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KVR Land Cover

The overall Kickapoo Valley Reserve land cover can be described through five categories.  Approximately 60 percent of the Reserve is forested land, consisting of mixed hardwoods or conifer stands.

Trees:
Hardwood stands in the Reserve consist primarily of oaks, maples, and hickory.

Conifers in the reserve are dominantly pine and hemlock. Minor populations of cedar and tamarack also exist. In 1970, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources planted white pine plantations throughout the Reserve. As part of the Reserve Master Plan, these will be harvested over time and replanted with mixed hardwoods.

Agriculture:
The Kickapoo Valley Reserve leases over 700 acres to area farmers for agriculture production. Crops typically include corn, soy beans, or alfalfa. Users of the Reserve are welcome to hike and hunt through these fields.  

Wetlands consist of approximately 17 percent of the Reserve. These areas are important to absorb rain or snow runoff, retain the soil, provide wildlife habitats, and serve as filters for pollutants. Since the displacement of the former Kickapoo valley farms, many agriculture fields have returned to wetlands.

Open Areas:
Many open areas of the Reserve are former agricultural fields. The Land Management Plan intends to maintain these as open areas. Native grass plantings include over 75 acres. The Ho-Chunk Nation, Prairie Enthusiasts, Department of Natural Resources Turkey Stamp Fund, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation have assisted in these projects.

  

 

 

 
View across the Rockton Slough showing dense vegetation

For comparison of the changes of land cover, see the 1840 Finley Map(pdf) , the 1930 Bordner Survey Map(pdf) and the 2000 Land Cover Map (pdf)


 

The Kickapoo Reserve Management Board acknowledges that the state and federal lands that comprise the Reserve fall within the ancestral homelands of First Nations people including the Hooçak Nation. We recognize the sovereignty of the Hooçak and other First Nations and will work towards a shared future by continuing to create collaborative opportunities to protect and preserve these lands.

Kickapoo Valley Reserve | S3661 State Highway 131 | La Farge, Wisconsin 54639 
Phone: 608-625-2960 | FAX: 608-625-2962
kickapoo.reserve@krm.state.wi.us

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