Monitoring the fire line during an oak savanna habitat restoration prescribed burn at Page Creek Natural Area. - FWS photo by Gary Van Vreede

Oak savanna habitat restoration prescribed burn at Page Creek Natural Area. - FWS photo by Gary Van Vreede

Green Bay Field Office Biologist Gary Van Vreede, assisted The Nature Conservancy with a prescribed burn as part of an oak savanna restoration project at Page Creek Marsh. 

Located in the central sands of Wisconsin, Page Creek Marsh is more than 600 acres of mixed wetland and grassland habitat that supports a rich diversity of plants, rare meadow birds, and waterfowl.

Plant communities include northern and southern sedge meadow, native grassland prairie, sandy oak savanna, fens, bog, and seepage lakes. Broad sedge meadows, cat-tails, and areas of open water afford habitat to a variety of rare species including downy willow-herb (Epilobium strictum) and bog reed grass (Calamagrostis stricta spp).

A portion of the sedge meadow is of boggy northern type with plant species including wiregrass, cotton grass, bog bean, and northern bog aster. The area is host to numerous other plant species including marsh marigold, lake sedge, turtlehead, water dock, sensitive fern, and wild rice.

Page Creek Marsh is of particular value as a staging area for sandhill cranes during their fall migration. Luxuriant with emergent aquatic plants, the secure, deep-water habitat of the marsh provides cover for large numbers of birds every season. Page Creek Marsh is also important habitat for two rare animals the slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) and blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii). 

The site is also located within the High Potential Range of the federally listed Karner blue butterfly (Lycaides melissa samuelis).   Page Creek Marsh is owned by The Nature Conservatory and was designated a State Natural Area in 1996.