Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Park Information

Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge is part of a large wetland complex on Lake Superior, near Ashland, Wisconsin. These coastal wetlands are a significant part of the wildlife habitat and aquatic resources of the south shore of Lake Superior.

The refuge was established in 1999, and it is still being created. Its purpose is to protect, restore, and manage coastal wetland and spring-fed stream habitat. Up to 540 acres of coastal wetland in the Whittlesey Creek watershed will be acquired, and up to 1,260 acres will be protected through conservation easements.

Refuge habitats include coastal wetlands, sedge meadows, lowland hardwood swamps, black spruce swamps, and abandoned agricultural fields. Whittlesey, Little Whittlesey, and Terwilliger creeks flow through the refuge, collecting water from the many cold-water spring upwellings in the streams and bordering wetlands.

Restoration of coaster brook trout, a native anadromous fish of Lake Superior, is one of the refuge goals. The refuge will also restore stream and wetland habitat to benefit other fish species and migratory birds.

The refuge is located immediately north of the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, which is operated by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Wisconsin State Historical Society, University of Wisconsin Extension Service, and Friends of the Center Alliance, Ltd. The Center serves as the headquarters and contact station for the refuge.

Agency Name:

Fish and Wildlife Service