Lands_Content Page_Sweeney Pond Wildlife Area

Sweeney Pond Wildlife Area

Sweeney Pond Wildlife Area is a 281 acre (40 owned, 241 easements) property in Barron County consisting of flowage and marsh.

Find it by going west of Barron on Highway 8 for 4 miles. Turn south on 11th Street and go 1/2 mile to 13th Avenue and head west 3/4 mile. The property is south of the road.

Management Objectives

A dam was built to create the flowage in the 1960s. The town road is both the dam and emergency spillway. Most of the water goes through a water control structure that goes under the road, except during very high water in the spring. The water level is lowered in early summer to promote the growth of wild rice. The area provides good waterfowl habitat and is occasionally used by trumpeter swans for nesting.

For more information on master planning for this and other wildlife areas around the state, visit the property planning page.

Recreation

The Sweeney Pond Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities:

  • Birding;
  • Cross-country skiing (no designated trail);
  • Hiking;
  • Hunting (especially noted for waterfowl);
  • Trapping (especially noted for beaver, muskrats and otter);
  • Wild edibles/gathering; and
  • Wildlife viewing.

Maps

Download [PDF] a map of this property.

Adopt a Fish or Wildlife Area

Find out more about how to adopt this wildlife area.