Cherokee Marsh State Natural Area

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Cherokee Marsh is part of an extensive wetland complex of more than 2,000 acres. The north portion has been classified as a fen although it contains species characteristic of low prairies, shrub-carr, bogs, and sedge meadows. Southward are areas of shrubby meadow where about half of the cover is bog birch, willows, and dogwood. Most of the southern portion has been ditched. In several areas dried by the ditching, the community composition is more like wet prairie. Some areas along the southwest and southeast borders are quite disturbed with canary grass or nettles dominating. The hydrology of the area is complex as evidenced by the changing community structure on level topography. The site is used by many species of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Management activities include brushing, burning, and reestablishing normal hydrological systems. Cherokee Marsh is owned jointly by the City of Madison and the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1976.