Quincy Bluff & Wetlands State Natural Area

Quincy Bluff and Wetlands is a large, landscape-scale natural area featuring a mosaic of communities including northern wet and wet-mesic forest, northern and southern sedge meadow, shrub-carr, pine barrens, and sand prairie. This unique area features a vast wetland complex with low sandy ridges, wetlands, and seepage ponds situated between sandstone mesas and buttes that rise 100-200 feet. Quincy Bluff, which rises 200 feet high and extends for approximately two miles, contains northern dry forest and open cliff communities. Lone Rock, an excellent example of a Driftless Area mesa, features one hundred-foot Cambrian sandstone cliffs.

The uplands are forested with jack pine and Hill’s oak with a shrub layer dominated by huckleberry, American hazelnut, and early low blueberry. Pennsylvania sedge is the dominant herb with wild lupine and spreading dogbane common in the understory. Grasses and forbs characteristic of barrens and sandy prairies are found here including big blue-stem, June grass, needle grass, poverty grass, goat’s-rue, prairie coreopsis, and rough blazing-star.

 

Due to its large size and heterogeneous landscape, Quincy Bluff and Wetlands contains essential habitat for a great diversity of species. Within this vast ecosystem are numerous rare plant and animal species including cross milkwort, Virginia meadow beauty, fragile prickly pear, ringed boghaunter dragonfly, ebony boghaunter dragonfly, warpaint emerald dragonfly, and a tiger beetle. Signature bird species include the Willow flycatcher, great blue-heron, and common raven. Rare species include blue-headed vireo, red-headed woodpecker, gray jay, and golden-crowned kinglet.

The Area is managed as an oak/pine barrens, northern dry forest and northern sedge meadow preserve, as an aquatic reserve and wetland protection area, a sand prairie restoration site, and as an ecological reference area. Natural processes will determine the structure of the dry forest, along with prescribed vegetation manipulation in the savanna. The Area provides opportunities for research and education on the highest quality native oak/pine barrens and northern sedge meadows.

In 2013, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) donated 1,700 acres at Quincy Bluff to the State of Wisconsin. In addition, TNC also donated a permanent endowment to supplement management costs, with the funds to be managed by a qualified foundation. This gift of land will allow the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to streamline management across the Area, particularly the use of prescribed fire to restore rare oak barrens.

Quincy Bluff is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1993.

Source: WDNR and Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail