Whitman Dam State Wildlife Area

Whitman Dam State Wildlife Area is six miles of marsh and slough from Merrick State Park north to the village of Buffalo. The southern part of this 2,173-acre property has areas where you can walk and sight lowland forest birds such as Black-billed Cockoos, woodpeckers and Prothonatary Warbles. Bald and Golden Eagles have also been seen along this stretch of the river. A three-mile dike stretching north from Lock and Dam #6 creates Spring Lake that draws record numbers of ducks and Tundra Swans in the spring and fall migration seasons. You can walk the dike to see huge rafts of Canvasbacks, Ring-neck ducks and Scaup.

Directions: From Merrick State Park, travel north 1.5 miles on Hwy. 35 to Bechly Road, then west to Kamrowski Road, and north to the wildlife area sign that is the southern part of the property. The northern part of the property can be reached from Cty. OO just south of Cochrane. You can turn south along the river to a boat ramp, parking lot and the dike along Spring Lake.

Gazetteer: Page 48, C-2.

Phone: 608/685-6222 (Alma WDNR).

Web site: WDNR Whitman Dam State Wildlife Area (#54)

Signature Species: Canvasback Ducks, Tundra Swans, and Golden Eagles.

Seasonality: Open all year.

Parking: Parking lots.

Nearest food & lodging: Buffalo, 3 miles north on Hwy. 35.