The Burdette and Sarah Eagon Nature Education Preserve in the town of Alban, Portage County, is an education and restoration site owned by UW-Stevens Point. The property, which is managed by university students, has a mix of wetlands, uplands, grasslands, and shrublands as well as a class 1 trout stream, Flume Creek. It is also the original location of the Alban township. The site is home to a wide variety of native plants and animals, including oaks, white pines, song and game birds, and amphibians. However, invasive species such as buckthorn, honeysuckle, prickly ash, poison ivy, and spotted knapweed are also abundant.

Fast Facts

• Location: Town of Alban, Portage County
• Size: 14.93 acres
• Accessibility: Open to the public year-round

Visiting the Property

The Eagon Preserve is open to the public for visitation year-round. Hunting, firearms, and camping are prohibited. A small grassy parking lot is available near the intersection of Flume Road, Sunset Lake Road, and County Road T. A walking trail through the demonstration area runs along the north side of Flume Road. 

Conditions Before Management

Prior to management, the upland forest was a mix of shrubs, central hardwoods, and conifers intermixed with invasive shrubs and plants. Most of the trees were of the same age. As a result, they were of similar size and lacked the variation desired by the focal species for cover.

• Shrubs: Staghorn sumac, brambles, and American hazelnut
• Tree Species: Red oak, red maple, white pine, basswood, aspen, paper birch, box elder, tag alder, balsam fir
• Invasive Species: European buckthorn, poison ivy, honeysuckle, prickly ash, and spotted knapweed

Conditions Before Management

Before management, two areas of shrubby grassland were present: one along the powerline corridor and another along Flume Creek Road. Both areas contained a mix of native plants, legumes, and non-native grasses. The powerline corridor also supported dense patches of poison ivy along with scattered shrubs.

• Shrubs: Plum 
• Invasive Species: Non-native grasses, poison ivy

Conditions Before Management

The wetland area running along Flume Creek was dominated by thick groves of mature tag alder. Within the alders were scattered overstory trees, patches of red osier dogwood, and invasive species.

• Shrubs: Tag alder, red osier dogwood
• Tree Species: Black ash, quaking aspen, paper birch, white pine, black cherry, and swamp white oak
• Invasive Species: Buckthorn, honeysuckle, and barberry

Woodcock
Spruce was planted to create future areas of thermal cover and provide stopover locations during migration. Existing patches of conifers, including spruce and hemlock, were retained where available to maintain important winter cover and shelter. 

Neotropical Migrant Birds
A clearcut with reserves was completed by removing box elder while retaining native tree species, including oak. Following the harvest, native shrubs such as plum, swamp white oak, and hazelnut were planted in protective tubes to minimize deer browsing. Native sedges were also seeded to help establish additional ground cover.

The goal of these management actions included:

• Plum planting: The area provides fruit, often referred to as soft mast, which serves as a forage resource for yellow-throated warbler, yellow warbler, veery, redstart, and rose-breasted grosbeak.
• Swamp white oak and hazelnut planting: The site provides nut, or hard mast, resources that serve as an important food source for yellow and yellow-throated warblers.
• Clearcut with reserves: An open woodland environment was created with an understory of shrubs to provide nesting habitat for veery, redstart, and pewee.
• Sedge seeding around reserve shrubs: Mature native shrubs were retained on the site, and the surrounding area was seeded with a native sedge and grass mix to create the low shrub and sedge habitat preferred by yellow-throated and yellow warblers for nesting.
• Oak reserve trees: Oaks were retained on the site, and surrounding competing trees were removed to encourage the horizontal branch growth preferred by redstarts for nesting.

Woodcock
Spruce was planted to establish future patches of thermal cover and provide important stopover locations during migration. Existing conifer patches, including spruce and hemlock, were retained where present to maintain valuable shelter and protection.

Ruffed Grouse
Large-diameter coarse woody debris, including dead and down logs, was retained to provide drumming sites. Swamp white oak seedlings were planted around these areas to create additional cover and help protect birds from predators. Spruce was planted to establish future patches of thermal cover, while existing conifer stands were preserved to provide immediate shelter.

Invasive Species
All box elder was removed, and native shrubs were planted to discourage its future establishment. The new plantings were protected with tree tubes to reduce deer browsing and improve survival. Species planted included plum and hazelnut.

To create the brushy fields desired by woodcock for loafing, the shrubs along the powerline corridor were maintained while poison ivy was removed.

Open grasslands play an important role as singing grounds for woodcock during their spring mating season. To create this habitat component, non-native shrubs were removed and the shrubby grassland along Flume Road was rotary seeded with native plants. Maintaining the site as a grassland will require periodic prescribed burns to reduce encroaching shrubs and stimulate plant growth.

Many of the site’s focal species rely on riparian areas for foraging, cover, and nesting, while the stream provides important trout habitat.

Woodcock

• To create continuously available patches of young alder for forage and cover, 20% of the dense alder patch was sheared. This shearing will continue to occur every 5-6 years.
• Wet riparian areas also provide the moist ground needed by woodcock for finding bugs in the soil.

Neotropical Migrant Birds

• Yellow-throated and yellow warblers often nest and forage in young, dense patches of alder. To create this habitat, we initiated a 5-6 year rotation in which 20% of the alder is sheared during each rotation.
• Planted fruit and nut bearing shrubs such as plum and swamp white oak for food for veery, redstart, and rose-breasted grosbeak migrant birds.

Trout

• The Wisconsin DNR worked on channel restoration. In addition, they placed old Christmas trees along the banks of Flume Creek to assist with bank stabilization and to provide cover.

The Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project (LPRWEP) Site is located in the Village of Plover in Portage County. The site is part of the Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project, a collaborative effort led by the Village of Plover and supported by multiple partners. The project aims to restore and improve the health of the Little Plover River while enhancing the environmental quality and overall well being of the surrounding community.

Fast Facts

• Location: Plover, Wisconsin
• Size: Approximately 200 acres 

Invasive Species
Spotted knapweed, scots pine (aka scotch pine), buckthorn, honeysuckle

Forest Health
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Dutch Elm Disease, Oak Wilt, and storm damage have all impacted the area’s forest health or are expected to in the near future.

Recreational Opportunities
The property is open to the public for recreational activities including hunting, hiking, skiing, and fishing.

American Redstart 

• Promote oak growth to encourage 90 degree branching for nesting.
• Create shrubby openings that provide suitable nesting habitat.
• Maintain approximately 50 percent canopy cover in areas near water. 

Scarlet Tanager 

• Preserve a closed forest canopy by designating approximately half of the property as reserve habitat.
• Release bur oak growth to increase hard mast and forage production.

Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock

• Retain jack pine patches to provide thermal cover.
• Preserve cedar pockets for year round shelter.
• Regenerate aspen through coppice management to increase nesting and foraging habitat.

Yellow Warbler and Sedge Wren

• Control woody encroachment in the sedge meadow to preserve open habitat conditions.

Black Ash

• Promote preferred tree species to sustain canopy cover following the loss of black ash from Emerald Ash Borer

The upland forest will be managed using group selection harvests to promote a diverse mix of tree ages and improve overall forest health. Management activities will focus on releasing and protecting important wildlife trees, including crabapple for forage and bur oak for hard mast production. Invasive buckthorn will be removed to encourage the growth of native vegetation and reduce competition with desirable species.

Reserve patches of cedar and jack pine will be maintained to provide year round thermal cover and shelter for wildlife. Existing snags will also be retained whenever it is safe to do so, providing valuable nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for birds, mammals, and other wildlife species.

The sedge meadow will be managed to maintain the open habitat conditions that support a diverse range of native plants and wildlife. Shrubby vegetation will be selectively cut back to prevent woody encroachment and preserve the meadow’s structure, creating suitable habitat for species such as the sedge wren and yellow warbler. Invasive buckthorn will also be removed to reduce competition with native vegetation and improve the overall ecological health of the meadow.

The current timber sale was carried out in 2024 and 2025. This sale has four main elements. Condition one is a two-cohort stand with high-quality oak saplings and pole-size trees. Condition 2 is oak overstory with low value hardwoods shading out existing oak advanced regeneration.  Condition 3 is a northern hardwood stand with a mix of maple, basswood and oak. Condition 4 is a mature aspen stand. Prior to this, the last sale occurred between 2006 and 2007. The previous harvest was a combination of selection harvest with pockets of aspen coppice. Additionally, 23 snags were created with double girdles at that time.

Fast Facts 

• Unit 148 in the northeastern block of the Taylor County Forest.
• Accessibility: Open to the public in accordance with normal county forest access regularions.
• This property has a collection of ATV trails and parking that provides good access for viewing.

• Scarlet tanager
• Wood thrush
• Veery
• Golden-winged warbler
• Chestnut sided warbler
• Woodcock

The stand was dominated by a red oak overstory with healthy regeneration of oak seedlings and saplings throughout the understory. A good mix of northern hardwood species was also present, providing a strong foundation for future stand development.

A selection harvest with gaps and group selection was implemented to release high quality crop trees and promote the continued development of desirable species. Small canopy gaps were created over areas with existing regeneration to provide additional sunlight and encourage growth. Outside of these gaps, the residual stand was managed to maintain a target basal area of approximately 70 square feet per acre. Ironwood, musclewood, and aspen greater than 2 inches in diameter were removed to reduce competition and improve growing conditions for preferred species. Pockets of aspen regeneration established after the previous harvest were retained to support species diversity and maintain valuable wildlife habitat.

A coppice with reserves harvest was implemented by removing all trees greater than 2 inches in diameter while retaining selected reserve trees. Oak, pine, spruce, tamarack, and hemlock were preserved to provide seed sources, maintain structural diversity, and support future stand development. Additional green marked wildlife trees were also retained to provide important habitat features and benefit a variety of wildlife species.