Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map

South Renard Swamp
Another section of the Renard Swamp Complex is referred to as South Renard Swamp. The area
contains 70 acres of wetland occupied by both upland and lowland species (SWIS 1992).
• The surrounding land use is mainly woodlots with a lesser amount of cropland, residential, and other
natural area.
• Fine sand or sandy loam sub-soil overlays sand or sand and gravel outwash that is poorly drained,
nearly level, and organic (USDA SCS 1978).
• The lower reaches of Renard Creek flow near South Renard Swamp.
• Vegetation consists of green ash, silver maple, swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), elm (Ulmus
americana), sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), sedges, Iris (Iris
spp.), and a mix of upland and lowland species. There has been some past cutting; however, the
wetland remains relatively undisturbed (SWIS 1992).
• It is unknown if any threatened or endangered plant and animal species are present, as biological
inventories have not been completed.
CONSERVATION GOALS:
• Maintain the exceptional quality of natural communities in and around the hardwood swamp (i.e., the
sand beach ridges and silver maple stands and wetlands).
• Improve and maintain water quality in Renard Creek.
THREATS:
• Poor logging practices
• Renard Creek has a fair to poor habitat rating for quality of aquatic life. The habitat is being degraded
by outside sources. Limiting factors contributing to poor stream quality include sedimentation,
excessive plant growth, and pasturing of stream banks, especially in the headwaters of the creek. A
potential source of these problems is cropland erosion (Sweeney et al., 1996).
• The exotic plant, common reed grass (Phragmities australis) and reed canary grass (Phalaris
arundinancea), has been found in the area. The spread of these exotic plants could threaten native
plant species (Corbisier 2000).
• Renard Creek has a fair to poor habitat ranking possibly due to organic pollution from area farming
operations.
INFORMATION NEEDS / GAPS:
• Plant and animal inventories for the entire site
• List of individuals and organizations interested in land conservation
Renard Swamp 41