Lassa Column: Peak Autumn Colors Just Around the Corner
By State Senator Julie Lassa
Fall has officially arrived! The days are growing shorter, the weather is getting cooler, and flocks of migrating birds are beginning to move through our area. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism Fall Color Report is predicting that the woods in Central and Western Wisconsin will be most colorful in the first and second weeks of October, so it’s a good time to plan a fall color road trip. Fortunately, residents of the 24th Senate District have a number of great places to enjoy the beauty of the autumn outdoors.
Not far from my home is the Schmeeckle Reserve, a 280-acre nature preserve on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Created to preserve and restore native species and provide educational and recreational opportunities for students and area residents, the Reserve features hiking trails, a visitor center, and habitats for many kinds of plant and animal life, including the manmade Lake Joanis. The pines and oaks in the mixed forest are beautiful in fall and the Reserve is said to feature more than 200 species of birds.
An even grander display of natural beauty awaits visitors to the Mead Wildlife Area near Milladore, the state’s largest wildlife area. This 33,000-acre reserve features forest, wetlands and grasslands, and more than 80 miles of trails to help you explore them. The Mead is home to eagles, hawks, herons, swans and geese, along with more than 260 other species of birds. The trees and prairie grasses provide brilliant autumn color, which you can enjoy on foot, by bike, or in a canoe.
Fall is also a great time to go for a drive, and you can’t do much better than Rustic Road 102, which consists of 7th Drive and Cumberland Avenue off of State Highway 21 in the Waushara County Town of Richford. R-102 features great views of the autumn reds and golds, including dense woods that form a canopy over the road. If you watch carefully you may see deer, red fox, pheasants and Sandhill Cranes, Short-eared Owls and many songbirds.
For sheer variety in fall color, check out the Roche-A-Cri Mound and Roche-A-Cri Woods State Natural Areas in central Adams County. The beautiful Roche-A-Cri Mound, once an island in an ancient lake that covered the Central Sands region, is a spectacular sight any time of year. In autumn, though, the color display put on by the oaks, maples, ash and basswood trees is especially impressive. A choice of five hiking trails will help you get up close to the natural splendor of this area.
One of the most important bird habitats in the nation is located in Jackson County. The Bear Bluff Peatlands contain more than 26,000 acres of wetland habitat that sustains large populations of American Bittern, Northern Harrier, Sandhill Crane, Black Tern, Black-billed Cuckoo, Sedge Wren, Veery, and Golden-winged Warblers, to name only a few. A portion of the peatlands has been set aside as the Bear Bluff State Natural Area, allowing public access to this special habitat.
There’s no better way to see the countryside than from a bicycle, and the Sparta-Elroy State Trail is a one of Wisconsin’s most scenic. The nation’s first rail-to-trail path, it’s famous for the three railroad tunnels it passes through. It also rolls through the hills and bluffs of western Wisconsin terrain that was untouched by glaciers.
Wherever you live in the central and western Wisconsin communities of the 24th Senate District, a great encounter with the beauty of autumn is only a short drive from home. The brilliant colors of fall are fleeting, but your memories of this gorgeous season will last a lifetime.