Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map

Kayes Creek
Kayes Creek, located within both the Towns of Brussels and Gardner, is a perennial stream
approximately 7 miles in length, with an average width of 4 feet and a gradient of 8 feet per mile.
• A variety of vegetation occurs adjacent to Kayes Creek. Upland forests contain sugar maple,
basswood, hemlock, beech, red oak (Quercus rubra), aspen, and paper birch.
• Kayes Creek supports three aquatic community types: coldwater, warmwater sport fish, and warm
water forage fish. Cold water communities contain surface water capable of supporting cold-water
fish and aquatic life, as well as providing cold water spawning habitats. Warm water sport fish
communities support sport fish and their spawning habitats, and warm water forage fish communities
support an abundance of warm water forage fish and aquatic life (Corbisier 2000).
• Soils are of two types. The northern section of Kayes Creek, which flows into Little Sturgeon Bay,
consists of deep, well to poorly drained, level to sloping soils. A loamy sand to silt loam subsoil
covers sandy loam to loam till. The second type found near the headwaters of Kayes Creek is poorly
drained, nearly level, and organic (USDA SCS 1978).
• Kayes Creek is the primary surface water body associated with the Gardner Swamp and arises in
lowlands west of the north face of Brussels Hill. Two separate branches flow northward and later
join. The creek continues north through Gardner Swamp until it enters Little Sturgeon Bay between
Squaw Island Point and the mainland.
• Coastal wetlands bordering the mouth of the creek are important spawning locations for fish and are
used extensively by breeding and migratory birds. Spring fish runs have been documented, including
suckers (Catostomus commersoni), northern pike (Esox lucious), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), and
large bowfin (Amia calva) (Corbisier 2000).
Gardner Swamp
The Gardner Swamp Area encompasses over 5 square miles, and contains a variety of habitats
including wetlands, sugar maple dominated forests, Kayes Creek, upland islands, and lowland forests.
The Gardner Swamp is located directly north of Brussels Hill in southern Door County approximately 10
miles west– southwest of Sturgeon Bay. Of the 5 square miles comprising Gardner Swamp, only 1.5
square miles are part of the Gardner Marsh State Wildlife Area. The remaining portion is privately
owned.
• Land use consists predominantly of agriculture with lesser amounts of woodlots, residential, and
commercial. Past and present disturbances in the Gardner Swamp include logging, quarrying, and
clearings for campgrounds, recreation, and residential development (Clark 1999).
• Soils consist mainly of deep to moderately deep, well to poorly drained, and nearly level to
moderately steep soils. Silty clay subsoil overlays silty clay or dolostone bedrock (USDA SCS
1978).
• Vegetation consists mainly of open to semi-open wetland. Wetland species include sedge (Carex
spp.), cattail (Typha spp.), bulrush (Scirpus spp.), blue-joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis),
willow (Salix spp.), dogwood (Cornus spp.), black ash (Fraxinus nigra), green ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica), white cedar, elm (Ulmus americana), aspen, paper birch and tamarack (Larix
laricina). Sugar maple, basswood, hemlock, beech, red oak, aspen, and paper birch dominate upland
forest areas (Clark 1999).
Brussels Hill / Kayes Creek / Gardner Swamp Complex 53