Avon Bottoms Wildlife Area
Avon Bottoms Wildlife Area is located in the town of Avon in southwest Rock County. It has gained appreciation for its wild nature since being located near more prominent Wisconsin and Illinois population centers. The property currently consists of 4,356 acres of state-owned land. Early two-thirds of this acreage is bottomland hardwood forest and wetland; the remaining third is restored native prairie and oak woodland. Documented as one of the few places in Wisconsin, sycamore trees are thriving very well here (a species typically found more to the south).
Surrounding the many sloughs and oxbows, the property also includes 2 embedded State Natural Areas (SNAs) set aside for their rare intact plant communities: Swenson Wet Prairie SNA (No. 64), and Avon Bottoms SNA (No. 36). In 2006, Avon Bottoms was declared a Wisconsin Important Bird Area, known for breeding cerulean and yellow-throated warblers, as well as Acadian flycatchers and yellow-crowned night-herons. Additionally, the floodplain forest and grassy sloughs are heavily used by migrating birds of all descriptions.
The property provides public access for hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, and other nature-based outdoor activities. Roughly 15 miles of the Sugar River meander through the property, and users can take a river trip from Avon down to the Sugar River Forest Preserve in Winnebago County, IL.
Common game species include pheasants, turkeys, waterfowl, deer, and other small game.
Management Objectives
Avon Bottoms Wildlife Area began in 1960 as a Federal Aid in Fish and Wildlife Restoration project to provide public hunting and serve as a duck and pheasant production area. In Wisconsin's Wildlife Action Plan, it is identified as a Conservation Opportunity Area of state significance for the conservation of floodplain forest communities in Wisconsin's Wildlife Action Plan.
Management provides opportunities for public hunting, fishing, trapping and other outdoor recreation while protecting the qualities of the unique native communities and associated species found on the property.
Prescribed burning, mowing, invasive species control, agriculture, and timber stand improvement are the most common management practices utilized on the landscape. One of the largest management efforts has been focused on forest regeneration following a large ash tree die-off caused by the invasive emerald ash borer.
In recent years, more effort has been made to convert agricultural lands back to native habitats by planting oak trees and prairie grasses/forbs.
Recreation
The Avon Bottoms Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities:
- Biking
- Birding (designated Wisconsin Important Bird Area)
- Boating (motorized and non-motorized)
- Canoeing (Sugar River, put-in Avon to take out Sugar River Forest Preserve in Winnebago County, Illinois)
- Cross-country skiing (no designated trail)
- Fishing
- Hiking (no designated trail)
- Hunting (noted for: waterfowl, turkey, deer, small game and stocked pheasant)
- Kayaking
- Trapping
- Wild edibles/gathering
- Wildlife viewing
Amenities:
- Bathroom - None
- Parking lot - Yes
- Campground and size - None
- Trails, Types and Lengths - Non-designated only
- Other amenities include a state-owned boat launch off Beloit-Newark Road, and a county-owned boat launch off South Nelson Road.
Maps
Download a map of this property: Map A [PDF] or Map B [PDF].
If you are interested in exploring this property further, you can access an interactive map.
Avon Bottoms Wildlife Area is located in Rock County's southwest corner and Green County's southeast corner. The property currently consists of 3,402 acres of fee-title state-owned lands and four acres of easement lands. The property follows the Sugar River bottomland forest through the Rock County town of Avon, from County Highway T on the western Rock/Green county line to the Illinois border to the southeast.
Take State Highway 81 west from Beloit for 10 miles, then west on Beloit-Newark Road for 3 miles. From north, go south on County Highway T, 6 miles from State Highway 11 at Brodhead, turning east on Beloit-Newark Road.
