Public comments regarding draft management plans for 10 State Natural Areas due Jan. 19, 2016
MADISON - Draft management plans for 10 State Natural Areas with some of
Wisconsin's rarest natural community types, including bluff prairies and oak
savannas, are open for public comment through Jan. 19, 2016.
Management plans are required for Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
properties to help guide management and development. These 10 properties are
considered "Tier 3" sites due to their smaller size and lack of
infrastructure.
Draft management plans include information regarding current conditions,
recreational opportunities, property and acquisition boundaries, habitat and
natural community types, habitat management prescriptions, and motorized
road inventories.
Draft management plans for the following properties are currently open for
review:
* Battle Bluff Prairie State Natural Area, Vernon County;
* Cassville Bluffs State Natural Area, Grant County;
* Gasner Hollow Prairie State Natural Area, Grant County;
* Hardscrabble Prairie State Natural Area, Lafayette County;
* Hogback Prairie State Natural Area, Crawford County;
* Limery Ridge Savanna State Natural Area, Crawford County;
* Maiden Rock Bluff State Natural Area, Pepin County;
* Morgan Coulee Prairie State Natural Area, Pierce County;
* Romance Prairie State Natural Area, Vernon County; and
* Trenton Bluff Prairie State Natural Area, Pierce County.
To view draft management plans for these properties, visit
dnr.wi.gov<http://dnr.wi.gov/>, search keyword "master
planning<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/masterplanning/>," and select "Tier 3
Management Plans<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Lands/MasterPlanning/tier3.html>."
Comments and questions related to these draft plans can be sent to Matt
Zine, WDNR, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921 or via email at
Matthew.Zine@wisconsin.gov<mailto:Matthew.Zine@wisconsin.gov> before 5 p.m.
Jan. 19, 2016.
"These plans help guide the department to ensure consistent management over
time," said Matt Zine, DNR conservation biologist. "They are particularly
important for prairie and oak savannas, since they require active hands-on
management. Prescribed burns, invasive species control, and in many
instances timber harvests are necessary to restore and maintain these unique
communities over time."
Wisconsin is home to 674 State Natural
Areas<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Lands/naturalareas/> - 425 of these areas are
located within DNR lands, while the remaining 249 are owned by partner
organizations. Natural areas provide opportunities for research and
educational use, preservation of genetic and biological diversity, and serve
as ecological benchmarks for determining the impact of use on managed lands.
Tier 3 property management plans are minor actions under Natural Resources
Chapter 150.20(1 m)(k) of the State Administrative Code and do not require a
full environmental analysis.