Riley Lake Wildlife Management Area, Price County, WI, US - eBird Hotspot
Habitat: Conifer Bog. WIllow, Alder, Dogwood Swamp, Native and Restored Grassland, Open Water and Northern Hardwood Forest.
Best birds: The WMA is managed for Ruffed and Sharp-tailed Grouse. The West, South and East sides of the WMA property, on FR 137, 136 and 505 respectively, will yield some Sharp-tails each spring. Throughout the SNA and WMA look for breeding Trumpeter Swan, Sandhill Crane, Black-billed Cuckoo, American Woodcock, American Bittern, Northern Harrier, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireo, Sedge Wren, Veery, Wood Thrush, Clay-colored, Lincoln, and Swamp Sparrow, Golden-winged, Nashville, and Connecticut Warbler (rare), Northern Waterthrush, and Brewer’s Blackbird.
Directions: 92 miles NW of Wausau/23 miles southeast of Park Falls. From Hwy 70 go south on either Forest Road 137 (Riley Lake Road) or FR 505 (Hemlock Rd) or FR 137 (Riley Lake Road) 5-6 miles to FR 136 (Gates Lake Rd). The WMA lies north of FR 136 and is bordered by FR 137 on the west and FR 505 on the east. FR 536 goes west from FR 505 leading to Riley Lake, (45.85332, -90.13921). West of the WMA at the south end of FR137 is the Popple Creek/Wilson Flowage where there is a parking area 0.1 mile west on FR 136 near the start of a nature trail, (45.82323, -90.19535), The SNA lies south of FR 136: there are no trails into the SNA so bushwhack with care.
Site Address & Additional Information:
Riley Lake SNA is a vast peatland the primary characteristic of which is the large, continuous bog and spruce muskeg. Several eskers forested with red pine wind through the site in a north-south direction. The bog grades into a black spruce and tamarack swamp and later to alder thicket at the edges of the uplands. The bog habitat extends to the Wildlife Management Area to the north and transitions to open grass and shrubland with open water and wetlands surrounded by forest.
Forest Road 136 (N. Gates Lake Road), Park Falls WI
Riley Lake State Natural Area - Wisconsin DNR
Thomas H. Nicholls
