Grandma Lake Wetlands State Natural Area | |
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Location | Florence, Wisconsin, United States |
Coordinates | 45°49′1″N 88°36′47″W / 45.81694°N 88.61306°W / 45.81694; -88.61306 |
Area | 495 acres (200 ha) |
Established | 1996 |
Grandma Lake Wetlands State Natural Area is a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-designated State Natural Area featuring the undeveloped, pristine 44-acre Grandma Lake, which lies in a depression formed during the last glacial period. The lake is ringed by a large, open sphagnum bog mat. The bog mat is surrounded by a coniferous swamp of tamarack ( Larix laricina) and black spruce ( Picea mariana). The bog mat supports a plant community that is considered diverse and unusual, with several rare species present, including: bog arrow-grass ( Triglochin maritima), dragon's mouth orchid ( Arethusa bulbosa), livid sedge ( Carex livida), small-headed bog sedge ( Carex tenuiflora), as well as one of only a few known populations of bog rush (Juncus stygius) in the State of Wisconsin. In 1991, the US Forest Service designated the site as a Research Natural Area. Also, the site is listed as one of Wisconsin's Wetland Gems, by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association. [1] [2] [3]
Grandma Lake Wetlands is located within the Nicolet National Forest, in southwest Florence County, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Long Lake. Access is via a walking trail that leads west from Grandma Lake Road, approximately 0.5 miles south of its intersection with Tie Mill Road. A small, brown breeding bird survey fencepost marks the trailhead. [4]