Principal Wildlife: Pheasants, rabbits, woodcock, waterfowl, deer.

Other Recreation: Hiking, birdwatching. Habitat: Marsh, forest, lowland forest, prairie.

Contact: Sturtevant Service Center.

Definition: State Natural Areas State natural areas were acquired to protect the state's natural diversity, provide sites for research and environmental education, and serve as benchmarks for assessing and guiding use of other lands in the state.

Natural areas are defined as tracts of land or water which have native biotic communities, unique natural features, or significant geological or archeological sites.

Generally, natural areas are remnant areas which largely have escaped disturbances since settlement or which exhibit little recent disturbance so that recovery has occurred and presettlement conditions are approached.

Natural areas provide an important reservoir of our state's genetic or biologic diversity. They act as important reserves for native biotic communities and provide habitat for endangered, threatened, or critical species or other species of special concern to scientists. They often include areas with highly significant geological or archaeological features. They tend not to have much facility development, though there may be a designated trail or two on site.

Some properties allow limited hunting. As of August 2002, there are 382 state natural areas encompassing about 149,000 acres.