French Creek Wildlife Area

French Creek Wildlife Area is a 3,450 acre property located in Columbia County. Find it 6 miles northeast of Portage on Hwy. F. Disjunct ownership in towns of Fort Winnebago and Marcellon in Columbia County and town of Buffalo in Marquette County.

Prior to the establishment of the state wildlife area in 1947, the marsh land was once devoted to the production of “wire-grass”, a native plant used in the manufacturing of grass rugs and matting and later was subject to grazing and the occasional harvest of wild hay by farmers. Early settlers regularly hunted prairie chicken in the French Creek area. Today the property is primarily managed to focus on waterfowl production and hunting opportunities.

Management

Property History

Historically, the primary management objective for French Creek WA was to provide hunting and other outdoor recreation opportunities. As lands were acquired, marginal farm fields were converted to prairie to compliment the existing native prairie community and provide additional wildlife habitat and hunting opportunity. Numerous wetland restorations occurred to create the hemi-marsh habitat that is present today.

Management Objective

Current management objectives focus on protecting the watersheds of French and Spring Creeks and managing for pre-settlement vegetation types. This includes maintaining existing prairies, savannas, tamarack bogs and sedge meadows and seeking opportunities to increase these cover types. The property is managed on a landscape scale, creating smooth transitions between cover types.

The property is monitored for invasive species such as spotted knapweed and garlic mustard. Biotic control for spotted knapweed will soon be occurring on this property. Prairie and savanna areas are managed and maintained through prescribed burning, mowing, and herbicide use to limit brush encroachment and encourage vigorous grasslands. Wetlands are managed through limited disturbance to prevent the spread of reed canary grass. Flowages will be drawn down approximately every 5 years to stabilize floating cattail bogs and allow vegetation to emerge as a food source for wildlife. Woodlands are managed in a manner that limits the spread of oak wilt and encourages regeneration of oak, hickory, etc.