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Wisconsin
12

State of Wisconsin Parks

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USA Parks
Wisconsin
River Country Region
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge © Bruce Heine
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge Karner Blue Butterfly © Brent Paulson
The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin is home to the worlds largest population of Karner Blues, who benefit from its vast area of savannah and extensive lupine.
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NECEDAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
NECEDAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
W7996 20th St. W
Necedah, Wisconsin   54646 7531
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Whooping cranes, wolves, Karner blue butterflies, and white-tailed deer call Necedah National Wildlife Refuge "home." Ringed bog hunter dragonflies live in sedge meadows, flying squirrels in upland hardwood timber. Trumpeter swans inhabit the marshes, and badgers the savanna. The habitat mosaic, maintained by prescribed burning, seasonal mowing, and timber clearing, attracts a wide range of wildlife. Each species and habitat is monitored and maintained to insure overall vigor of the ecosystem.

Ten thousand years ago, retreating glaciers left behind vast peat bogs and sand ridges, creating the area known as the great Central Wisconsin Swamp or Marsh. Native Americans re-colonized on the heels of the reclining glaciers, depending upon the game and wild edibles that the land provided. Europeans settled the area, attempting to drain and farm the sandy land. After a series of intense peat bog fires in the 1930s, many settlers abandoned the farmsteads. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt set aside 43,656 acres as Necedah Refuge and, under the guidance of the Civilian Conservation Corps, several thousand acres of wetlands were restored. You can enjoy the wildness that was preserved by visiting Necedah Refuge.
FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW
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Area Campgrounds
Moonlite Trails Campground LLC
W4641 9th Street
Necedah, WI
608-565-6936
St. Joseph Resort
W5630 Highway 21
Necedah, WI
608-565-7258
Country Aire Camping Resort
1221 South 173
Babcock, WI
715-884-2300
Nearby Hotels
Booking.com

Directions
Located in central Wisconsin, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is 180 miles southeast of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and 150 miles northwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The refuge lies north of Highway 21 and west of Highway 80, with all but a few acres in Juneau County.

To reach the main entrance and office complex, travel 15 miles east on Highway 21 from Interstate 94 at Tomah, Wisconsin; or about three miles west on Highway 21 from Necedah, Wisconsin. Turn north onto Headquarters Road and travel about two miles to the headquarters.

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Wisconsin
12

State of Wisconsin Parks

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