The Beaver Brook Wildlife Area is a tract of protected land located in Washburn County, Wisconsin, managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). The wildlife area is in place to protect trout stream habitats and provide recreation experiences through its many trails.
History Beaver Brook Wildlife Area was gazetted with an initial land acquisition of 680 acres from the county government. Ten further purchases of land from private owenership have increased the acreage significantly, with the additional goal of expanding recreation area. The wildlife area is bound to the west by the Wild Rivers State Trail, a former railroad track that stretches 104 miles. The trail runs up against remnants of houses and an old logging dam, removed in 1910.
Cranberry bogs are prevalent in Washburn County, and the marsh and wetland land coverage in both the county and the wildlife area is ideal for cranberry cultivation. The cultivation of cranberries, specifically the establishment of cranberry reservoirs is harmful to trout populations, and this led to the purchasing of 560 acres of private land in 2003 by the WDNR in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The purchased plot, (the largest of the Wildlife Area) included a developed cranberry bog. This developed marsh was restored to cranberry beds and the flow of the eponymous stream was restored.
Land cover The main feature of the wildlife area is the upland deciduous habitat, making up over nearly one third of the total area. There are many notable examples of large aspen and northern hardwood trees in the deciduous habitat, with mainly old growth sections in the natural area enclave. + Cover type acreage Cover type Acres Percentage cover Developed 7 <1% Forested wetland 200 10% Open water 47 <1% Open wetland/marsh 274 14% Upland conifer 84 4% Upland deciduous 1,238 63% Upland grass 14 <1% Upland shrub 8 <1% Shrub wetland 96 5% Total cover 1,968 100%
Beaver Brook State Natural Area The Beaver Brook State Natural Area is a unit of the larger wildlife area that contains Beaver Brook, a high quality Class I trout stream.
The stream corridor protects patches of old growth northern dry-mesic forests and a number of species of special concern.
References
External links WDNR Public Access Lands Map at the WDNR Public Access Lands Map Website. Retrieved February 27, 2023.