Marquette County
Mecan River
199 Acres Protected
This conservancy is bordered on two sides by state public lands and is part of Crystal Lake Barrens. It also includes 3,300 feet along the Mecan River, a Class 1 trout stream that drains into the Fox River. The landowners are actively maintaining and improving the Mecan River's world famous trout habitat in this environmentally sensitive area.
Pasque Flower Farm
151 Acres Protected
This property was so named for a population of pasque flowers that covers several acres of a rocky hilltop. Pasque flower is one of the first native prairie wild flowers to bloom after snowmelt, and it is an indicator of original, unplowed prairie sod. Remnant populations of this size are extremely rare in Wisconsin today. The East Fork of French Creek flows through Pasque Flower Farm. Shrub-carr, sedge meadows, and vernal pools that occur adjacent to French Creek on Pasque Flower Farm are rare wetland types today. Stream corridors and wetlands serve as wildlife habitat for terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals. Conservation values of Pasque Flower Farm are enriched by its proximity to state and federally protected lands including the French Creek Wildlife Area and Grand River Marsh owned and managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Prairie Hill Farm
100 Acres Protected
Portions of this property are a remnant natural area containing plant and animal communities which formed after the melting of the last glaciers. Shortly after acquiring the property in 1983, the owners began to restore the historic wetland and upland vegetation communities that were erased by over a century of farming. Their goals are to restore as much of the native vegetation as possible and to mimic, through active management, the ecological processes that maintained this ecosystem historically. This property includes prairie and oak savannas that are globally rare and are two of the most imperiled plant communities in Wisconsin with less than 1% of their original coverage remaining today. This property is adjacent to our Pasque Flower Farm Conservancy.