Muddy Creek Parking Area #1 Traditional Cache
Muddy Creek Parking Area #1
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Cache container is now meant to stay in place but log can be removed easily. Updated container and location on 8/21/14
This property is 4100 acres and is often referred to locally as the "Elk Mound Swamp." It is located near the village of Elk Mound, between Menomonie and Eau Claire, approximately 1 mile west of exit 52 off of I-94. This is an expansive wildlife area that generally follows the course of Muddy Creek and County Hwy. E for approximately 5 miles (1 mile north of the Interstate and 4 miles south). This assemblage of properties includes Muddy Creek Wildlife Area as well as several small scattered parcels. Access to the property is plentiful and can be gained through numerous parking lots along the County and town roads as well as 3 lots off of U.S. Hwy. 12/State Hwy. 29.
Muddy Creek and the associated marsh and sedge meadow are the predominant features of this property. Within this marshy landscape are numerous "islands" that are either wooded or prairie. The periphery of the property, including the scattered parcels, are predominantly former farm fields that have been converted to warm season, tallgrass prairies. Numerous restored wetlands also exist within this group of properties. A small percentage of the property is wooded with a great deal of species diversity, including white pine, red and white oak and aspen.
A State Natural Area has been established on the south end of the property to recognize the 195-acre sedge meadow that occupies this portion of the Wildlife Area. This area is exceptional because it is in a transitional zone where plant species common to both northern and southern sedge meadows can be found in one place.
In addition, lying just to the south of the Wildlife Area is the 200+ acre Old Elk Lake. This shallow lake is fed by runoff and springs and is reminiscent of the prairie pothole lakes found in the Dakotas. This is a rare water resource in this part of Wisconsin that provides tremendous waterfowl production and valuable hunting and trapping opportunities.
Submitted DNR Form 2500-118
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