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Rush Lake/Owen & Anne Gromme Preserve

Rush Lake © Nancy Braker/The Nature Conservancy

Why You Should Visit
The landscape surrounding this 3,200-acre lake inspired many scenes painted by Wisconsin wildlife artist Owen Gromme.

The water levels here fluctuate under natural conditions. These changing levels, combined with sedge meadows, prairie and oak openings in the upland areas, create an ideal environment for wildlife - especially breeding and migratory birds.

Location
North East Wisconsin -  3-4 miles north of Ripon in Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties

Hours
Open year-round, dawn to dusk

Conditions
This preserve does not contain trails.

Please note: You may hear gunfire on neighboring lands during the fall duck hunting season.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Wetlands are abundant, so please wear appropriate footgear for traversing wet ground.

Directions
From downtown Ripon:

• To reach preserve land on the west side of lake, take State Hwy 44 north from the point where it intersects with State Hwy 23. 
• Go about 0.25 mile to where Hwy 44 splits and take Cnty Hwy E.
• Follow Cnty E for approximately 3.5 miles
• Watch for the dirt road to the preserve - it's on the right (east) side of the road across from a house with fire number 689. (In rural areas, a fire number serves as the house number.)
• If you come to Cnty Hwy V, you've gone about 0.5 mile too far north.
• Look closely to find the Conservancy signs at the entrance.

What to See: Plants
Rush Lake is a shallow marshy lake with large adjacent wetlands of cattails and sedges, and shrubs such as dwarf birch, dogwood and willow. Remnant oak savannas, once common but now very rare, occur on the higher, drier ground.

What to See: Wildlife
Two hundred years ago, a visitor to Rush Lake would have seen bison, elk, gray wolves and black bear roaming the uplands.

Today this area is most significant for its outstanding migratory and breeding bird populations. Birds that commonly nest here include the following:

• American Coots
• Black Terns
• Common Moorhens
• Least Bitterns
• Marsh Wrens
• Pied-billed Grebes
• Redheads
• Ruddy Ducks
• Swamp Sparrows

Two rare birds - red-necked grebe and Forster's tern - also nest here.
 
In addition, Wisconsin's sportsmen recognize this area for its game species.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Its rich diversity of wildlife, which includes both game and non-game species, makes Rush Lake one of the state's most important wetland communities.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Conservancy made its first acquisition at Rush Lake in 1988. Today, we own and manage 439 acres.

The Conservancy is working cooperatively with private landowners, other conservation organizations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the State of Wisconsin to secure long-term protection for the highest quality natural communities and endangered species habitat in the Rush Lake watershed.

Volunteers are helping the Conservancy restore the prairies and oak savannas at the site by collecting and planting native grasses and wildflowers and removing non-native invasive plants.

Directions to Two Other Conservancy Lands Located Nearby
Additional accessible Conservancy lands are also located on the southeast and eastern sides of the lake. Follow Cnty Hwy E to the north approx. 2 miles to the intersection with Cork Street and turn right (east). Follow Cork Street for 2.25 miles to a "T" intersection with Island Road. Turn left (north) and travel 1.5 miles. Turn left (west) on Radtke Road. Parking is available almost immediately on your right; look for flattened area where gravel has been removed.

To reach a third Conservancy area, go back on Island Road (south) 0.25 mile to Sportsman Road and turn left (east). Follow Sportsman Road 3 miles (it will take a sharp left turn after 1.5 miles) to a "T" intersection with Mountain Road. Turn left (west) and travel 0.5 mile. Mountain Road turns right (north) and becomes Sportsman Road again. Preserve land is located on either side of the road. Park on shoulder out of way of traffic.