Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map

• A conifer/birch woodland is located in the far southern tip of the site adjacent to Highway 57. The
dominant trees include white cedar with scattered hemlock, white spruce, white birch, and white pine.
The understory is light and composed of scattered white cedar and balsam fir, and beaked hazelnut.
Groundcover is also sparse and consists of Canada yew, thimbleberry, large leaved aster, wild
sarsaparilla, and several weedy species including hawkweed and helleborine orchid (Epipactus
helleborine).
• Common birds surveyed at the site include Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood Pewee, Veery,
Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus), and Great Crested Flycatcher. Black-throated Blue Warblers have
been reported as nesting at this site.
• Rare plants that occur in the Meridian Park area include State special concern long-spurred violet
(Viola rostrata), and State and Federally threatened dune thistle (Cirsium pitcheri). Rare plants near
Heins Creek include State special concern bog reed grass (Calamagrostis inexpansa); State
threatened dune goldenrod (Solidago simplex var. gillmanii) and State threatened thickspike
wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus var. psammophilus).
CONSERVATION GOALS:
• Create and maintain a contiguous and natural landscape between Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek,
Button Marsh Lowlands, Thorpe Pond and Hibbards Creek.
• Maintain or enhance the ecological composition, structure and functions of the several core natural
areas of the site, (e.g., the marsh and lowland conifer forest at the north end of Kangaroo Lake, Piel
Creek fen, the open marl ponds south of Kangaroo Lake, and the forested sand dune south of the
lake).
• Maintain the existing forest of the site and reforest abandoned agricultural land adjacent to the
existing forest to increase the overall size of the forest.
• Monitor and control, as necessary, exotic aggressive species, particularly Japanese knotweed,
barberry and garlic mustard along the forested trails west and south of Kangaroo Lake.
• Prevent impairment to water quality and flow regime of Piel Creek, especially the headwater fens.
THREATS:
• Four major roads intersect Hibbards Creek: County Hwy A, Junction, Honold, and Fairview. The
roads threaten the natural corridor by impeding movement of native plants and animals and allow
invasive exotic plants to gain access to interior portions of the area. During the winter months creek
water quality is impacted by runoff from road salting operations. (Grimm 2001B).
• The Town of Jacksonport owns and operates a sand quarry close to Hibbards Creek. Land has been
cleared near the quarry, increasing habitat fragmentation of the stream corridor.
• Quarrying is taking place in the southwest corner of the Thorp Pond wetland area. It does not pose a
significant threat to plant, animal, and water quality at this time. If the quarry increased mining
efforts it could become a threat to the area (Grimm 2001B).
• Poor agricultural practices threaten Hibbards Creek and the surrounding corridor. In several
locations, land is cleared up to the stream’s edge and used for agricultural purposes (Grimm 2001B).
Bay to Lake Wildlife Corridor 105