State natural areas (SNAs) protect outstanding examples of Wisconsin's native landscape of natural communities, significant geological formations and archeological sites. Encompassing 406,000 acres on lands owned by the state and its many partners, including land trusts, local and county governments, and private citizens, Wisconsin's natural areas are valuable for research and educational use, the preservation of genetic and biological diversity and for providing benchmarks for determining the impact of use on managed lands. They also provide some of the last refuges for rare plants and animals.
Tellock's Hill Woods is an old-growth northern mesic forest on the north-facing slope of a drumlin. The drumlin, a hill with a streamlined ovoid shape formed by advancing glacial ice, has an unusual sandstone core exposed in a deep ravine. Photo by Thomas Meyer.
Photo credit: Wisconsin PBS
“Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures: Southern Vistas", a new hour-long documentary featuring several beautiful and fascinating State Natural Areas is now available to stream on-demand.
Filmed by PBS Wisconsin last summer from the air, land and water, the program showcases SNAs, state parks, wildlife areas, state forests and other natural places in southern Wisconsin. After premiering on PBS stations in March 2021, the program can now be viewed on the free PBS app on phones, tablets, Roku and other streaming devices. Go to the PBS Wisconsin website to watch the program, view a map of the locations featured in the film, and see a gallery of behind-the-scenes photos. You can watch a short trailer here.
Hundreds of hours of amazing aerial panoramas and ground-level video create this memorable 60-minute adventure. Those who watch will be delighted by the striking visual and ecological diversity of our state’s natural landscapes highlighting Wisconsin’s rich natural and scenic heritage. Viewers will travel from limestone bluffs rising high above the Mississippi River to a rare hilltop prairie ablaze with wildflowers in Dane County, to the quartzite cliffs of Devil’s Lake State Park to a southeastern Wisconsin bog alive with carnivorous plants. Along the way, viewers are treated to visual perspectives not often seen, from aerial vistas at the Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area, to up-close scenes of colorful butterflies and flowers at the Pleasant Valley Conservancy State Natural Area.
Featured prominently are 15 state natural areas including Ridgeway Pine Relict, Scuppernong Prairie, Lulu Lake, Quincy Bluff, and Beulah Bog; six state parks including Devil’s Lake and Governor Dodge; and Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area. State natural areas owned by The Prairie Enthusiasts, The Nature Conservancy and Kickapoo Valley Reserve are also among the breathtaking views.