Copyright
© 2004-2009 Friends of the
Bird Sanctuary, Inc.
We are
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax
deductible.
Sunday, July 12th at 1pm
Ice Age in Our Front Yard: Wisconsin's Glacial Past
Saturday, July 25th at 10am
Raptors!
Saturday, August 8th at 9am
Black Bears!
Solon Springs Hikers
Hikers group meets on Thursdays at 9am at the Solon Springs Community Center to
hike segments of the North Country Trail.
More information
here
Click here to see News and Events
- FOTBS 2009 Program Event Schedule
- Superior Telegram articles about the Bird Sanctuary
- Douglas County Board votes to protect Bird Sanctuary property
- Douglas County Board signs Partnership Agreement with FOTBS
- DCWMA property map and trail-use policies
Douglas County Wildlife Management Area (image
courtesy of Thomas A. Meyer)
Situated on the rolling glacial outwash sand plain that extends from
Burnett to Bayfield counties, the property features a large
pine barrens with widely scattered clumps of jack pine,
northern pin oak (hill’s oak), and occasional red
(norway) pine. The plant community is characteristic of the presettlement vegetation that once covered much of northwestern Wisconsin.
Maintained by fire, the barrens are one of the best sharp-tailed grouse
habitats in Wisconsin. Shrubs present are american hazelnut, sweet fern, early
low blueberry, and prairie willow. Ground layer species include big
bluestem, little bluestem, rough blazing star, wood lily, hoary puccoon,
new jersey tea, pasque flower, butterfly weed, and wood betony (lousewort).
The Bird Sanctuary, officially called the Douglas County Wildlife Management Area (DCWMA), is
a
4,000 acre property that is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources and leased from Douglas County
(except for 994 acres that are state owned). 240 acres of the property
were designated the Solon Springs Sharptail Barrens State
Natural Area by the DNR in 1968.
Bird life is dominated by species, which require extensive open landscapes
including the rare sharp-tailed grouse, upland sandpiper, northern harrier (marsh hawk),
clay-colored
sparrow, red-tailed hawk, and vesper sparrow.
Other birds include sora rail, spotted sandpiper, short-eared
owl, rough-legged hawk, eastern bluebird, rufous-sided towhee,
gray
catbird, brown thrasher, vesper
sparrow, american woodcock,
and ruffed grouse.
In addition to sharp-tailed grouse, principal wildlife includes
white-tailed deer, coyote,
plains pocket gopher, and american badger. Other mammals include black bear,
gray (timber)
wolf, thirteen-lined ground squirrel, red squirrel, eastern gray squirrel, and
least chipmunk.
Amphibians, turtles, and reptiles include eastern tiger salamander, blue
spotted salamander, cope’s gray tree frog, eastern american toad,
western painted turtle,
eastern hog-nosed snake, smooth green snake
(grass snake), and northern prairie skink.
A DCWMA species list can be found here.
Recreational activities include hiking, bird watching, berry picking, wild
flower observation, picnicking, and dog trials by permit.
Join the Friends of the Bird
Sanctuary
