The draft Powell Marsh State Wildlife Area master plan will be presented for final approval at next month's Natural Resources Board meeting.
Following a public input process that included multiple public meetings and a four-day workshop to acquire stakeholder input the agency came up with a draft plan.
Diane Brusoe of the DNR Facilities and Lands Bureau says the board will look at what the resource management will be, recreation items and whether there is any kind of real estate involved with the plan. She says resource management will look at the extensive wetlands in Powell Marsh. The agency contracted with a consulting team from UW-Oshkosh to facilitate a conversation with stakeholders and after those sessions, came up with the draft. She talks about one key outcome...
"....we'll be establishing a new dedicated hiking trail loop. I think we heard from the (listening sessions) back in May. It's a 3.7 mile hiking trail loop that circles the Vista Flowage...and we'll also include an accessible viewing blind...."
Other key points are maintain the existing, expansive open wetland habitats important for wildlife and bird populations; lower the potential for iron floc production on the property by reducing the length of ditches and increasing the level of water that “filters” through wetlands before discharging, reduce the size of the existing refuge to allow year-round public access on the southern perimeter of Vista Flowage; and change the closed time period to to provide more furbearer harvest opportunities.
The Powell Marsh State Wildlife Area is located in western Vilas County, three miles south of Manitowish Waters and 10 miles north of Lac du Flambeau. The 4,850-acre property is bounded on three sides by the Northern Highland-American Legion State forest and by the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation on the south and is primarily an open peatland with several small flowages and lakes.
The Natural Resources Board meeting is December 14 in Madison. To view the draft master plan, visit dnr.wi.gov, search keywords “master planning,” and select “Powell Marsh Wildlife Area.”
