Via the Wisconsin DNR:

The DNR’s Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation has revised the State Natural Areas Program’s long-range strategy for the protection of Wisconsin’s highest quality ecological communities.

This new document incorporates current scientific views on preserve design and climate change projections to address major environmental challenges for SNAs. It also identifies primary objectives to guide the program for the next ten years.

Review the updated plan here (PDF)

Email your comments to the State Natural Areas Program at DNRFWPNHCStateNaturalAreas@wisconsin.gov. Comments accepted until Sept. 17, 2020.

State natural areas (SNAs) protect outstanding examples of Wisconsin’s native landscape of natural communities, significant geological formations and archeological sites.

Encompassing 402,000 acres on lands owned by the state and its many partners, including land trusts, local and county governments, and private citizens, Wisconsin’s natural areas are valuable for research and educational use, the preservation of genetic and biological diversity and for providing benchmarks for determining the impact of use on managed lands. They also provide some of the last refuges for rare plants and animals.

There are many Wisconsin SNAs on and along the St. Croix River and its tributaries. Here are some of the notable sites: