The Wetland Gems® of Wisconsin's Lake Superior Region

Bibon Swamp

County: Bayfield

Property Owner: Wisconsin DNR

Bibon Swamp, located southwest of Ashland, is Bayfield County’s largest wetland complex at more than 10,000 acres. This Wetland Gem® is valuable not just because of its tremendous size, but also because of its roadlessness, the quality and diversity of its natural communities, and the fact that it provides habitat for at least seven rare species. The swamp is fed by the White River, which meanders through the site’s clay plain wetlands from west to east, and a number of other small streams. The swamp is important to maintaining clean water in the Bad River downstream and provides important habitat connections between forests to the south and the Bad River corridor downstream to the north. The swamp is also important to the maintenance of a popular sport fishery in the White River, a cold-water trout stream. Bibon’s coniferous swamp habitat is dominated by white cedar with a ground layer of bunchberry, twinflower, small bishop’s cap, and a number of orchid species. While most of the forest stand is medium-aged, some of the trees in this swamp are nearly 150 years old. The varied natural communities at this site provide habitat for a diversity of birds. Species include Nashville warbler, palm warbler, yellow warbler, mourning warbler, northern parula, winter wren, red-eyed vireo, veery, Lincoln’s sparrow, sharp-shinned hawk, alder flycatcher, sedge wren, gray catbird, and northern waterthrush. Several rare birds, yellow-bellied flycatcher, great gray owl, bald eagle, and osprey have been documented at the site.

There are several access points on foot and the site can be reached via canoe on the White River. For information about how to access this site,  visit the Bibon Swamp page of the State Natural Areas Program website . 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Bibon Swamp .

Big Bay

County: Ashland

Property Owner: Wisconsin DNR

Big Bay, located in the Apostle Islands on the east coast of Madeline Island, is protected as a State Natural Area within Big Bay State Park. Big Bay features a lagoon bordered by an abandoned interior sandspit on the west and an active sandspit on the east. The interior sandspit, now ¾ of a mile inland from the lake, separates an oddly patterned acid peatland from the wetland habitats that surround the lagoon. The peatland areas have such deep accumulations of sphagnum peat that they are hydrologically isolated from Lake Superior, groundwater, and runoff from upland areas. Big Bay is rich in rare and uncommon species, and the mosaic of natural communities at this site is one of the most unusual, diverse, and pristine in the Great Lakes. Big Bay’s central lagoon is surrounded by a floating fen mat of woolly sedge, coast sedge, twig rush, sweet gale, and buckbean. Coniferous bog habitat dominated by a mature stand of black spruce and a carpet of sphagnum moss lies in the eastern part of this peatland. The Apostle Islands in general are excellent habitat for migrating birds, especially in fall, hosting tens of thousands of passerines and raptors, particularly falcons. The islands also contain important nesting habitats for colonial waterbirds and bald eagles and host a variety of breeding songbirds. Surveys conducted at this site have documented several rare bird species including red crossbill, and merlin. Other birds found on-site include yellow-bellied flycatcher, common merganser, palm warbler, and Lincoln’s sparrow. The rare butterfly, the bog copper, has also been documented on-site. 

Madeline Island is accessible by ferry from Bayfield. The park offers several hiking trails and a “cord walk” that allows visitors to view these wetlands without disturbing sensitive vegetation. For information about how to access this site,  visit the Big Bay State Park website .

 Visit Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Big Bay .

Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs

County: Ashland

Property Owners: Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

At the mouths of the Kakagon and Bad Rivers along Lake Superior in Ashland County lie some of the most extensive and highest quality coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes, wetlands with regional, national, and international significance. These rivers and other streams that flow into the sloughs cut through a lacustrine clay plain deposited during the last glaciation. The associated wetland complex, including an intricate arrangement of sloughs and coastal lagoons, comprises more than 16,000 acres of dynamic and diverse wetland habitats that support many species of rare plants and animals. The complex is sheltered from Lake Superior wave action by a long coastal barrier spit. This vast wetland complex is an important spawning and nursery area for many fish species as well as critical stopover habitat for migratory birds. These wetlands also have cultural significance—the site supports the largest natural wild rice bed in the Great Lakes basin and members of the Bad River Band have harvested wild rice here for centuries. The river corridor leading to the sloughs is enclosed by steep clay banks and includes sinuous meanders, oxbow lakes, floodplain forests, and coniferous swamp habitats that support many rare plants and animals. As it flows north to Lake Superior, the river spreads out into a diverse wetland complex including fen habitat and coniferous swamp characterized by stands of tamarack, white cedar, and black ash. Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs provide outstanding migratory stopover habitat in both fall and spring; these diverse wetlands host tens of thousands of passerines, raptors, shorebirds, and waterbirds. The forested river corridors flowing into the sloughs are particularly important for breeding neotropical migrants such as ovenbird, Nashville warbler, and mourning warbler. The sloughs also provide spawning and nursery habitat for a rich assemblage of native fishes and sport fishes including lake sturgeon, walleye, and yellow perch. The Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs complex was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2012.

This site is located on the Bad River Reservation and is not open to public access. All requests for visitation must go through the tribal offices in Odanah; contact information is available online on the  Bad River Tribe's website . 

Learn more about the international significance of this site on the  Ramsar Convention on Wetlands website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs .

Nemadji Floodplain Forest

County: Douglas

Property Owner: Douglas County

The Nemadji Floodplain Forest is located along the lower stretches of the Nemadji River before it empties into Lake Superior’s Allouez Bay. The floodplain is enclosed by steep, clay bluffs that provide a nice buffer between the river corridor and nearby developed areas. While the corridor is largely forested, marsh, sedge meadow, and alder thicket vegetation grow in the river’s characteristic meanders and abandoned oxbows. Floodplain forests are rare along Wisconsin’s rivers flowing into Lake Superior. This site is particularly important because of its unusual species composition, which may be unique to the Superior Coastal Plain. While not an old-growth forest, the site hosts many large trees and has not been disturbed in recent years. These wetlands are also important from a water quality perspective as the Nemadji River flows into Lake Superior near the Superior municipal water system intakes. Dominant canopy trees at the site include black ash, green ash, basswood, red maple, silver maple, balsam poplar, American elm, and bur oak. Resident birds of the Nemadji Floodplain Forest include common raven, Nashville warbler, northern waterthrush, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, hermit thrush, wood thrush, and rose-breasted grosbeak. Similar habitats upstream also support veery, mourning warbler, and broad-winged hawk.

This site is best reached by canoe via the Nemadji River. For information about how to access this site,  visit the Nemadji River Floodplain Forest page of the State Natural Areas Program website . 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Nemadji Floodplain Forest .

Outer Island Sandspit & Lagoon

County: Ashland

Property Owner: National Park Service

Outer Island is the northernmost of the 22 islands that make up the Apostle Island National Lakeshore, and it is one of the four islands that make up the Apostle Islands Sandscapes State Natural Area. This Wetland Gem® is located on the southernmost point of the island where a 1½-mile-long sandspit encloses a large lagoon surrounded by peatlands. A sandspit is a long, narrow piece of land created by current-deposited sands that extend outward from the tip of land or at the mouth of a bay. Outer Island Sand Spit is one of the largest sandspits in the Apostle Islands and provides an excellent example of how this landform can create the conditions, particularly shelter from wave action, that allow for the development of wetland habitat. All wetlands at the site are of high quality; the fen habitat at this site is particularly diverse. The southern end of the lagoon is a diverse fen mat composed primarily of woolly sedge, twig rush, beak rushes, buckbean, and sweet gale. At the northern end, the mat is boggier and dominated by sphagnum mosses. At least five rare plant species have been documented at this site, which is used extensively by migratory birds in the spring and fall. The Apostle Islands in general host tens of thousands of migrating passerines and raptors, and provide important nesting habitat for colonial waterbirds and a variety of breeding songbirds. Loons, grebes, and cormorants congregate in the waters off of Outer Island Sand Spit. Rare birds documented at the site include merlin, red-breasted merganser, and Swainson’s thrush. 

Outer Island, like all of the Apostle Islands, is only accessible by boat. For information about how to access this site, as well as details on travel to the island, camping, and foot trails that can be used to view wetlands at this site,  visit the National Park Service’s Apostle Islands website . 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Outer Island Sand Spit & Lagoon .

Pokegama-Carnegie Wetlands

County: Douglas

Property Owners: WDNR, Douglas County, City of Superior

Located at the headwaters of the Pokegama and Little Pokegama Rivers, this site comprises Dwight’s Point & Pokegama Carnegie Wetlands State Natural Areas, which include portions of the Superior Municipal Forest. Pokegama-Carnegie is the state’s most expansive and intact example of red clay flat wetlands, found only in the Superior area in Wisconsin. The site’s wetland complex of alder thicket, sedge meadow, and marsh on slightly undulating clay soils supports considerable floristic diversity, including numerous and sizable populations of rare plants, some of which are only found locally. Continued protection of this site is critical to the persistence of several rare plant species. The size and quality of the site’s wetland communities make it excellent habitat for a diversity of amphibians and birds. Shrubby areas of the site are dominated by speckled alder and willows while the sedge meadows are dominated by coarse-leaved sedges and blue joint grass. Several rare plants are found at the site. Several amphibians are also found at the site. This site is known to support many bird species, including yellow warbler, alder flycatcher, white-throated sparrow, swamp sparrow, song sparrow, sora, Virginia rail, common snipe, sharp-shinned hawk, and common raven.

Parts of the site are accessible by trail and others are accessible from the water; for information about how to access the site,  visit the Pokegama-Carnegie Wetlands page of the State Natural Areas Program website  and the  Parks & Recreation Department section of the City of Superior’s website . 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Pokegama-Carnegie Wetlands .

Red Cliff Raspberry Bay

County: Bayfield

Property Owner: Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Raspberry Bay, located on the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation at the northeastern tip of the Bayfield Peninsula, is an exceptional coastal wetland complex at the mouth of the Raspberry River. The site contains fen, coniferous bog, sedge meadow, and alder thicket habitat, each hosting a distinct and diverse plant community. Raspberry Bay wetlands are particularly important because they support significant populations of several rare plant species and the site hosts outstanding examples of wetland communities found only in freshwater estuary settings. The Lake Superior Binational Program, a partnership between Canada and the U.S. to restore and protect the Lake Superior basin, identified Raspberry Bay wetlands as important to the health of the larger Lake Superior ecosystem. Raspberry Bay supports myriad wetland plants; one survey documented 98 different wetland plant species, not including mosses, lichens, and liverworts. The site supports at least 11 rare plant species. Many of the plant species present in this area are of cultural importance to tribal membership. Raspberry Bay and its wetlands contain important habitats for a diversity of bird species including raptors, waterfowl, shorebirds, and land birds. Spring migration surveys documented the presence of more than 80 species of birds, 16 of which are resident species. Four state-listed species (threatened or endangered) have been documented in this area including bald eagle and osprey. The site also provides important spawning habitat for many species of Lake Superior fish as well as a habitat for amphibians, insects, and other wildlife.

This site is located within the boundaries of the Red Cliff Reservation and is not open to public access. Access to the Raspberry Bay shoreline via boat is also prohibited. All requests for visitation must go through the Red Cliff tribal offices; contact information is available online on the  Red Cliff Band's website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Red Cliff Raspberry Bay .

Sand Bay

County: Bayfield

Property Owners: National Park Service, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa 

Sand Bay is a coastal estuary situated where the mouth of the Sand River is drowned by Lake Superior in Bayfield County. The site is protected as part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and most of the watershed is forested and undeveloped, contributing to its status as one of the least disturbed coastal estuaries in the Great Lakes. Outcroppings of sandstone cliffs at each end of the bay provide shelter from the lake. The wetland complex, characterized by deep and fertile accumulations of organic matter, is organized around a central lagoon and a branching inlet pattern that is typical of drowned river mouths. Most of this site is open bog habitat composed of sphagnum mosses, ericaceous shrubs, sedges, and insectivorous plants. As a high-quality coastal estuary, Sand Bay provides important spawning habitat for many fish species as well as critical habitat for many birds during the spring and fall migrations. Several rare birds, yellow-bellied flycatcher, Connecticut warbler, gray jay and Tennessee warbler, and two rare butterflies, bog fritillary and bog copper, have been documented at the site.

A National Park Service visitor’s center and boat launch are available at Little Sand Bay just east of this site. Visit the  Apostle Islands National Lakeshore website  for details.

The forested sandspit on the west side of this site is part of the Red Cliff Reservation and is not open to public access. All requests for visitation must go through the Red Cliff tribal offices; contact information is available online on the  Red Cliff Band's website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Sand Bay .

St. Louis River Marshes

County: Douglas

Property Owners: Douglas County, WDNR, The Nature Conservancy

The St. Louis River, the largest river to flow into Lake Superior, empties into an important freshwater estuary, one of the largest in the Great Lakes, with extensive marshes and other wetland habitats. The St. Louis River Marshes are found in the upper portions of the estuary approximately eleven miles upstream from Superior Bay. Along this reach of the river, the shoreline on the Wisconsin side has remained largely undeveloped and undisturbed and much of the Wisconsin lands drain directly into these marshes are roadless, including the Red River and its confluence with the St. Louis River. These marshes play a significant role in protecting water quality in the estuary downstream. High-quality emergent marsh habitat is found in quieter parts of the river—meander bends, shallow bays, and backwaters separated from the main channel by natural levees. Common emergent plants include arrowhead, bulrush, bur-reed, lake sedge, cattail, and sweet flag. The St. Louis Estuary is an important bird breeding area and critical migratory stopover habitat; more than 230 bird species have been documented here. Species seen foraging in the marshes of this Wetland Gem® include bald eagle, osprey, merlin, and belted kingfisher. Resident birds include double-crested cormorant, Virginia rail, sora, marsh wren, common yellow-throat, swamp sparrow, song sparrow, and yellow warbler. The estuary serves as the primary nursery for the more than 40 native fish species found in western Lake Superior, including walleye, lake sturgeon, muskellunge, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. The St. Louis River Estuary has been designated a  National Estuarine Research Reserve , a designation that brings additional federal funds for research, public education, and stewardship of this important freshwater estuary.

These marshes are best explored by boat. Boat launches are located on Highway 23 just east of the Minnesota border and on highway 105 in the Village of Oliver.

For more information about the site, restoration efforts, and more, visit the  St. Louis River Estuary website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for the St. Louis River Marshes .

Stockton Island Tombolo

County: Ashland

Property Owner: National Park Service

This Wetland Gem®, part of the Apostle Islands Sandscapes State Natural Area, is Wisconsin’s only tombolo—a narrow piece of land created by current-deposited sands between an island and a mainland shore. The tombolo, stretching off the southeast end of Stockton Island to former island Presque Isle, is made up of two sandspits that enclose a large wetland and lagoon. A series of narrow, parallel sand ridges create swales that support a variety of wetland habitats including marsh, fen, coniferous bog, coniferous swamp, and alder thicket. Because of the unique landforms and complexity of the natural communities at this Wetland Gem®, the site boasts high overall species diversity as well as a high concentration of rare species. A fen mat at the site is composed of woolly sedge, the rare twig rush, brown and white beak rushes, sweet gale, and buckbean. The tombolo supports three state-threatened plant species. Wetlands at this site are used extensively by migratory birds in the spring and fall. The Apostle Islands in general host tens of thousands of migrating passerines and raptors, and provide important nesting habitat for colonial waterbirds and a variety of breeding songbirds. Rare animal species recorded at Stockton Island Tombolo include Swainson’s thrush, Blackburnian warbler, Cape May warbler, yellow-bellied flycatcher, merlin, and red-breasted merganser. Stockton Island is also home to one of the densest populations of black bears in North America. 

For details on travel to the island, along with camping and foot trail information, visit the  National Park Service’s Apostle Islands website .

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Stockton Island Tombolo .

Sultz Swamp

County: Bayfield

Property Owner: Bayfield County

Sultz Swamp is a rare acid peatland in the coastal zone, located on the Bayfield Peninsula six miles inland from the Lake Superior coast. This secluded swamp, including extensive black spruce swamp and open bog habitat, is the largest wetland complex of its type in the region. It is also one of the least disturbed wetland complexes of the region because it is embedded within a large area of county forest and its watershed is predominantly forested. Sultz Swamp is listed by Bayfield County as a Designated Wild Area in the county’s 10-Year Forest Management Plan. While the black spruce canopy of this swamp is closed, the understory is quite open. The understory layer supports a variety of plants including Labrador tea, three-leaved false Solomon’s seal, creeping snowberry, moccasin flower, blueberries, boreal bog sedge, and three-seeded sedge and the ground surface is carpeted by a layer of sphagnum mosses. Resident birds of this swamp include solitary vireo, ruby-crowned kinglet, Lincoln’s sparrow, and palm warbler. Several interesting birds, including yellow-bellied flycatcher, Nashville warbler, and ruby-crowned kinglet, and the rare butterfly Dorcas copper, have also been documented at the site. 

For information about how to access this site,  contact the Bayfield County Forestry Department . 

 View Wisconsin Wetlands Association's one-page, printable fact sheet for Sultz Swamp .