Download the Central Sand Plains chapter [PDF] of the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin. This chapter provides a detailed assessment of the ecological and socioeconomic conditions for the Central Sand Plains. It also identifies important planning and management considerations and suggests management opportunities that are compatible with the ecology of the landscape. The tabs below provide additional information.
Please note that each of these topics is covered in much more detail in the Central Sand Plains chapter [PDF].
Physical & Biotic Environment | Socioeconomic Conditions | Considerations for Planning & Management
| Physical & Biotic Environment | |
|---|---|
|
Size |
3,420 square miles (2,188,861 acres), representing 6.1% of the land area of the State of Wisconsin. |
|
Climate |
Typical of southern Wisconsin, mean annual temperature is 43.8 deg. F, mean annual precipitation is 32.8 inches, and mean annual snowfall is 45.0 inches. However, the mean growing season (135 days) is almost 19 days less than other southern Wisconsin ecological landscapes. Summer temperatures can drop below freezing at night in low-lying areas, restricting the distribution of some native plants. The short growing season and summer frosts limit agriculture, especially west of the Wisconsin River where commercially-grown cranberries are an important crop. East of the Wisconsin River the growing season is somewhat longer (by approximately 11 days), with fewer nights of potential summer frost. In this area agriculture is focused primarily on cool season crops such as potatoes, vegetables, and early maturing corn. Center pivot irrigation is widely used to water crops in this region of sandy soils. Grazing is a common land use practice in some areas. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Bedrock |
Late Cambrian sandstone that contains strata of dolomite and shale. Most exposures are of Cambrian sandstones. Precambrian igneous (granite) and metamorphic (gneiss) rocks lie beneath the sandstone and are exposed in a few places (e.g., in rapids on the Black River and East Fork of the Black River). Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Geology & Landforms |
An extensive, nearly level expanse of lacustrine and outwash sand that originated from a huge glacial lake characterizes much of the Central Sand Plains. Sand was deposited in Glacial Lake Wisconsin by outwash derived from melting glaciers to the north. Exposures of eroded sandstone bedrock remnants as buttes, mounds and pinnacles are unique to this Ecological Landscape. Sandstone is also exposed as cliffs along the Black River and some of its tributaries. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Soils |
Most soils formed from deep sand deposits of glacial lacustrine or outwash origin or in materials eroded from sandstone hillslopes and sometimes with a surface of wind-deposited (aeolian) sand. These soils are excessively drained, with very rapid permeability, very low available water capacity, and low nutrient status. In lower-lying terrain where silty lacustrine material impedes drainage, the water table is very close to the surface. Such areas are extensive in the western part of the Ecological Landscape, where soils may be poorly drained with surfaces of peat, muck or mucky peat. Thickness of peat deposits ranges from a few inches to more than 15 feet. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Hydrology |
Large areas of wetlands and a number of generally low-gradient streams that range from small coldwater streams to large warmwater rivers. Major rivers include the Wisconsin, Black, East Fork of the Black, Yellow, and Lemonweir. A number of headwaters streams originate in the extensive peatlands west of the Wisconsin River. Natural lakes are rare, and are limited to riverine floodplains and a few scattered ponds within the bed of extinct Glacial Lake Wisconsin. The hydrology of this Ecological Landscape has been greatly disrupted by past drainage, channelization, impoundment construction, and groundwater withdrawal. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Current Landcover |
The eastern portion of the Central Sand Plains is a mosaic of cropland, managed grasslands and scattered woodlots of pine, oak, and aspen. Many of the historic wetlands in the east were drained early in the 1900s and are now used for agricultural purposes. The western portion of this Ecological Landscape is mostly forest or wetland. Oak, pine, and aspen are the most abundant forest cover types. Plantations of red pine are common in some areas. On wet sites the forests are of two major types: tamarack and black spruce in the peatlands, and bottomland hardwoods in the floodplains of the larger rivers. Many attempts to practice agriculture west of the Wisconsin River failed due to poor soils, poor drainage, and growing season frosts. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Socioeconomic Conditions
(based on data from Adams, Clark, Jackson, Juneau, Monroe, Portage, and Wood counties) |
|
|---|---|
|
Population |
292,119, 5.1% of the state total |
|
Population Density |
46 persons/ sq. mile |
|
Per Capita Income |
$29,022 |
|
Important Economic Sectors |
The largest employment sectors in 2007 were: health care and social services (13.5%); government (13.4%); tourism-related (10.8%), and retail trade (8.9%). Although forestry and agriculture (potato and cranberry production are important here) do not have as large an impact on the number of jobs they produce compared to other economic sectors, they are the sectors that have the largest impact on the natural resources within the Ecological Landscape due to their effects on land and water. |
|
Public Ownership |
Approximately one-quarter of the Ecological Landscape is publicly owned, very high for an Ecological Landscape this far south. The public lands are mostly in federal, state, or county ownership, and include Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Black River State Forest, Buena Vista, Sandhill, Meadow Valley, and Wood County Wildlife Areas, Buckhorn State Park, and Clark, Jackson, Juneau, Monroe and Wood county forests. A map showing public land ownership (county, state, and federal) and private lands enrolled in the Forest Tax Programs in this Ecological Landscape can be found at the end of this chapter. |
|
Other Notable Ownerships |
The Nature Conservancy has partnered with WDNR and others to develop a large conservation project at Quincy Bluff in southern Adams County. Members of the Ho-Chunk Nation have significant holdings near Black River Falls. Some of the private holdings in the Central Sand Plains are very large, especially when compared with other ecological landscapes in southern Wisconsin. |
| Considerations for Planning & Management | |
|---|---|
The extensive acreage of public lands, and the large amount of forest cover and wetlands in the western part of the Central Sand Plains, present unique opportunities for management at large scales. A small number of large private ownerships, rather than numerous small private ownerships, is a characteristic ownership pattern in some areas, and this may also facilitate management at large scales and potentially make the coordination of management on public and private lands more feasible. Integration of forest and barrens management is possible and highly desirable in some areas because of the type, suitability, and condition of the habitats present, the extensive acreage of public lands, and the relatively low levels of development. Partial restoration of some streams is possible by restoring meanders, removing dams, plugging ditches, and improving management on other lands within the watersheds. Groundwater withdrawals and contamination are concerns due to the sandy soils and high water table. Center pivot irrigation is common east of the Wisconsin River and has been increasing to the west of the Wisconsin. Use of prescribed fire as a management tool may be more feasible at large scales here than elsewhere in southern WI, and is appropriate for many forest, savanna, grassland, and wetland communities. Burn plans should incorporate refugia where needed to protect fire-sensitive species. The spread of invasive plants threatens natural communities and other habitats and is a growing management concern. Commercial cranberry farming has been expanding in recent years; sometimes into upland sites rather than wetlands. Learn more about management opportunities from the chapter [PDF] |
The following species are listed according to their probability of occurring in the Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape, based on the findings in Wisconsin's 2015 Wildlife Action Plan.
See the key to association scores [PDF] for complete definitions.
(Please see also the Significant Flora [PDF] and the Significant Wildlife [PDF] sections in the Central Sand Plains chapter).
| Amphibians | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-toed Salamander | Hemidactylium scutatum | 3 |
| Pickerel Frog | Lithobates palustris | 2 |
| Blanchard's Cricket Frog | Acris blanchardi | 1 |
| Ants, wasps, and bees | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Cuckoo Bee | Epeolus ainsliei | 1 |
| American Bumble Bee | Bombus pensylvanicus | 1 |
| An Anthophorid Bee | Neolarra vigilans | 1 |
| Confusing Bumble Bee | Bombus perplexus | 1 |
| Yellow Bumble Bee | Bombus fervidus | 1 |
| Yellowbanded Bumble Bee | Bombus terricola | 1 |
| Aquatic and terrestrial snails | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Brilliant Granule | Guppya sterkii | 1 |
| Birds | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | 3 |
| American Woodcock | Scolopax minor | 3 |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger | 3 |
| Bobolink | Dolichonyx oryzivorus | 3 |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | 3 |
| Dickcissel | Spiza americana | 3 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | 3 |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | Antrostomus vociferus | 3 |
| Golden-winged Warbler | Vermivora chrysoptera | 3 |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum | 3 |
| Greater Prairie-Chicken | Tympanuchus cupido | 3 |
| Henslow's Sparrow | Ammodramus henslowii | 3 |
| Least Flycatcher | Empidonax minimus | 3 |
| Prothonotary Warbler | Protonotaria citrea | 3 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | 3 |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus | 3 |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | 3 |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | 3 |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | 3 |
| Whooping Crane | Grus americana | 3 |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | 2 |
| Cerulean Warbler | Setophaga cerulea | 2 |
| Connecticut Warbler | Oporornis agilis | 2 |
| King Rail | Rallus elegans | 2 |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | 2 |
| Le Conte's Sparrow | Ammodramus leconteii | 2 |
| Least Bittern | Ixobrychus exilis | 2 |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | 2 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Melanerpes erythrocephalus | 2 |
| Red-necked Grebe | Podiceps grisegena | 2 |
| Rusty Blackbird | Euphagus carolinus | 2 |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Tympanuchus phasianellus | 2 |
| Wilson's Phalarope | Phalaropus tricolor | 2 |
| Yellow Rail | Coturnicops noveboracensis | 2 |
| Acadian Flycatcher | Empidonax virescens | 1 |
| Black-backed Woodpecker | Picoides arcticus | 1 |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | 1 |
| Kirtland's Warbler | Setophaga kirtlandii | 1 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | 1 |
| Northern Bobwhite | Colinus virginianus | 1 |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | 1 |
| Purple Martin | Progne subis | 1 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | 1 |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | 1 |
| Butterflies and moths | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Karner Blue | Lycaeides melissa samuelis | 3 |
| Persius Dusky Wing | Erynnis persius | 3 |
| Phlox Moth | Schinia indiana | 3 |
| Sprague's Pygarctica | Pygarctia spraguei | 3 |
| Doll's Merolonche | Acronicta dolli | 2 |
| Dusted Skipper | Atrytonopsis hianna | 2 |
| Frosted Elfin | Callophrys irus | 2 |
| Gray Copper | Lycaena dione | 2 |
| Midwestern Fen Buckmoth | Hemileuca nevadensis ssp. 3 | 2 |
| Phyllira Tiger Moth | Grammia phyllira | 2 |
| Regal Fritillary | Speyeria idalia | 2 |
| Abbreviated Underwing Moth | Catocala abbreviatella | 1 |
| Bina Flower Moth | Schinia bina | 1 |
| Cobweb Skipper | Hesperia metea | 1 |
| Columbine Dusky Wing | Erynnis lucilius | 1 |
| Cross Line Skipper | Polites origenes | 1 |
| Gorgone Checker Spot | Chlosyne gorgone | 1 |
| Leadplant Flower Moth | Schinia lucens | 1 |
| Liatris Borer Moth | Papaipema beeriana | 1 |
| Mottled Dusky Wing | Erynnis martialis | 1 |
| Ottoe Skipper | Hesperia ottoe | 1 |
| Owl-eyed Bird Dropping Moth | Cerma cora | 1 |
| Swamp Metalmark | Calephelis muticum | 1 |
| Whitney's Underwing Moth | Catocala whitneyi | 1 |
| Caddisflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Giant Casemaker Caddisfly | Banksiola dossuaria | 3 |
| Dragonflies and damselflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Clamp-tipped Emerald | Somatochlora tenebrosa | 3 |
| Incurvate Emerald | Somatochlora incurvata | 3 |
| Ringed Boghaunter | Williamsonia lintneri | 3 |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 3 |
| Sioux (Sand) Snaketail | Ophiogomphus smithi | 3 |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 3 |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 2 |
| Forcipate Emerald | Somatochlora forcipata | 1 |
| Lilypad Forktail | Ischnura kellicotti | 1 |
| Mottled Darner | Aeshna clepsydra | 1 |
| Plains Emerald | Somatochlora ensigera | 1 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Gomphus graslinellus | 1 |
| Sphagnum Sprite | Nehalennia gracilis | 1 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 1 |
| Fishes | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Sucker | Cycleptus elongatus | 3 |
| Lake Sturgeon | Acipenser fulvescens | 3 |
| Gilt Darter | Percina evides | 2 |
| Least Darter | Etheostoma microperca | 2 |
| River Redhorse | Moxostoma carinatum | 2 |
| American Eel | Anguilla rostrata | 1 |
| Black Buffalo | Ictiobus niger | 1 |
| Longear Sunfish | Lepomis megalotis | 1 |
| Mud Darter | Etheostoma asprigene | 1 |
| Paddlefish | Polyodon spathula | 1 |
| Redfin Shiner | Lythrurus umbratilis | 1 |
| Shoal Chub | Macrhybopsis hyostoma | 1 |
| Leafhoppers and true bugs | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Leafhopper | Limotettix pseudosphagneticus | 3 |
| A Leafhopper | Driotura robusta | 2 |
| A Leafhopper | Paraphlepsius altus | 2 |
| A Leafhopper | Paraphlepsius maculosus | 2 |
| Prairie Leafhopper | Polyamia dilata | 2 |
| Red-tailed Prairie Leafhopper | Aflexia rubranura | 2 |
| A Leafhopper | Memnonia panzeri | 1 |
| A Leafhopper | Cuerna sayi | 1 |
| A Leafhopper | Laevicephalus vannus | 1 |
| A Leafhopper | Prairiana angustens | 1 |
| A Leafhopper | Prairiana cinerea | 1 |
| A Leafhopper | Prairiana kansana | 1 |
| A Leafhopper | Limotettix elegans | 1 |
| A Planthopper | Myndus ovatus | 1 |
| A Seed Bug | Slaterobius quadristriata | 1 |
| An Issid Planthopper | Bruchomorpha extensa | 1 |
| Piglet Bug | Aphelonema simplex | 1 |
| Yellow Loosestrife Leafhopper | Erythroneura carbonata | 1 |
| Mammals | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Big Brown Bat | Eptesicus fuscus | 3 |
| Franklin's Ground Squirrel | Poliocitellus franklinii | 3 |
| Little Brown Bat | Myotis lucifugus | 3 |
| Prairie Deer Mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii | 3 |
| Northern Long-eared Bat | Myotis septentrionalis | 2 |
| Prairie Vole | Microtus ochrogaster | 2 |
| Silver-haired Bat | Lasionycteris noctivagans | 2 |
| Water Shrew | Sorex palustris | 2 |
| Northern Flying Squirrel | Glaucomys sabrinus | 1 |
| Woodland Jumping Mouse | Napaeozapus insignis | 1 |
| Woodland Vole | Microtus pinetorum | 1 |
| Mayflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Small Minnow Mayfly | Paracloeodes minutus | 2 |
| Fox Small Square-gilled Mayfly | Cercobrachys fox | 2 |
| A Brush-legged Mayfly | Homoeoneuria ammophila | 1 |
| A Cleft-footed Minnow Mayfly | Metretopus borealis | 1 |
| A Mayfly | Ameletus lineatus | 1 |
| Pecatonica River Mayfly | Acanthametropus pecatonica | 1 |
| Winnebago Small Square-gilled Mayfly | Cercobrachys winnebago | 1 |
| Mussels and clams | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Buckhorn | Tritogonia verrucosa | 2 |
| Salamander Mussel | Simpsonaias ambigua | 2 |
| Ebonyshell | Fusconaia ebena | 1 |
| Elephant Ear | Elliptio crassidens | 1 |
| Elktoe | Alasmidonta marginata | 1 |
| Monkeyface | Theliderma metanevra | 1 |
| Sheepnose | Plethobasus cyphyus | 1 |
| Winged Mapleleaf | Quadrula fragosa | 1 |
| Yellow & Slough Sandshells | Lampsilis teres | 1 |
| Reptiles | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Blanding's Turtle | Emydoidea blandingii | 3 |
| Eastern Massasauga | Sistrurus catenatus | 3 |
| Slender Glass Lizard | Ophisaurus attenuatus | 3 |
| Wood Turtle | Glyptemys insculpta | 3 |
| Gophersnake | Pituophis catenifer | 2 |
| North American Racer | Coluber constrictor | 2 |
| Smooth Softshell | Apalone mutica | 2 |
| Ornate Box Turtle | Terrapene ornata | 1 |
| Prairie Skink | Plestiodon septentrionalis | 1 |
| Western Ribbonsnake | Thamnophis proximus | 1 |
The Natural Heritage Inventory has developed scores indicating the degree to which each of Wisconsin's rare plant species is associated with a particular natural community or ecological landscape. This information is similar to that found in the Wildlife Action Plan for animals. As this is a work in progress, we welcome your suggestions and feedback.
Scores: 3 = "significantly associated," 2 = "moderately associated," and 1 = "minimally associated."
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Anemone multifida var. multifida | Cut-leaved Anemone | 3 |
| Asclepias hirtella | Green Milkweed | 3 |
| Asclepias ovalifolia | Dwarf Milkweed | 3 |
| Bartonia paniculata | Twining Screwstem | 3 |
| Carex cumulata | Clustered Sedge | 3 |
| Carex merritt-fernaldii | Fernald's Sedge | 3 |
| Carex straminea | Straw Sedge | 3 |
| Cuscuta polygonorum | Knotweed Dodder | 3 |
| Didiplis diandra | Water-purslane | 3 |
| Juncus marginatus | Grassleaf Rush | 3 |
| Lycopodiella margueritae | Northern Prostrate Clubmoss | 3 |
| Potamogeton oakesianus | Oakes' Pondweed | 3 |
| Pseudognaphalium micradenium | Catfoot | 3 |
| Pseudognaphalium saxicola | Cliff Cudweed | 3 |
| Rhexia virginica | Virginia Meadow-beauty | 3 |
| Rotala ramosior | Toothcup | 3 |
| Scleria reticularis | Netted Nutrush | 3 |
| Scleria triglomerata | Whip Nutrush | 3 |
| Symphyotrichum dumosum var. strictior | Bushy Aster | 3 |
| Viola sagittata var. ovata | Sand Violet | 3 |
| Asplenium trichomanes | Maidenhair Spleenwort | 2 |
| Carex backii | Rocky Mountain Sedge | 2 |
| Carex festucacea | Fescue Sedge | 2 |
| Carex gracilescens | Slender Sedge | 2 |
| Crotalaria sagittalis | Arrow-headed Rattle-box | 2 |
| Cuscuta coryli | Hazel Dodder | 2 |
| Cuscuta pentagona | Field Dodder | 2 |
| Elatine triandra | Longstem Water-wort | 2 |
| Eleocharis engelmannii | Engelmann's Spike-rush | 2 |
| Eleocharis flavescens var. olivacea | Capitate Spike-rush | 2 |
| Eleocharis quadrangulata | Square-stem Spike-rush | 2 |
| Eleocharis wolfii | Wolf Spike-rush | 2 |
| Houstonia caerulea | Azure Bluets | 2 |
| Huperzia porophila | Rock Clubmoss | 2 |
| Hypericum prolificum | Shrubby St. John's-wort | 2 |
| Juglans cinerea | Butternut | 2 |
| Najas gracillima | Thread-like Naiad | 2 |
| Opuntia fragilis | Brittle Prickly-pear | 2 |
| Penstemon hirsutus | Hairy Beardtongue | 2 |
| Phemeranthus rugospermus | Prairie Fame-flower | 2 |
| Piptatheropsis canadensis | Canada Mountain Ricegrass | 2 |
| Platanthera flava var. herbiola | Pale Green Orchid | 2 |
| Poa paludigena | Bog Bluegrass | 2 |
| Potamogeton bicupulatus | Snail-seed Pondweed | 2 |
| Potamogeton diversifolius | Water-thread Pondweed | 2 |
| Primula mistassinica | Bird's-eye Primrose | 2 |
| Rhododendron lapponicum | Lapland Azalea | 2 |
| Salix sericea | Silky Willow | 2 |
| Schoenoplectus torreyi | Torrey's Bulrush | 2 |
| Scirpus georgianus | Georgia Bulrush | 2 |
| Strophostyles leiosperma | Small-flowered Woolly Bean | 2 |
| Symphyotrichum robynsianum | Robyns' Aster | 2 |
| Agalinis gattingeri | Roundstem Foxglove | 1 |
| Carex livida | Livid Sedge | 1 |
| Carex lupuliformis | False Hop Sedge | 1 |
| Diarrhena obovata | Ovate Beak Grass | 1 |
| Galium brevipes | Swamp Bedstraw | 1 |
| Hypericum mutilum | Slender St. John's-wort | 1 |
| Juncus vaseyi | Vasey's Rush | 1 |
| Malaxis monophyllos var. brachypoda | White Adder's-mouth | 1 |
| Paronychia canadensis | Smooth Forked Nail-wort | 1 |
| Penstemon pallidus | Pale Beardtongue | 1 |
| Polytaenia nuttallii | Prairie Parsley | 1 |
| Potamogeton confervoides | Algae-leaved Pondweed | 1 |
| Sisyrinchium albidum | White Blue-eyed-grass | 1 |
| Sullivantia sullivantii | Sullivant's Cool-wort | 1 |
| Vaccinium cespitosum | Dwarf Bilberry | 1 |
| Valeriana edulis var. ciliata | Hairy Valerian | 1 |
The Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape contains opportunities to manage for the following natural communities, based on the findings in the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan (originally presented by the Ecosystem Management Team).
See the key to association scores [PDF] for complete definitions.
The Central Sand Plains surrounds a large acreage of publicly-owned lands and contains extensive blocks of a wide variety of habitats. It provides many landscape-scale management opportunities absent from other parts of Wisconsin, especially the southern half of the state where habitats are often highly fragmented and public ownership is limited.
Large forest blocks provide habitat for area-sensitive species and protect water quality. Extensive oak and pine forests are common and can be managed at all scales and age classes. Opportunities to develop and maintain old-growth characteristics are good for Northern Dry-mesic Forest, Southern Dry-mesic Forest, the mixed Central Sands Pine-Oak Forest, White Pine-Red Maple Swamp, Floodplain Forest, as well as some of the drier oak and pine types at certain locations. Floristically rich mesic hardwood forests on terraces just above the floodplains of several of the major rivers offer fewer, but important, opportunities. Early successional forest management opportunities are also good here, for jack pine, "scrub" oak and, locally, aspen.
Abundant wetlands provide excellent large-scale management opportunities, especially in and around the bed of the former Glacial Lake Wisconsin. Large acid peatland complexes support many species (plants and animals) known mostly from northern Wisconsin, along with species that are rare in the north. These wetlands can be managed in ways that are compatible with surrounding forest and/or open habitats, to maximize their utility for sensitive species.
Rare communities such as Oak and Pine Barrens, Coastal Plain Marsh, White Pine-Red Maple Swamp, are well-represented in the Central Sand Plains and support many rare species. Remnant barrens warrant additional recognition, protection, restoration and expansion, and in many areas could be managed compatibly with dry forests of jack pine and oak. East of the Wisconsin River extensive "surrogate grasslands" are managed for rare and declining grassland animals, including Wisconsin's best populations of the Greater Prairie-chicken and regal fritillary. In general, there are numerous opportunities to connect high-quality remnants of barrens, dry forest, sand prairie and other habitats and manage at multiple scales.
Major rivers such as the Wisconsin, Black, Yellow, Lemonweir and Eau Claire and their floodplains, provide extensive, contiguous habitats (especially floodplain forest) for many species of management concern. The river corridors can provide connectivity between habitats in this landscape and other ecological landscapes to the north, south and west. Headwaters streams originating in Central Sand Plains extensive peatlands could be restored, protected and managed as parts of entire riparian systems - a rare opportunity for the southern half of the state.
Sandstone bedrock exposures in the Central Sand Plains include unusual features such as buttes, mesas, mounds and pinnacles. These types of geological features are not found elsewhere in the state and some of them support rare and specialized plants and animals.
The Central Sand Plains is a major concentration area, of rare species, including several that are globally imperiled. A number of disjunct species, sometimes far from their primary ranges, are present. In addition, the landscape's location and its wide variety of habitats allow many plants and animals to occur near their southern or northern range limits.
1. The text presented here is a summarized version of a longer section developed for the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin.
Also see the statewide maps.
Landtype Associations (LTAs) are units of the National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (NHFEU), a hierarchical ecological land classification system. LTAs are much smaller than Ecological Landscapes, ranging in size from 10,000 and 300,000 acres. In Wisconsin, they are usually based on glacial features like individual moraines or outwash plains. LTAs can be very useful for planning at finer scales within an Ecological Landscape.
The following are the LTAs associated with the Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape. The Central Sand Plains LTA map [PDF] can be used to locate these LTAs. Clicking on an LTA in the list below will open a data table for that LTA in PDF format. Descriptions are included, where available.
Map of Wisconsin's 16 Ecological Landscapes