Brooklyn Wildlife Areas
The Village has three unique wildlife areas to be enjoyed for nature viewing, walking a pet or hunting. Brooklyn Wildlife Area Brooklyn Wildlife Area is located between the villages of Oregon, Brooklyn and Belleville, straddling the Dane/Green County line, about 15 miles south of Madison. Access to the property is from Dane County Highway D, 7 miles west of Brooklyn off Bell Brook Road. The property currently consists of 2,608 acres of state-owned, 337 acres of easement and 151 acres of leased lands. Dominant cover types include sedge meadow marsh, riparian hardwoods, oak ridges, restored prairie and farmed cropland. Story Creek, a Class 2 trout stream, runs north to south through the property. About 435 acres are leased as part of the Story Creek Stream Bank Protection project to protect the stream and buffer the wildlife area. In total, 3,531 acres are available for public hunting, fishing and other recreation. Recreation The Brooklyn Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities. • Auto travel - on public roads through and adjacent to property • Biking - on public roads through and adjacent to property • Birding - Known for yellow-breasted chat, Bells vireo, Cerulean warbler and Henslows sparrow • Cross country skiing (along Ice Age Trail) • Fishing - Story Creek, a quality trout stream runs through property • Hiking - Ice Age Trail runs through property • Hunting - especially noted for stocked and wild pheasant (2 p.m. closure), deer, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, some waterfowl, quail, gray partridge and mourning doves. • Trapping • Wild edibles/gathering • Wildlife viewing Liberty Creek Wildlife Area Liberty Creek Wildlife Area is located in Albany and Brooklyn townships off of English Settlement Road eight miles south of Brooklyn. The property currently consists of 563 acres of state owned and 20 acres of leased lands. The property is mostly marsh with native vegetation or canary grass. There are 25 acres of upland woods and 20 acres of upland grass and brush on the area. Liberty Creek, a Class 3 trout stream, flows north to south for a mile through the property. Harveys Marsh Federal Wetland Protection Area 683 acres accessed off Hwy 14, just 2.6 miles from Brooklyn. By regulation, WPAs are open to hunting, fishing, and trapping, in accordance with State laws. Other important wildlife-dependent uses allowed include wildlife observation, photography, and environmental education. WPAs preserve wetlands and grasslands critical to waterfowl and other wildlife. These public lands are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 14
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