Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map

SITE FEATURES:
Hungry Settlement Marsh
• The surrounding land use is predominantly cropland and rural residential, with lesser amounts of idle
cropland.
• Soils are mainly deep to moderately deep, well drained to somewhat poorly drained and nearly level
to moderately steep. Silty clay subsoil overlays silty clay till or dolostone bedrock (USDA SCS
1978).
• When viewing the bog from a distance it appears to be relatively dry, however when walking through
it especially in the spring, the area can be quite wet. There is surface water bordering the length of
the old railroad bed in what is more or less a drainage ditch (Lukes 2001).
• Vegetation consists of a locally unique plant assemblage which features, pink lady’s slipper
(Cypripedium acaule), bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia), leather leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata),
labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum), wild cranberry (Vaccinium spp.), wintergreen (Gaultheria
procumbens), bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), chokeberry (Aronia spp.), cotton sedge
(Carex spp.), nannyberry (Viburnum lentago), tamarack (Larix laricina), black spruce (Picea
mariana), and paper birch (Betula papyrifera) (Lukes 2001).
• Few birds or wildlife have been recorded from this site. In the northern portion of this site there is
clear evidence of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) damage to vegetation (Lukes 2001).
• It is unknown if any threatened or endangered plant and animal species are present, as biological
inventories have not been completed.
• This is a well-hidden, incredibly beautiful bog. One of the best times to visit is late spring to early
summer when many plants are in bloom, like the bog laurel that blooms in late May.
CONSERVATION GOALS:
• Maintain the unique characteristics of the Hungry Settlement wetland community, and increase the
size of the upland forest surrounding the wetland.
THREATS:
There is virtually no threat of this area being developed or roads built through it. Because of its
soil type and wetland properties the bog could never be farmed. Even though the Ahnapee Trail passes
within feet of the marsh, there is a thick zone of small trees and shrubs that hides it from the view of
bikers and others using the trail. In addition to having a visual obstacle, the wet ditch along the north side
of the bike trail also deters people from entering the marsh.
INFORMATION NEEDS / GAPS:
• Completed inventory of plant and animal species
• List of individuals and organizations interested in site conservation
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Hungry Settlement Marsh