CENTRAL REGION

Fa l Fun is waiting for you! I

Plover Wisconsin

Fal fun awaits you in Plover! Come view our beautiful scenery by ATV/UTV or hike some area trails. Fal is a prime time to come Musky Fish the Wisconsin River and our state land is waiting for you to come hunt this fal. For more information on the area and area businesses, visit comeovertoplover.com Central Region

Visit Naturally at Buena Vista Wildlife Area

TOWN OF PLOVER AREA – Bird watchers, hunters, hikers and cross-country skiers have ample space and opportunities to pursue their respective sport in the Buena Vista Wildlife Area. The 12,700-acre property is located in southwestern Portage County. It consists of scattered parcels 10 miles east of Wisconsin Rapids and 4 miles south of Plover. From the intersection of State Hwy. 54 and County Hwy. F (west of Plover), go south on County Hwy. F 6 miles, then east on Griffith Avenue 0.75 mile to the southern boundary of the natural area. An informational kiosk is located off County Hwy. W, just east of County Hwy. F. There is a checklist of birds available from the Golden Sands Resource Conservation and Development Council. Buena Vista Grasslands is home to the largest concentration of greater prairie chickens in Wisconsin and represents one of the most extensive grasslands east of the Mississippi River. The property harbors a healthy population of other important grassland bird species. Several state natural areas are found within the borders of the property including the Buena Vista Quarry Prairie and the Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow. The latter is a part of Buena Vista Marsh, a large outwash plain and former glacial lake bed. Part of the site is grassland dominated by bluegrass and is managed for prairie chickens. In the spring, the area draws visitors who come to see the mating rituals of the prairie chicken. But the chickens reside there year-round and winter provides ample opportunities to see them against the snow-covered ground or perched in trees. If you go, bring a spotting scope, binoculars and a long lens for your camera. Murray Berner, writing on eBird.org, also notes: “From September through March, it isn’t necessary to concentrate on public land. The stubble fields, grazed pastures, and woodlots offer interesting birding. Flocks of hundreds of staging Sandhill Cranes are present through November. These are usually south of County Hwy. W. In corn stubble or harvested potato fields, flocks of Horned Larks, longspurs and American Golden-Plovers appear in October. North of W seems best.” If you are lucky, you may spot one or more snowy owls!