Atkins-Hiles Swamp
Location
Potential Research Topics:
Topics for study include muskeg wetland ecosystems, wet-mesic forest, and rare animals. Surveys of taxa not yet recorded include amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, bats, and other mammals.
Ecological and Physical Description
Atkins-Hiles Swamp RNA is one of the largest high quality complexes of open bog and conifer swamp in the state (Epstein 1986). Habitats include muskeg of sparse and stunted black spruce (Picea mariana), dense wet forest of black spruce and tamarack (Larix laricina) and open bog. Upland glacial features known as drumlins border the wetland and contain northern mesic forest with mixed forested swamps along the interface of the wetlands and drumlins. There are also inclusions of northern poor fen with aspects of open bog, shrub swamp, and scattered small upland islands of virtually untouched hemlock, white pine, red pine, and white spruce. The swamp is home to several boreal plant and bird species rare in Wisconsin, including sparse-flowered sedge (Carex tenuiflora), swamp pink orchid (Arethusa bulbosa), boreal chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus), and gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis), and encompasses habitats known to serve as bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) nesting sites.
Annual precipitation averages 32 inches (81 cm), 67% of which falls between April and September. Average seasonal snowfall is 64.6 inches (164 cm).
Long Lake Dam (station no. 474829) is about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of the RNA.
The geology of the Atkins-Hiles Swamp RNA was shaped by the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. As this glacier retreated, till deposition and glacial melt-water formed an irregular landscape of hills pocked with depressions that later became lakes and wetlands. Bedrock includes igneous, metamorphic, and volcanic rock that is between 50 and 5 feet from the land surface. Geomorphologic processes include till deposition and glacial meltwater deposition. Surficial deposits include kame terraces and drumlin moraines.
Soils are very poorly drained nonacid organic soils that are found in the lowland areas along with well-drained loamy and sandy soils with a silt loam or sandy loam surface over non-calcareous gravelly sand (USDA Forest Service 2003a). Also present are moderately drained loamy soils with a silt loam or a fine sandy loam surface over a fragipan over non-calcareous loamy sand till. Nutrient status is medium to rich and moisture regime is dry-mesic to mesic.
The Eagle River has its origins within the swamp on the north end of the complex and drains north as it winds its way through the swamp for about 2 miles (3 km). Its banks consist of alder thicket and northern sedge meadow, both with abundant wet sphagnum hummocks. An un-named creek forms in the south end of the complex and drains south into Atkins Lake outside the RNA.
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picea mariana | Black spruce | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Larix laricina | tamarack | Common Shrub Species | ||
| Alnus incana | Alder | Common Shrub Species | thickets are also common along the margin of Eagle River |
|
| Pogonia ophioglossoides | rose pogonia | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Calopogon tuberosus | grass pink | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Arethusa bulbosa | swamp pink | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Trichophorum alpinum | alpine cotton-grass | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Carex tenuiflora | sparse flowered sedge | Common Herbaceous Species | ||
| Rhynchospora alba | white beak rush | Common Herbaceous Species |
Common Animal Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ondatra zibethicus | muskrat | Common Fauna | ||
| Mustela vison | mink | Common Fauna | ||
| Castor canadensis | beaver | Common Fauna | ||
| Ursus americanus | black bear | Common Fauna | ||
| Odocoileus virginianus | white-tailed deer | Common Fauna | ||
| Gavia immer | common loon | Common Fauna | ||
| Aix sponsa | wood duck | Common Fauna | ||
| Haliaeetus leucocephalus | bald eagle | Common Fauna | ||
| Pandion haliaetus | osprey | Common Fauna | ||
| Botaurus lentiginosus | American bittern | Common Fauna | ||
| Chlidonias niger | black tern | Common Fauna | ||
| Circus cyaneus | northern harrier | Common Fauna | ||
| Setophaga palmarum | palm warbler | Common Fauna | ||
| Melospiza lincolnii | Lincoln’s sparrow | Common Fauna | ||
| Perisoreus Canadensis | gray jay | Common Fauna | ||
| Poecile hudsonicus | boreal chickadee | Common Fauna |