By Bruce Ross, Executive Director – bross@wisducks.org
This article appeared in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s July 2025 Newsletter edition.
Only 25 miles northwest of metropolitan Milwaukee lies the Jackson Marsh State Wildlife Area, a 2,600-acre pheasant, duck, and deer hunting area that offers numerous recreational benefits, including hiking, fishing, birdwatching, canoeing, and more. Thanks to a recent $106,000 grant from The Fund for Lake Michigan, its streams and wetlands may be on the path to significant improvements in wildlife and water quality.
Recent mysterious hydrological dynamics have killed off hundreds of acres of wetland forest. Meanwhile, Cedar Creek (namesake of the local WWA chapter) and its feeder streams have been straightened and disconnected from their historical meanders, leading to high, fast waters in heavy rain events. And the functioning of the associated wetlands has been impaired due to long-standing human drainage efforts.
Several notable wetland restoration efforts have been undertaken. But no one is quite sure what’s happening hydrologically, so a comprehensive restoration plan on this significant piece of state land has been elusive. That’s about to change with WWA’s efforts to understand what’s going on, thanks to critical funding from the Fund for lake Michigan.
Partnering with the WDNR and private sector KCI Technologies, WWA will undertake a yearlong hydrologic study to inform subsequent wetland and stream restoration planning. KCI just completed a stream restoration on a feeder tributary to Cedar Creek, so they are well-informed on local hydrologic issues. We’re hopeful this study will yield substantial downstream opportunities to improve this compromised watershed for human and wildlife benefits. Stay Tuned! And let us know if you want to get involved with the local chapter that helps maintain this property: info@wisducks.org.
