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Northeast Sands Ecological Landscape
Download the Northeast Sands chapter [PDF] of the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin. This chapter provides a detailed assessment of the ecological and socioeconomic conditions for the Northeast Sands. It also identifies important planning and management considerations and suggests management opportunities that are compatible with the ecology of the landscape. The tabs below provide additional information.
Landscape at a Glance
Please note that each of these topics is covered in much more detail in the Northeast Sands chapter [PDF].
Physical & Biotic Environment | Socioeconomic Conditions | Considerations for Planning & Management
| Physical & Biotic Environment | |
|---|---|
|
Size |
1,542 square miles (987,176 acres), representing 2.8% of the land area of the state, making it the fifth smallest Ecological Landscape in the state. |
|
Climate |
The short growing season (122 days) is similar to other northern Ecological Landscapes and limits yield potential for row crop agriculture. January minimum temperatures average higher than other northern Ecological Landscapes. The average August maximum temperature (78.8o) is the third coolest of any other Ecological Landscape in the state. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Bedrock |
Precambrian bedrock of volcanic and metamorphic origin, formed during the Lower Proterozoic (roughly 2,500 to 1,050 million years ago) almost completely underlies the Northeast Sands. The northern part of the Ecological Landscape is notable for its many waterfalls, almost all of which are associated with this ancient bedrock. Cambrian sandstone, with some dolomite and shale, underlies a small area along the eastern edge of the Ecological Landscape. In some places, glacial deposits are thin enough that bedrock directly affects vegetation, and is sometimes exposed at the surface. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Geology & Landforms |
The Green Bay Lobe covered this Ecological Landscape during the last part of the Wisconsin Glaciation. As the Green Bay Lobe melted and retreated eastward, outwash was deposited over lower-lying surface features, so the Ecological Landscape now appears as a nearly level to rolling sandy outwash plain, pitted in places, with sandy heads-of-outwash and loamy moraines protruding through the outwash sediment. Heads-of-outwash, uncommon in most of Wisconsin, are a distinctive glacial feature here. A series of north-south trending morainal and head-of-outwash hills runs the length of the west side of this Ecological Landscape. They are oriented in roughly parallel positions, marking the outer extent of Green Bay Lobe deposits in northeastern Wisconsin. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Soils |
Most upland soils formed in acid outwash sand on outwash plains or outwash heads. The dominant soil is excessively drained and sandy with a loamy sand surface, rapid permeability, and very low available water capacity. More than half the land surface is made up of outwash sand and gravel. Glacial till deposits here have pH values that are neutral to calcareous, unlike the acid tills of most of northern Wisconsin, because dolomite was incorporated into the till as glaciers passed over the Niagara Escarpment. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Hydrology |
Rivers and streams include the Menominee, Peshtigo, Pike, Pine, Oconto, South Branch of the Oconto, and Wolf rivers. Scattered lakes are present, with local concentrations of small lakes in the far north, far south, and the northeast. Several large impoundments have been constructed, such as those on the Menominee and Peshtigo rivers. Hwy 64 bisects the Brazeau Swamp, one of Wisconsin's largest cedar swamps, disrupting its hydrology and altering composition and function. A large portion of this swamp was cleared and drained and is now a "muck farm" used to grow vegetables. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Current Landcover |
Forests cover about 75% of this Ecological Landscape. Aspen is the most abundant cover type, and dry forests dominated by scrub-oak and jack pine are common. Plantation-grown pine, hemlock-hardwoods and northern hardwoods are also among the important upland cover types. Common lowland communities include wet-mesic forests dominated by northern white cedar, black spruce-tamarack swamps, and alder-dominated shrub swamps. Agriculture (only 7% of the area) is concentrated mostly in the southeastern and northernmost portions of the Ecological Landscape. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Socioeconomic Conditions
(based on data from Florence, Marinette, Oconto and Menominee counties) |
|
|---|---|
|
Population |
89,421, 1.6% of the state total |
|
Population Density |
27 persons/ sq. mile |
|
Per Capita Income |
$27,677 |
|
Important Economic Sectors |
These include government (16.5%); manufacturing (non-wood) (16.1%); tourism-related (11.8%); and health care and social services (9.6%) sectors in 2007. Forestry has the largest overall impact on the natural resources of the Ecological Landscape. |
|
Public Ownership |
Notable properties include the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Peshtigo River State Forest, Governor Tommy Thompson State Park, Peshtigo Brook State Wildlife Area, the Pine-Popple Wild Rivers, the Menominee River Natural Resources Area, and scattered State Natural Areas, including Dunbar Barrens and Spread Eagle Barrens. Lands owned and managed by Florence, Marinette, and Oconto counties comprise over two-thirds of the public acreage, mostly as county forests, but including several small areas managed as county parks. A map showing public land ownership (county, state, and federal) and private lands enrolled in the Forest Tax Programs in this Ecological Landscape can be found at the end of this chapter. |
|
Other Notable Ownerships |
The eastern part of the Menominee Reservation is in the Northeast Sands. Several Land Trusts are situated and have active projects in this part of Wisconsin. |
| Considerations for Planning & Management | |
|---|---|
Public lands are extensive, and there are significant tribal holdings in the southern part of the Northeast Sands. As in other parts of Wisconsin, high populations of white-tailed deer continue to have significant negative impacts on important forest dominants such as northern white cedar and eastern hemlock, as well as on understory composition and structure. Hydrologic modifications include large dams on several of the major rivers, including the Menominee, Peshtigo, and Pine. Shoreline development, especially along rivers and streams, is a significant concern and is likely to increase in the future. Several invasive species are established here, and others are likely to appear in the near future. There is currently a shortage of older forest and large forest patches; these issues could be addressed during the public lands planning process. Prescribed fire is a potentially important management tool at many locations in this Ecological Landscape. Jack pine, scrub oak, and aspen are all well-represented and important tree species to manage here. Learn more about management opportunities from the chapter [PDF] |
Species
Species of Greatest Conservation Need
The following species are listed according to their probability of occurring in the Northeast Sands Ecological Landscape, based on the findings in Wisconsin's 2015 Wildlife Action Plan.
See the key to association scores [PDF] for complete definitions.
(Please see also the Significant Flora [PDF] and the Significant Wildlife [PDF] sections in the Northeast Sands chapter).
| Amphibians | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-toed Salamander | Hemidactylium scutatum | 2 |
| Pickerel Frog | Lithobates palustris | 1 |
| Mink Frog | Lithobates septentrionalis | 3 |
| Ants, wasps, and bees | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow Bumble Bee | Bombus fervidus | 1 |
| Confusing Bumble Bee | Bombus perplexus | 1 |
| Yellowbanded Bumble Bee | Bombus terricola | 1 |
| Aquatic and terrestrial snails | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cherrystone Drop | Hendersonia occulta | 1 |
| Appalachian Pillar | Cochlicopa morseana | 1 |
| Deep-throated Vertigo | Vertigo nylanderi | 1 |
| Eastern Flat-whorl | Planogyra asteriscus | 2 |
| Sculpted Glyph | Glyphyalinia rhoadsi | 1 |
| Bright Glyph | Glyphyalinia wheatleyi | 1 |
| Dentate Supercoil | Paravitrea multidentata | 1 |
| Ribbed Striate | Striatura exigua | 1 |
| Beetles | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle | Cicindela hirticollis hirticollis | 1 |
| Sandy Stream Tiger Beetle | Ellipsoptera macra | 1 |
| Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle | Cicindela patruela patruela | 3 |
| Ghost Tiger Beetle | Ellipsoptera lepida | 2 |
| A Predaceous Diving Beetle | Hygrotus compar | 3 |
| A Predaceous Diving Beetle | Agabus immaturus | 3 |
| A Predaceous Diving Beetle | Agabus leptapsis | 3 |
| A Predaceous Diving Beetle | Agabus discolor | 3 |
| A Predaceous Diving Beetle | Ilybius opacus | 3 |
| A Minute Moss Beetle | Hydraena angulicollis | 1 |
| A Water Scavenger Beetle | Agabetes acuductus | 3 |
| A Pear-shaped Weevil | Sayapion segnipes | 1 |
| A Leaf Beetle | Distigmoptera impennata | 1 |
| A Straight-snouted Weevil | Eutrichapion huron | 1 |
| A Leaf Beetle | Pachybrachis luridus | 1 |
| Birds | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | 2 |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | 1 |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | 2 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | 2 |
| Spruce Grouse | Falcipennis canadensis | 1 |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Tympanuchus phasianellus | 2 |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | 2 |
| American Woodcock | Scolopax minor | 3 |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger | 1 |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | 3 |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | Antrostomus vociferus | 3 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Melanerpes erythrocephalus | 3 |
| Black-backed Woodpecker | Picoides arcticus | 1 |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | 1 |
| Least Flycatcher | Empidonax minimus | 3 |
| Boreal Chickadee | Poecile hudsonicus | 1 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | 1 |
| Golden-winged Warbler | Vermivora chrysoptera | 3 |
| Kirtland's Warbler | Setophaga kirtlandii | 1 |
| Dickcissel | Spiza americana | 1 |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | 3 |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | 2 |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum | 3 |
| Henslow's Sparrow | Ammodramus henslowii | 1 |
| Bobolink | Dolichonyx oryzivorus | 3 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | 1 |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | 1 |
| Rusty Blackbird | Euphagus carolinus | 2 |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | 1 |
| Evening Grosbeak | Coccothraustes vespertinus | 1 |
| Butterflies and moths | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Persius Dusky Wing | Erynnis persius | 1 |
| Cobweb Skipper | Hesperia metea | 2 |
| Dusted Skipper | Atrytonopsis hianna | 2 |
| West Virginia White | Pieris virginiensis | 1 |
| Northern Blue | Lycaeides idas | 3 |
| Karner Blue | Lycaeides melissa samuelis | 1 |
| Gorgone Checker Spot | Chlosyne gorgone | 1 |
| Chryxus Arctic | Oeneis chryxus | 3 |
| Owl-eyed Bird Dropping Moth | Cerma cora | 1 |
| Doll's Merolonche | Acronicta dolli | 1 |
| Phlox Moth | Schinia indiana | 2 |
| Caddisflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Humpless Casemaker Caddisfly | Brachycentrus lateralis | 3 |
| A Fingernet Caddisfly | Wormaldia moesta | 3 |
| Dragonflies and damselflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Delta-spotted Spiketail | Cordulegaster diastatops | 3 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Gomphus graslinellus | 1 |
| Extra-striped Snaketail | Ophiogomphus anomalus | 1 |
| St. Croix Snaketail | Ophiogomphus susbehcha | 1 |
| Sioux (Sand) Snaketail | Ophiogomphus smithi | 1 |
| Mottled Darner | Aeshna clepsydra | 1 |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 1 |
| Zigzag Darner | Aeshna sitchensis | 1 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 1 |
| Lake Emerald | Somatochlora cingulata | 1 |
| Plains Emerald | Somatochlora ensigera | 3 |
| Forcipate Emerald | Somatochlora forcipata | 3 |
| Incurvate Emerald | Somatochlora incurvata | 1 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 3 |
| Sphagnum Sprite | Nehalennia gracilis | 1 |
| Fishes | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Sturgeon | Acipenser fulvescens | 3 |
| Lake Chubsucker | Erimyzon sucetta | 1 |
| River Redhorse | Moxostoma carinatum | 1 |
| Least Darter | Etheostoma microperca | 2 |
| Grasshoppers and allies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Grizzly Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus punctulatus | 1 |
| Stone's Locust | Melanoplus stonei | 2 |
| Bruner's Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus bruneri | 2 |
| Huckleberry Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus fasciatus | 2 |
| Forest Locust | Melanoplus islandicus | 2 |
| A Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus foedus | 1 |
| Rocky Mountain Sprinkled Locust | Chloealtis abdominalis | 2 |
| Crackling Forest Grasshopper | Trimerotropis verruculata | 2 |
| Spotted-winged Grasshopper | Orphulella pelidna | 1 |
| Speckled Rangeland Grasshopper | Arphia conspersa | 2 |
| Clear-winged Grasshopper | Camnula pellucida | 2 |
| Ash-brown Grasshopper | Trachyrhachys kiowa | 1 |
| Mermiria Grasshopper | Mermiria bivittata | 1 |
| Club-horned Grasshopper | Aeropedellus clavatus | 1 |
| Leafhoppers and true bugs | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Backswimmer | Notonecta borealis | 3 |
| Mammals | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Water Shrew | Sorex palustris | 2 |
| Little Brown Bat | Myotis lucifugus | 2 |
| Northern Long-eared Bat | Myotis septentrionalis | 1 |
| Silver-haired Bat | Lasionycteris noctivagans | 1 |
| Big Brown Bat | Eptesicus fuscus | 2 |
| Northern Flying Squirrel | Glaucomys sabrinus | 3 |
| Prairie Deer Mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii | 1 |
| Woodland Jumping Mouse | Napaeozapus insignis | 2 |
| Mayflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| American Sand Burrowing Mayfly | Dolania americana | 3 |
| A Small Minnow Mayfly | Paracloeodes minutus | 2 |
| A Spiny Crawler Mayfly | Eurylophella aestiva | 3 |
| A Flat-headed Mayfly | Maccaffertium pulchellum | 3 |
| A Spiny Crawler Mayfly | Drunella cornuta | 3 |
| A Small Minnow Mayfly | Plauditus cestus | 1 |
| Mussels and clams | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Elktoe | Alasmidonta marginata | 1 |
| Slippershell Mussel | Alasmidonta viridis | 2 |
| Snuffbox | Epioblasma triquetra | 1 |
| Yellow & Slough Sandshells | Lampsilis teres | 1 |
| Mapleleaf | Quadrula quadrula | 1 |
| Salamander Mussel | Simpsonaias ambigua | 1 |
| Buckhorn | Tritogonia verrucosa | 1 |
| Fawnsfoot | Truncilla donaciformis | 1 |
| Reptiles | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Turtle | Glyptemys insculpta | 3 |
| Blanding's Turtle | Emydoidea blandingii | 2 |
| Eastern Ribbonsnake | Thamnophis sauritus | 1 |
Community opportunities
Natural community management opportunities
The Northeast Sands Ecological Landscape contains opportunities to manage for the following natural communities, based on the findings in the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan (originally presented by the Ecosystem Management Team).
See the key to association scores [PDF] for complete definitions.
General opportunities
General management opportunities 1
Roughly 75% of the Northeast Sands is forested, playing an important role in the landscape's high water quality, providing extensive forest habitat, supporting local economies and offering many management opportunities. Opportunities exist to maintain large habitat patches and improve connectivity between smaller forest patches; both of these would help avoid problems associated with fragmentation and isolation and should benefit area-sensitive species. Older forests are scarce here, as they are in most of the state, and working forests could include areas with extended rotations, the development of old-growth characteristics and/or stands of "managed old-growth."
Dry forest types are prevalent, but many other types are also significant. Many forests here are now managed for aspen, but there are good opportunities to maintain dry forests of other early successional species such as jack pine and scrub oak, as well as older mesic forests of beech-hemlock, dry-mesic forests of white and red pine and wet-mesic forests of white cedar. Northern Wet-mesic Forests dominated by white cedar are common here; these forests have high ecological value and support numerous rare or uncommon plants and animals, but they are susceptible to negative impacts from hydrological modifications and excessive browse pressure. Good opportunities to protect this fragile natural community occur on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, within several state wildlife areas and on the Marinette and Oconto County Forests.
Barrens and bracken grassland communities, once a much more common feature here, represent important restoration and management opportunities, and active projects are underway at several locations. Some of these projects could be expanded and/or made more compatible with management of adjoining dry forests. Where possible, early successional forests could be managed in association with remnant barrens and bracken grasslands to increase connectivity between open areas that are now isolated, increasing effective habitat size, reducing undesirable edge impacts and supporting additional open country animals.
Several Northeast Sands streams offer opportunities to protect aquatic habitats of high biodiversity value. There are good opportunities to protect and maintain river and stream corridors, including those of the Menominee, Peshtigo, Oconto, Wolf, Pine, Pike and some of their tributaries. Some of the streams are bordered by bedrock outcroppings, stands of conifers and/or relatively old forest, which support, or have the potential to support, species that are rare elsewhere in the Ecological Landscape and surrounding region.
Bedrock features, such as cliffs, glades and talus slopes, are well represented in some parts of the Northeast Sands, and these merit protection for their unusual biota, as well as the aesthetic and recreational interest they stimulate. Other miscellaneous features of potentially high local and regional ecological value include undeveloped lakes and ponds, bogs, fens, sedge meadows, marshes and alder swamps.
1. The text presented here is a summarized version of a longer section developed for the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin.
Maps
Northeast Sands printable maps
- Finley's Vegetation of the Mid-1800s [PDF]
- Land Cover of the Mid-1800's [PDF]
- Landtype Associations (LTAs) [PDF]
- Public Land Ownership, Easements and Private Land Enrolled in Forest Tax Programs [PDF]
- Ecologically Significant Places [PDF]
- Exceptional and Outstanding Resource Waters and 303(d) Degraded Waters (2010 Update) [PDF]
- Dams [PDF]
- WISCLAND Land Cover (1992) [PDF]
- Soil Regions [PDF]
- Relative Tree Density in the Mid-1800s [PDF]
- Population Density, Cities, and Transportation [PDF]
Also see the statewide maps.
LTAs
Northeast Sands Landtype Associations
Landtype Associations (LTAs) are units of the National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (NHFEU), a hierarchical ecological land classification system. LTAs are much smaller than Ecological Landscapes, ranging in size from 10,000 and 300,000 acres. In Wisconsin, they are usually based on glacial features like individual moraines or outwash plains. LTAs can be very useful for planning at finer scales within an Ecological Landscape.
The following are the LTAs associated with the Northeast Sands Ecological Landscape. The Northeast Sands LTA map [PDF] can be used to locate these LTAs. Clicking on an LTA in the list below will open a data table for that LTA in PDF format. Descriptions are included, where available.
- 212Tc18. Mountain Moraines
- 212Tc19. Wolf River Plains
- 212Tc20. Shawano Plains
- 212Tc21. Hayes Moraines
- 212Tc05. Aurora Moraines
- 212Tc01. Homestead Moraines
- 212Tc02. Spread Eagle Barrens
- 212Tc03. Butler Plains
- 212Tc04. Waupee Knolls
- 212Tc06. Athelstane Moraines
- 212Tc07. Mount Tom Moraines
- 212Tc08. Crivitz Plains
- 212Tc09. Middle Inlet Moraines
- 212Tc10. Wausaukee Outwash Plains
- 212Tc11. Amberg Moraines
- 212Tc16. Dunbar Barrons
- 212Tc17. Sand Lake Plains
