NORTH PIKES CREEK WETLANDS

Wetlands are vital to the health of ecosystems. In fact, wetlands are vital to the health of the entire planet. Yet 50% percent of the world's wetlands have been destroyed and converted to other uses.

North Pikes Creek has its humble beginnings in this marsh, which is itself fed by numerous small, intermittent tributaries originating in springs and seeps bubbling from the ground in this far northern part of the Bayfield Peninsula.

As the headwaters stream leaves the marsh, it flows through a series of beaver-created ponds that stair-step down the creek, forming a linkage of ponds and marshes, surrounded by shrub thickets and wetland forests teeming with wildlife.

These beaver-created ponds, some more than one hundred years old, have been drained and the beaver removed repeatedly during the past century. At one time, these ponds may have extended all the way to the coastal wetlands at Chequamegon Bay.

Wetlands, like the North Pikes Creek wetland and marsh complex, are vitally important elements of the landscape. Wetland habitats are among the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world. They create cool microclimates, increase the diversity of plant and wildlife species, improve water quality, increase fish populations, recharge our aquifers, protect our communities from flooding, serve as carbon sinks, and play an important part in climate resilience.

The Friends’ Conservation property, located at the head of the North Pikes Creek watershed, is scientifically managed and stewarded, and will provide benefits for both people and nature in perpetuity. The Friends are focused on management priorities that sound science shows are the most urgent, and where we can make a difference locally for both the habitat, and for our community.

Scientific Management Plan.

The Friends recently completed a science-based management plan to guide conservation work on our property into the future. The Friends will engage in practices that will maintain, or increase, habitat for wildlife utilizing the site, including rare and threatened animals and priority bird species. The Friends will also proactively address the challenges expected from climate change.

A valuable educational resource.

The wetlands provide an opportunity to study a prime example of one of the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world. The Friends of the North Pikes Creek Wetlands created Beaver Hollow, an ADA-compliant Outdoor Education Area, on an upland portion of our Conservation property for this purpose. Beaver Hollow is an accessible wetland education classroom and living laboratory for local K-12 students, youth groups, community groups, and researchers. Beaver Hollow will serve to nurture the next generation of environmental stewards.

An opportunity for community recreation.

Beaver Hollow offers people the opportunity to engage in unique outdoor experiences in a natural environment. This community resource is available for a variety of nature-based outdoor recreational activities for people of all ages and physical abilities. Local residents, and visitors to the region, can enjoy wildlife viewing, bird watching, photography, hiking, snowshoeing, and quiet relaxation in the outdoors. Enjoyment and appreciation of forests and streams, and native fish and wildlife, improves the health and quality of life of the community.

It is clear that healthy ecosystems depend on the preservation of healthy, functioning wetlands. The North Pikes Creek Wetland complex, a high-quality, high-functioning beaver wetland located right here in northern Wisconsin, provides vital services to our local community and abundant habitat for countless species of Wisconsin’s wildlife. Please join the Friends of the North Pikes Creek Wetlands in protecting and enjoying the crucial and irreplaceable wetlands on our landscapes.

To learn more about the Friends of the North Pikes Creek Wetlands, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the Beaver Hollow Outdoor Education Area, or to join the Friends' organization, visit:  https://www.northpikescreek.org .

For a map to the Beaver Hollow Outdoor Education Area, located at 88850 Compton Rd, Bayfield, Wisconsin, go to:  https://goo.gl/maps/kCnpBqthixvckr1v6 . 

For questions or comments, contact the Friends of the North Pikes Creek Wetlands at:  info@northpikescreek.org .