Upper Black River State Natural Area

Upper Black River is a highly complex system of both aquatic and terrestrial communities and diverse in terms of hydrology, topography, soils, animal life, and vegetation. The site protects the stretch of the Black River that runs from the Hatfield Dam at Lake Arbutus south to the city of Black River Falls. Also included are narrow corridors along Morrison Creek, Valentine Creek, and Dickey Creek.

Major streamside features include low terraces vegetated with floodplain forest or black ash swamp, slightly higher terraces supporting rich mesic hardwood forest, steep bluffs clad in dry-mesic forest of pine and oak, and numerous smaller sites containing sandstone cliffs, coves, spring seeps and spring runs. This extensive and diverse site is home to many rare species, some of which are area-sensitive while others are restricted to “southern” habitats such as rich maple-basswood forests. Others are habitat specialists found primarily on cliffs, in seepages, or in association with high gradient streams.

Protected within this site is Morrison Creek and its associated cliffs and forests. The creek itself is a fast, soft, warm second-order stream that flows through a 2-3 mile long, steep-walled gorge of Cambrian sandstone. The stream gradient is steep, and the bottom has cobbles, boulders, gravel, and sand. Seepages occur along the cliffs flanking the creek. The steep slopes of the narrow Valentine Creek gorge feature a mature dry-mesic forest composed of large white pine and red maple. Other characteristic species are red oak, paper birch, bracken fern, Canada mayflower, wintergreen, and early low-blueberry. The upper slopes contain a dense layer of shrubs and saplings. Small, nearly level terraces occur on the inside bends of meanders and oxbows. The gorge itself opens to the floodplain of the Black River.

The steep sandy slopes along the Dickey Creek corridor support a mature second-growth northern dry-mesic forest. White pine is dominant with some large individuals exceeding 20 inches in diameter. Slopes above the creek vary from nearly vertical, with slumping sandy or clay-shale slopes, to almost level terraces. The groundlayer is dominated by Penn sedge, bracken fern, and Canada mayflower with northern species including clubmoss, Canada honeysuckle, three-leaved goldthread, and pink lady’s-slipper.

Resident birdlife includes species more commonly found in the northern forests such as pine warbler, black-throated green warbler, red-breasted nuthatch, and hermit thrush. The uncommon Louisiana waterthrush, a bird that nests along high gradient streams flanked with forest, has been found along Valentine Creek.

Upper Black River is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2010.

Source: WDNR