Welcome to the Leopold Wetland Management District! Named after Aldo Leopold, who is widely acknowledged as the father of wildlife conservation in America. The district encompasses almost 13,500 acres of waterfowl production areas in 17 southeastern Wisconsin counties, covering some of the most important waterfowl areas in the state. While waterfowl production areas are managed primarily for ducks and geese, they also provide habitat for a variety of other wildlife species such as grassland birds, pheasants, shorebirds, wading birds, mink, muskrat, wild turkey and deer and are open to the public for hiking, wildlife observation and photography, hunting, fishing and more. Enjoy!

Visit Us

Waterfowl production areas (wpas) are open to wildlife-dependent recreation including hunting (deer, upland game and waterfowl), fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental education, interpretation, berry and mushroom and nut picking (for personal use only), hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing unless otherwise posted. Schoenberg (Columbia county), Uihlein (Winnebago county), Ulao (Ozaukee county), Becker (Columbia county) and Swan Pond (Dane county) waterfowl production areas offer trails for easier access. 

Location and Contact Information

      Our Species

      The district is managed primarily for migratory birds, which need a variety of habitats for feeding, courtship and nesting. Many other species benefit too.

      A monarch butterfly on a yellow flower

      Adult monarch butterflies are large and conspicuous, with bright orange wings surrounded by a black border and covered with black veins. The black border has a double row of white spots, present on the upper side of the wings. Adult monarchs are sexually dimorphic, with males having narrower...

      FWS Focus
      A rusty patched bumble bee visits a wild bergamot flower

      Historically, the rusty patched bumble bee was broadly distributed across the eastern United States, Upper Midwest, and southern Quebec and Ontario in Canada. Since 2000, this bumble bee has been reported from only 13 states and 1 Canadian province: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland,...

      FWS Focus
      Small butterfly rests on flower stalk with wings open.

      The Karner blue butterfly was first described more than a century ago in Karner, New York. It is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of about one inch. The male's wings are distinctively marked with a silvery or dark blue color. The female is grayish brown, especially on the outer portions of the...

      FWS Focus