Forest Transition
Regional Master Plan
George Mead Wildlife Area
The department will be initiating a regional master planning process for properties it manages in the Forest Transition Landscape. The region includes all or large portions of Barron, Chippewa, Clark, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Menomonee, Polk, Portage, Shawano, Taylor, Washburn, Waupaca and Wood counties. Small portions of Burnett, Eau Claire, Oconto, Rusk and Sawyer counties are also within the region.
The department manages nearly 100,000 acres of land across hundreds of properties in the Forest Transition region, including parks, natural areas, fish and wildlife areas, and a variety of other types of properties and parcels acquired under different statewide authorities. Some of the more popular or well-known properties that will be part of the planning process include Council Grounds, Interstate, Lake Wissota and Straight Lake state parks; Gandy Dancer and Tomorrow River state trails; Big Rib River, Plover River and Little Wolf River fishery areas; and Joel Marsh, McMillan, Mead and Tom Lawin wildlife areas.