Otsego Marsh

Take a Virtual Stroll

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

A Hidden Gem of Columbia County

Wander a woodland path lined with wild geranium as you listen to a chorus of spring peepers. Dip your canoe into the waterlily-covered Hawkos Pond on a warm summer day. Breathe in crisp, fall air as you walk through golden, leaf-strewn oak and hickory woodlands. Enjoy the crunch of snow under your feet as you look for owls on a winter's evening.

No matter the season, Otsego Marsh's 116 acres remain one of southern Wisconsin's hidden gems. Otsego Marsh is owned and stewarded by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly Madison Audubon).

Otsego Marsh is just 15 minutes from  Goose Pond Sanctuary  and a 45 minute drive from downtown Madison. When you arrive at  3382 Old County Rd F, Rio, WI , you'll find a small parking lot with informational signage and 2 miles of trails to explore through wetland and woodland.

We welcome and encourage individuals of all walks of life to visit the sanctuary. It is free and open to the public during daylight hours every day of the year. Dogs are not allowed, with the exception of service animals.

Learn more about our plans for Otsego Marsh and how you can support this property in the video below, then continue scrolling to access an interactive map to help you explore our property. Use the headings at the top of the page to jump to different sections of the StoryMap.

Welcome to Otsego Marsh

Interactive Map

Take a virtual tour of Otsego Marsh before your visit. Scroll through these highlights or click on each pin to learn more about the featured area.

Parking Lot

There is a small gravel parking lot with informational signage located at 3382 Old County Rd F, Rio, WI. The lot can comfortably host 4 to 5 vehicles. If the lot is full, you can park along the shoulder of the road just south of the parking lot.

Woodland Trailhead (1.5 miles)

1.5 mile loop on a wide, flat, mowed path. Two rustic benches are placed along the route.

Wetland Trailhead (0.6 miles)

You can explore this area freely, or follow a suggested 0.6 mile out-and-back route between the wetland and cropland.

Canoe and Kayak Access

Canoeing and kayaking are permitted at Otsego Marsh from May 1 through September 15. You can park in the parking lot and carry your craft to the water's edge on the east side of Old County Road F.

Hawkos Pond

Hawkos Pond is a 32-acre marsh brimming with native wildlife. The pond is dotted with small islands that provide nesting habitat for birds and turtles. These islands were formed back in 1955 during a drought year, when there was concern that the pond’s bullhead population wouldn’t survive the winter in the low water, so deep holes were dug in the pond. The islands created in the process now provide critical habitat—and the bullheads still bring anglers to Hawkos Pond each spring!

Photography Blind

Access to the photography blind at the back end of Hawkos Pond is by permission only. Contact us (goosep@swibirds.org) if you are interested in using the blind.

Wetland Restoration

On the west side of Old County Rd F is 4.5 acres of gorgeous wetland, recently acquired as part of our 2020 addition to Otsego Marsh. It is home to nesting Wood Ducks and Sandhill Cranes; painted, snapping, and the once state-threatened Blanding's turtles; several species of frogs; and an incredibly diverse array of insects and plants.

2020 Addition

As you look west from Old County Rd F, you'll see wetland, cropland, and distant woodlands. You're looking at 36 acres of the 2020 addition—land that we are restoring to vibrant wetland, prairie, and oak savanna. This addition is critical in supporting the water quality and diversity of native plant and animal life at Otsego Marsh.

Parking Lot

There is a small gravel parking lot with informational signage located at  3382 Old County Rd F, Rio, WI . The lot can comfortably host 4 to 5 vehicles. If the lot is full, you can park along the shoulder of the road just south of the parking lot.

Woodland Trailhead (1.5 miles)

1.5 mile loop on a wide, flat, mowed path. Two rustic benches are placed along the route.

This trail loops through the upland woods that border Hawkos Pond. Along this path, you may encounter Pileated and Red-headed Woodpeckers, both species that nest at Otsego Marsh. Scarlet Tanagers, Barred Owls, Red- and White-breasted Nuthatches also call these woods home. During spring and early fall, the trees and bushes will be a buzz of movement as flocks of migrating warblers pass through. 

On your walk, white oak and shagbark hickory will tower above you, while bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, mayapple, wild geranium, and thirteen species of fern will coat the forest floor below. Take in the scent of pine trees as you approach the eastern edge of Hawkos Pond, where towering red and white pines dominate, and enjoy the glimpse of marsh life through the trees as you wander the woods.

Wetland Trailhead (0.6 miles)

You can explore this area freely, or follow a suggested 0.6 mile out-and-back route between the wetland and cropland.

Access to the 2020 addition begins on the west side of Old County Rd F, near the northern edge of the property. This is a rapidly changing space and the trail marked on our interactive map is only a suggested route.

If you follow the suggested route, you'll find yourself walking between wetland on your left and harvested cropland on your right. We have plans for restoring both of these areas—bringing more native plant life to the wetland, eradicating the invasive reed canary, and creating wetland scrapes along the back portion of the wetland to create more open water and habitat for birds, turtles, and other critters.

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance owns the harvested cropland you see, as well as the woods to the direct west. While there are no defined trails in this area of the property at this time, you are free to respectfully explore anywhere within the property boundaries. Boundary markers are posted.

Canoe and Kayak Access

Canoeing and kayaking are permitted at Otsego Marsh from May 1 through September 15. You can park in the parking lot and carry your craft to the water's edge on the east side of Old County Road F.

Hawkos Pond

Hawkos Pond is a 32-acre marsh brimming with native wildlife. The pond is dotted with small islands that provide nesting habitat for birds and turtles. These islands were formed back in 1955 during a drought year, when there was concern that the pond’s bullhead population wouldn’t survive the winter in the low water, so deep holes were dug in the pond. The islands created in the process now provide critical habitat—and the bullheads still bring anglers to Hawkos Pond each spring!

A visit during spring or fall migration will treat you to impressive flocks of migrating waterfowl, including Canada, Cackling, and Greater White-fronted Geese, Mallards, Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Canvasbacks, Blue- and Green-winged Teal, Hooded Mergansers, Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, and more. 

A summer paddle on the pond will bring you up close and personal with white waterlilies and diverse species of dragonflies. You’ll likely spot Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, Great Egrets, and Belted Kingfishers enjoying the many fathead minnows that populate the pond.

Photography Blind

Access to the photography blind at the back end of Hawkos Pond is by permission only. Contact us ( goosep@swibirds.org ) if you are interested in using the blind.

Wetland Restoration

On the west side of Old County Rd F is 4.5 acres of gorgeous wetland, recently acquired as part of our 2020 addition to Otsego Marsh. It is home to nesting Wood Ducks and Sandhill Cranes; painted, snapping, and the once state-threatened Blanding's turtles; several species of frogs; and an incredibly diverse array of insects and plants.

The addition of this wetland will expand the ecological and hydrologic integrity of the Otsego Marsh natural area and will provide critical nesting habitat for turtles and birds. In the coming year, we plan to create wetland scrapes that will create more open water, nesting habitat, and habitat for more marsh birds and shorebirds.

2020 Addition

As you look west from Old County Rd F, you'll see wetland, cropland, and distant woodlands. You're looking at 36 acres of the 2020 addition—land that we are restoring to vibrant wetland, prairie, and oak savanna. This addition is critical in supporting the water quality and diversity of native plant and animal life at Otsego Marsh.

We encourage you to visit the wetland trailhead to access this portion of the property. Our restoration plans are ongoing, so you may see this landscape in several states of transformation. Use your imagination to envision the future restored prairie that will stretch towards rolling hills of future oak savanna.

Plants and Wildlife of Otsego Marsh

Scroll through the slideshow below to learn about some of the species that call Otsego Marsh home. This property, with its diverse and varied landscape, is home to an equally diverse and varied cast of critters and plants. Our expansion of Otsego Marsh will create opportunities for nesting grassland birds and wetland turtles, bringing even more life to this abundant landscape.

Bird and Wildlife Surveys

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History and Future of Otsego Marsh

In the early 1960s, a forester and avid birder named Frank Freese purchased 80 acres of land that would become known as Otsego Marsh. Frank worked at the Forest Products Lab in Madison, Wisconsin, and worked hard to transform the cropland adjacent to Hawkos Pond to diverse woodland. He planted red pines, white spruce, and American chestnuts in what was once cropland adjacent to the parking lot. This area is now dominated by walnut trees on the west end (planted by resident squirrels) and red pines and white spruce on the east end. He also planted white spruce among the oak hickory woods, which now tower above the other trees.

In the early 1980s, Frank donated these 80 acres to The Nature Conservancy. A few years later in 1984, The Nature Conservancy donated 40 of these acres to Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, who then purchased the remaining 40 to acquire Otsego Marsh in full. The funds The Nature Conservancy received for the property allowed them to in turn purchase Black Earth Prairie State Natural Area in 1986, a site now managed by The Prairie Enthusiasts—a true ripple effect of conservation in action. 

A scene from the newly acquired 36 acres of wetland, woodland, and soon-to-be restored prairie at Otsego Marsh. Photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA

These original 80 acres included Hawkos Pond, named after the family that settled in the region in the 1880s, as well as the surrounding oak and hickory woodlands and pine plantation. In 2020, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance moved to purchase an additional 36 acres to expand Otsego Marsh. This addition includes land to the west of Old County Rd F, currently a mixture of wetland, cropland, and woodland. 

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance is restoring these 36 acres to vibrant wetland, gorgeous prairie, and oak savanna. This restoration will benefit the water quality and inhabitants of Hawkos Pond and the surrounding area.

Restoration Updates

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance staff and volunteers are busy restoring the 36 acre addition to Otsego Marsh. Learn about their efforts and what new changes you might see while visiting the property.

Support Otsego Marsh with a Donation

The birds, waters, plants, and other wildlife of Otsego Marsh thrive in the critical, restored habitats we provide. You can support this work with a donation to Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. Thank you for helping protect habitats, conserve birds, and share access to nature with the community.

We hope our future prairie restoration will bring nesting grassland birds, like the female bobolinks pictured here, to Otsego Marsh. Photo by Andrew Weitzel

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance works to protect and improve habitat for birds and other wildlife through land acquisition and management, education, and advocacy. Learn more about our work at  swibirds.org. 

All photos are Flickr Creative Commons, copyright Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, or used with permission.

A scene from the newly acquired 36 acres of wetland, woodland, and soon-to-be restored prairie at Otsego Marsh. Photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA

We hope our future prairie restoration will bring nesting grassland birds, like the female bobolinks pictured here, to Otsego Marsh. Photo by Andrew Weitzel