flood absorption and recycling of nutrients. They offer opportunities for waterfowl for breeding as well as migrant corridors. The area would protect remaining remnants of marsh habitat for walleye rearing and spawning and may offer some opportunity for restoration of spawning sites for sturgeon. Washington Island Wetlands, including the Big and Little Marsh area, ranked eighth in importance of all Lake Michigan Coastal Wetlands (DNR's Natural Heritage Inventory 2001 report). They feature a lowland conifer swamp dominated by white cedar with balsam fir and tamarack, a large emergent aquatic marsh and a boreal rich fen. Sixteen rare plants and 11 species of endangered, threatened or special concern birds are found in the local area. The function of many wetlands located on the western shore of Green Bay have already been lost, and habitat loss continues at an accelerating rate. The west shore provides spawning and rearing habitat for almost all fish in Green Bay that need wetlands for spawning and rearing. These wetlands also provide flow regulation and nutrient absorption that benefits the Green Bay fishery and aquatic ecosystem. Restoration Goal(s):Mike Penning
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Last Revised: Tuesday March 01 2005
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