Dike 17 Wildlife Area

Dike 17 Wildlife Area is a 3,100 acre property located within the Black River State Forest. The Area consists of brush and grassland intermixed with flowages.

The dikes were originally constructed in the 1940’s by the game division under the Resettlement Administration using Works Project Administration (WPA) labor. This included setting up a small sawmill on the area where they assembled and produced oak sheet piling for the core of every earth dike.   Today, the flowages are periodically drawn down to promote growth of forage for waterfowl, and the uplands are burned to maintain them in an open or brushy landscape to benefit nesting waterfowl, sharp-tailed grouse and the federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly.

Like most Wisconsin Wildlife Areas, Dike 17 offers many recreational opportunities including: birding, cross country skiing (no designated trail), fishing, hiking (no designated trail), hunting (refuge closed from Sept. 1 – Dec. 31 with the exception of the gun deer season), trapping, wild edibles/gathering, and wildlife viewing.

Source: WDNR