5 endangered critters you might see in the Chippewa Valley

V1 Staff |

Behold some of the area's beautiful but endangered animalistic neighbors. Learn a bit more about these fantastic creatures – and keep your eyes peeled in case you see them whilst out and about.

1. Pine Marten

Trapping and deforestation have reduced the number of this omnivore often confused with fishers. Because of trapping booms in the 20s and 30s, martens were almost eliminated in the state and in the 50s-70s we imported martens to improve their numbers. By the late 80s we had an estimated 180, and a decade later the number was roughly quadruple. As with all these examples, the DNR protects these species, has an  Endangered Resources Fund to help, and they’d love to hear if you spot one.

2. Barn Owl

As windowless metal barns replace open wood ones, and dead trees are continually removed from lots, Barn Owls have nowhere to turn. Protected since 1979, these owls hunt along field edges, fence rows, and wetland edges. Their numbers also wane as cover crops (that make good food for their prey) make way for row crops like corn. Listen for their unforgettable shrieks in spring and late summer.

3. Karner Blue Butterfly

Honored annually with a festival in Black River Falls, this one-inch butterfly has its largest population in Wisconsin (they like sandy oak savannah and pine barren areas). Not only are those areas threatened by development, agriculture, and woody succession, but the plant that the butterfly solely depends on for life is rare. So take care of your wild lupine (in the northwest and central parts of Wis.), and you’ll take care of the Karner Blue.

4. Massasauga Rattlesnake

Along with the timber rattlesnake, this species had a bounty on its head for decades in our state until it went endangered in 1975. Only a two- to three-foot snake, the massasauga means “great river mouth” in Chippewa because it’s found in river bottom forests and fields, often within crayfish burrows or sunning themselves around vegetation. No one in Wisconsin has ever died from their bite, which is mild compared to most. Video.

5. Ornate Box Turtle

As people run them over with cars or keep them as pets, these usually hearty animals are disappearing from Wisconsin. Only about five inches long, they live in sandy soils and are most active after a rain. They can live up to 40 years and produce more than 200 eggs in a lifetime. Unrelated video.