Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program
Sohlberg Silver Lake (No. 166)

Overview

Location

Adams County. T16N-R5E, Sections 4, 9. T17N-R5E, Section 33. 224 acres.

Access

From the intersection of State Highway 13 and County Highway M in Adams, go south on 13 1.9 miles, then west on County F 4.8 miles, then south on 18th Avenue 2.1 miles. Park at the end of the road and walk east 0.5 mile to the lake.

Description

Description

Sohlberg Silver Lake features a small seepage lake nestled in a landscape of undulating topography with low wooded hills and scattered open bogs and tamarack swamps. Situated in the bed of now extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin, the shallow lake has very soft, alkaline water and is moderately transparent. The fluctuating shoreline is dependent upon the local water table and the lake occupies anywhere from 7 to 16 acres depending on annual precipitation. These seasonal and yearly fluctuations maintain the sandy and muck shores in a relatively open condition that harbor several rare plants more commonly found along the Atlantic coastal plain: cross milkwort (Polygala cruciata), Virginia meadow beauty (Rhexia virginica), and reticulated nut-rush (Scleria reticularis). On the sandy shores and mud flats occur other uncommon species including autumn sedge, golden-pert, beak rushes, lowland rotala, and yellow-eyed-grass. On the adjacent uplands grows an even-aged dry forest of scrubby oak and jack pine while surrounding lowlands contain a sphagnum moss and sedge bog with cotton grass and leather-leaf and a tamarack swamp forest with huckleberry and low-bush blueberry. Bird use is varied and dependent upon the local water level. While the surrounding uplands attract many breeding birds, migratory bird use by species such as sandpipers and other shorebirds varies seasonally with the amount of exposed mudflats available for foraging. Sohlberg Silver Lake is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1980.

Maps

The WDNR's State Natural Areas Program is comprised of lands owned by the state, private conservation organizations, municipalities, other governmental agencies, educational institutions, and private individuals. Therefore, while the majority of SNAs are open to the public, access may vary accordingly. Public use restrictions may apply due to public safety, or to protect endangered or threatened species or unique natural features. Lands may be temporarily closed due to specific management activities. Users are encouraged to contact the land owner for more specific details.

The data shown on these maps have been obtained from various sources, and are of varying age, reliability, and resolution. The data may contain errors or omissions and should not be interpreted as a legal representation of legal ownership boundaries.

• Guidebook Map [PDF, 56 KB]
• Detailed Map [PDF, 196 KB]
• Line Map [PDF, 65 KB]

Activities

Please come prepared for your visit. Amenities vary from site to site with most SNAs being primitive and without facilities. See Guidelines for Visitation for details.

Allowable Activities

Most DNR-owned SNAs allow:

• Hiking
• Hunting
• Fishing
• Trapping
• Skiing

Some exceptions apply. Properties closed to the public or closed to specific use, such as hunting, will be posted.

***For non-DNR-owned SNAs: Additional use guidelines may apply. Please verify any use restrictions with the landowner or contact the SNA Program. Landowners may require additional permits or restrict the number of hunters at a given SNA to provide a quality hunting experience. SNA landowners can be found at the bottom of each SNA description page.

Prohibited Activities

• Horseback riding
• Rock climbing
• Vehicles, including bicycles, ATVs, aircraft, and snowmobiles except on trails and roadways designated for their use
• Collecting of plants (including fruits, nuts, or edible plant parts), animals, fungi, rocks, minerals, fossils, archaeological artifacts, soil, downed wood, or any other natural material, alive or dead

Please note that a permit is required for scientific collection and research on State Natural Areas. For more information, contact Thomas Meyer, State Natural Areas Program Specialist.

For more information on rules governing state-owned SNAs and other state lands, please consult Wisconsin's Administrative Code Chapter NR 45 (exit DNR)