GRANTSBURG - The winter months are sometimes brutally cold in Northwestern Wisconsin but there are still trails and events available to keep busy with. One activity is to visit the Crex Meadows Visitor Center at 102 E Crex Ave. in Grantsburg. In your tour, you will learn about the history and wildlife in the area. You can rent equipment like snowshoes and binoculars or shop at the gift shop. Members get a 10% discount at the shop, free admission to paid events, as well as free snowshoe rental. If you would like to become a Friends of Crex member, it is $15 per year. A self-guided tour is available at the website to print but you can get a preprinted copy at the visitor center as well. Currently there is a Little Wildlifers group that meets on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. -noon for ages 3-8 to explore wildlife and outdoor activities. Other events are posted online and will increase in the spring. Some events have limited seating and you must RSVP. The event page for Crex Meadows is crexmeadows.org/programs/.
According to the site, “The famous marshes and large, sandy plains of Crex Meadows were created from a retreating glacier over 13,000 years ago. The wildlife area is part of a larger system known as the Northwest Wisconsin Pine Barrens which extends from northern Polk County to southern Bayfield County. The mid-1800s brought settlers who tried farming the sandy soil with not much success. Large-scale drainage of wetlands in the 1890s, caused a decline in the number of nesting and migrant waterfowl and other wetland animals. In 1912, the Crex Carpet Co., an eastern corporation that produced grass rugs, purchased 23,000 acres in the location we now know as Crex Meadows. When linoleum floor covering became popular, the Crex Carpet Co. went bankrupt in 1933 but the name Crex remained. After a series of failed drainage and agricultural attempts, the state of Wisconsin purchased 12,000 acres to start the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area. Today, Crex Meadows sees over 100,000 visitors a year who enjoy the refuge for hunting, trapping and recreational use.”
Looking around the museum area it was also interesting to note that there were several large fires in the area, sand storms, droughts and even towns that once existed that produced large crops of blueberries. Buffalo, elk, caribou and passenger pigeons also once existed in Wisconsin but disappeared over time.
Currently trails that are in good condition for travel include those by the Upper Phantom Flowage and Hay Creek Flowage behind the visitor’s center. The trail by Reisinger Lake has a plowed lot, and while the trail itself is not plowed, it is well worn by other hikers. The trail by the Upper Phantom Flowage also has a separate trail for cross-county skiers. Maps of the trails are available at the visitor center. Current hours are weekdays 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
One of the main attractions of the park is the wildlife that can be seen. Mammals seen in the area in the last month were fisher, grey squirrel, grey wolf (tracks), red fox and white-tailed deer. Bird sightings at Fish Lake, Amsterdam Sloughs, and surrounding area included the American crow, American goldfinch, American tree sparrow, bald eagle, barred owl, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, common raven, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, European starling, golden eagle, great horned owl, hairy woodpecker, house finch, mallard, northern cardinal, northern shrike, pileated woodpecker, pine siskin, red-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted nuthatch, ring-necked pheasant, rough-legged hawk, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, snow bunting, trumpeter swan, white-breasted nuthatch and wild turkey.
For more information you can view the website at crexmeadows.org/ or their Facebook page at facebook.com/FriendsofCrexMeadows.
