Wolf River Basin Biotic Inventory and Analysis

The Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory Program conducted an integrated land and water biotic inventory of the Wolf River Basin. This three year project was summarized in a report released in April, 2002. The project was a partnership involving the Bureau of Endangered Resources and the Land and Water Program of the DNR's Northeast Region.

The Wolf River Basin inventory effort gathered data on natural communities, rare plants and animals, aquatic invertebrates, and other selected natural features for the entire basin. The information developed will be used to support various planning efforts to enhance the protection of the basin's ecologically significant natural resources. In particular, the inventory data will assist existing WDNR planning efforts, including the Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resources Area (NRA) and the Wolf River Basin plan. Additional planning efforts will benefit peripherally from this work, including those of the Wolf River Partnership Team, Fish and Wildlife Integrated Planning, county and local government natural resources planning efforts, and private conservation planning. The biotic inventory information can be used along with other information to develop a complete picture for the Basin.

Three factors combined to create a challenging climate for the Wolf River Basin inventory: 1) the immense size of the basin, which includes approximately 3,670 square miles within portions of 11 counties and 8 ecological landscapes, 2) the large amount of private land ownership, an indicator of limited existing inventory information in state records, and 3) an immediate need to supply information for current planning projects in the Wolf River Basin. These factors represented a unique challenge and prompted BER to investigate new approaches for completing a comprehensive inventory of the entire Wolf River Basin.

A four-part approach was used for work conducted during the first field season. This work provided the necessary information required by the various planning projects above and set a solid foundation for which the remaining inventory efforts would be built upon. Although this plan represents a deviation from our typical inventory process, it involved a number of pilot projects that, after future evaluation, may enhance the overall inventory process. The four inventory elements were as follows:

1. Analysis of the existing data within the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory Biological and Conservation Data system on the status and presence of natural communities and rare plants and animals.
2. A coarse filter screening on the Wolf River Basin to identify potential inventory areas for the ensuing inventory years, based primarily on satellite and aerial images.
3. An Experts Workshop for the Wolf River Basin to gather information on ecologically significant sites from individuals who have specialized and/or site-specific knowledge on the resources within the basin.
4. Fine filter inventory (see Appendix A) on specific areas and selected taxa focusing on the southeastern portion of the Wolf River Basin to support the Lower Wolf River Bottomlands Natural Resources Area.

Fine filter inventory efforts were continued during 2000 and 2001 to include several additional taxa. Also, inventory efforts were broadened to include additional survey site locations throughout the basin. A report available through the Endangered Resources Program summarizes work completed to date with an emphasis on:

1. Analyzing results and providing ecological information for the Lower Wolf River Bottomlands NRA effort
2. Summarizing inventory sites in the upper portion of the Wolf River Basin
3. Suggesting potential NHI inventory needs for the future.

Funding for this work was provided by the Endangered Resources Fund, the Great Lakes Protection Fund, and the Bureau of Wildlife Management

Download the report (files open in new browser window)

• Main Document
• Part 1 [305 KB PDF]
• Part 2 [244 KB PDF]


• Appendices
• A - Natural Heritage Inventory Overview and General Methodology [128 KB PDF]
• B - Site Descriptions for Terrestrial Inventory Locations [318 KB PDF]
• C - Priority Stream Segment Descriptions [170 KB PDF]
• D - Upper Wolf River Basin Priority Inventory Site Summaries 2000 [263 KB PDF]
• E (part 1) - Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Biotic Field Surveys and Taxonomy –
  1999 Results [168 KB PDF]
• E (part 2) - Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Biotic Field Surveys and Taxonomy –
  2000 Results [219 KB PDF]
• E (part 3)- Descriptions of Aquatic Sampling Sites in the Wolf River Basin [104 KB PDF]
• F-H - F: Small Mammal and Miscellaneous Taxa Field Survey and Taxonomy Report – 1999/2000 Results; G: Terrestrial Invertebrate Survey Report - 1999 Results; H: Herpetological Survey Of The Wolf River GMU With Emphasis On Rare Species [287 KB PDF]
• I-J - I: Wolf River Basin Bird Surveys - 2001; J: A Synoptic Survey Of The Fishes Of The Lower Wolf River, Wisconsin [253 KB PDF]
• K - Coarse Filter Screening Objectives, Methods, and Results [142 KB PDF]
• L - Wolf River Experts Workshop: A Pilot Approach [111 KB PDF]
• M - Summary of Sites with High Potential for Conservation and Inventory [41 KB PDF]
• N - Natural Communities Found Within the Lower Wolf Bottomlands Natural Resources Area; Natural Communities Found Outside of the Lower Wolf Bottomlands Natural Resources Area [64 KB PDF]
• O - Rare Vascular Plants of the Wolf River Basin [223 KB PDF]
• P (part 1) - Rare Animals of the Wolf River Basin [244 KB PDF]
• P (part 2) - Rare Animals of the Wolf River Basin [247 KB PDF]


• Figures
• J (with Appendix J) [262 KB PDF]

To request a copy of this report please contact:

Drew Feldkirchner
Wisconsin DNR
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921