Turner Tract: Goose Pond Corridor

LOCATION

N541 Co. Trunk H, Genoa City, WI.

Turner Tract is located 1/2 mile north of Genoa City, WI, on the west side of Highway H. Look for the brown and white refuge sign; turn into the small parking lot located there.

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SaS7QdBYEUW4e7277

GPS Coordinates: 42.511475, -88.339527

Download Turner Brochure

PARKING

There is a small gravel parking lot. Look for the USFWS entrance sign for Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge Goose Pond Corridor.

Note: If larger groups need parking, you can park and shuttle from nearby Veterans Park.
700 Fellows Rd., Genoa City, WI. 53128

Veterans Park is a city park located 1 mile east of Turner Tract, with restrooms, play areas, and a shelter. Take Highway H east toward Genoa City, then turn south (right) on Fellows Rd.

HUNTING & FISHING

Hunting in season is permitted on this site. For federal hunting rules & regulations, refer to:
fws.gov/refuge/hackmatack/visit-us/activities/hunting

TRAILS

A 0.7-mile loop begins at the parking area, runs through the woods and then returns along the woodland/prairie edge. At its midpoint, a rough-mowed spur trail runs west to a wooded strip at the western edge of the property (~0.4 miles round trip). A second spur trail (packed earth, 0.4 miles out and back) branches oﬀ through a narrow patch of woodland scrub until it meets with private land (Please respect the No Trespassing signs!)

MAP

The Turner Tract is open year-round for hiking, birdwatching, and other experiences with nature. Visitors are not required to stay on the trails on refuge land. We ask that you respect the no trespassing signs on private property.

SITE HISTORY

The Turner Tract was once part of the ancestral homeland of the Pottawatomie tribe. The site gets its name as one home of the Turner Movement, a German gymnastics and cultural association promoting physical ﬁtness, liberal politics, and immigrant community life, which spread broadly across Wisconsin in the mid to late 1800s.

In 2013, Ducks Unlimited purchased the 86-acre parcel located within the refuge’s Goose Pond Corridor in Wisconsin. DU volunteers removed several buildings from the site, then began restoring this land to a mix of woods, wetlands, grassland, and savanna. Following this restoration eﬀort, Ducks Unlimited donated the Turner Tract to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2018, making it the ﬁrst oﬃcial Hackmatack NWR site open to the public. This gift was supported by grants from Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE

A highlight of the Turner site is the high-quality oak woodland. In the spring, the woods abound with wildﬂowers, including large patches of trillium, trout lilies, dutchman’s breeches, and wild geranium among many others. As summer arrives the adjacent prairie areas take over the show, with coneﬂower, compass plant and milkweed, Indian grass and bluestem. The prairie edge shows oﬀ blue lobelia in September.

The site is a haven for both nesting and migratory birds, with warblers passing through in the spring, ducks and geese frequenting the restored wetlands in the fall. If you look and listen, you may catch a glimpse or hear the hoot of the great horned owl who spends time in these woods.

SPECIES OF SPECIAL INTEREST

Bats are mammals that hunt for insects at night using echolocation, a high frequency system that is too high for humans to hear naturally. Bat detectors record these frequencies and individual bat species are identiﬁed by the unique acoustic signature of their call. Acoustic bat surveys at Turner have identiﬁed big brown, silver-haired, hoary, and eastern red bats.

The woods are a haven for woodpeckers. Red-headed, red-bellied, downy, and pileated woodpeckers, all species whose populations are suffering due to lack of suitable habitat, have been sighted at Turner.

Friends of Hackmatack NWR

P.O. Box 413
Richmond, IL 60071
friendsofhackmatacknwr@gmail.com

Call 262-448-3558 to listen for the latest updates on upcoming activities. If you need to reach us, please leave a message and we will return your call.

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