Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Midwest Region

  

Contacting the Refuge:
e-mail: WhittleseyCreek@fws.gov

Whittlesey Creek Home Page

29270 County Highway G
Ashland, WI 54806
Phone: 715-685-2678
Fax: 715-685-2680
TTY: 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay)

Located three miles west of Ashland,
Wisconsin on Highway 2

 

Refuge Facts

  • Established: 1999

  • Acres: 225 of the proposed 540 acres have been acquired

  • Refuge is focusing on acquisition from willing sellers, planning and development

Financial Impact of Refuge

  • Three person staff

  • FY 2007 Budget: $245,000

  • More than 150,000 people stop at the Great Lakes Visitor Center annually

Natural History

  • The refuge is located in the coastal area of Lake Superior at the mouth of Whittlesey Creek, which is a part of a large wetland complex at the head of Chequamegon Bay

  • The coastal wetlands and Lake Superior tributary streams provide habitat for migratory birds and anadromous trout and salmon

  • These coastal wetlands are significant, shallow water ecosystems in an otherwise very cold and deep lake

  • Whittlesey, Little Whittlesey and Terwilliger creeks flow through the refuge, collecting water from the many cold-water spring upwellings in the streams and bordering wetlands

  • Whittlesey Creek was historic spawning grounds for the anadromous strain of brook trout, referred to as coaster brook trout

Refuge Objectives

  • Protect and restore habitat in Whittlesey, Little Whittlesey, and Terwilliger creeks for migration, spawning, and rearing of trout and salmon from Lake Superior

  • Restore and manage habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds

  • Restore, to the extent possible, historical hydrologic conditions in the coastal wetlands and streams, including restoring Whittlesey Creek to its historic channel

  • Manage for compatible wildlife dependent recreational uses, including environmental education, hunting, fishing, wildlife-viewing, and demonstrating restoration and management techniques

Management Tools

  • Restoration and management planning for in-stream fish habitat, riparian vegetation and wetlands

  • Restoration of natural hydrology for wetlands and stream habitat will be a priority

  • Current management needs include removal of old buildings and habitat restoration

Public Use Opportunities

Refuge is adjacent to the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, which houses the refuge office. The Center is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open until 7 p.m. during the summer months.

 

Last updated: April 9, 2008