Town Corner Wildlife Area
Town Corner Wildlife Area is a 905-acre property located in north-central Marinette County. The property has frontage on Town Corner Lake and is a mix of lowland swamp conifer consisting of white cedar and spruce and uplands comprised of various ages of aspen, oak and pine, as well as grass openings. Granite rock outcrops are scattered throughout the entire property, and a small lake/bog is found in the center of the property. The small, 11-acre bog lake found near the center of the property supports unique plant and animal life and is part of the Town Corner Cedars State Natural Area.
Property users can park at one of four mapped native surface parking areas and explore the many habitats Town Corner Wildlife Area has to offer. Walk on the blanket of sphagnum moss under the cedar canopy, explore a floating bog, or follow deer trails through aspen and oak in search of your next meal of venison. Try out your birding skills and see how many of the 50 species of birds known to use the property you can find.
Find Town Corner Wildlife Area from Highway 141 in the community of Amberg. Go west on Coleman Avenue, then north on Grant Street, which turns west out of town and is called Dow Dam Road. Continue west for 3 miles, then north on Smiley Road, which borders the southern portion of the Town Corner Wildlife Area. Continue on Smiley Road, then turn north on Rock Road, which borders the west side of the property. From Rock Road, head east on Town Corner Lake Road, which borders the north side of the property.
Management Objectives
The property was acquired by the state beginning in 1947 and completed in 1951 to be managed as a deer yard; an additional 120 acres was donated to the state in 1987. Despite management efforts, deer did not use the property as a yarding area. By the late 1950s, management shifted to providing hunting opportunities and forest game habitat. Management consists of maintaining grass openings and harvesting timber. The cedar swamp, associated ground layer flora, and the bog lake are biologically unique and may contain rare species. This portion of the property is designated as a state natural area.
Invasive plants, including Phragmites, cattails, and European marsh thistle, are actively being managed within the natural area to protect the rare habitat.
Visit the property planning page for more information on master planning for this and other wildlife areas around the state, visit the property planning page.
Recreation
The Town Corner Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities:
- Birding
- Cross-country skiing (no designated trail)
- Fishing
- Hiking (no designated trail)
- Hunting
- Trapping
- Wild edibles/gathering
- Wildlife viewing
Amenities
- Bathroom - none.
- Parking lot - there are four mapped parking areas.
- Campground and size - none.
- Trails, Types and Lengths - none.
Maps
Download [PDF] a map of this property.
If you want to explore this property further, you can access an interactive map.
