09186 - Shelp Lake

Shelp Lake Roadless Area encompasses 285 acres of rolling lowland terrain in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, centered on two softwater lakes—Shelp Lake at 1,614 feet and Scott Lake at 1,611 feet—with the Hardwood Ridges rising to 1,710 feet to the north. Water moves through this landscape via Scott Creek and the headwaters of Julia Creek, draining through open bog and shrub swamp before flowing into the broader watershed system. The presence of these water bodies and their associated wetlands creates distinct hydrological zones that shape the distribution of forest communities across the area.

The forest composition shifts with elevation and moisture availability. Northern Mesic Forest dominates the higher ground, where eastern hemlock and yellow birch form the canopy, with sugar maple present on the richest sites. The understory here includes Canada mayflower and narrow beech fern on the forest floor. Moving downslope into wetter terrain, Northern Wet Forest takes hold, characterized by black spruce, tamarack, and northern white-cedar, with speckled alder and mountain maple in the understory. The lowest areas transition to Open Bog and Shrub-Thicket communities, where tamarack and black spruce thin out and wild rice colonizes the wettest zones, creating a mosaic of open water, emergent vegetation, and low woody growth.

The area supports populations of federally protected carnivores: the gray wolf hunts throughout the forest, while the federally threatened Canada lynx preys on snowshoe hare in the coniferous stands. The federally endangered northern long-eared bat forages for insects in the hemlock and spruce canopy. Osprey and bald eagle hunt northern pike in the lakes. Blackburnian warblers and black-throated green warblers occupy the coniferous canopy, while gray jays and olive-sided flycatchers move through the mid-story. The monarch butterfly, proposed for federal threatened status, uses milkweed species in forest openings and wetland margins. Shelp Lake also hosts an experimental population of whooping cranes, a reintroduction effort that uses the lake and surrounding wetlands as stopover habitat during migration.

Walking from Scott Lake Road into the area, the forest transitions from the mixed hardwood-conifer edge into increasingly wet terrain. The canopy darkens as hemlock and spruce become dominant, and the ground becomes spongy underfoot as you approach the shrub swamp. The sound of water becomes constant—Scott Creek's flow, the calls of osprey over the lakes, and in spring, the chorus of frogs in the wetland margins. Climbing toward the Hardwood Ridges, the forest opens slightly, light reaches the forest floor, and the understory becomes more diverse. The contrast between the dark, quiet hemlock coves and the brighter, more open ridgeline defines the experience of moving through this landscape.

The Ojibwe people, also known as the Lake Superior Chippewa, inhabited the ancestral homelands that now comprise this area. The Menominee Nation, whose lands border this forest, maintained a long history of sustainable forest management in the region and continue to protect cultural sites within the forest boundaries. Under a series of court-affirmed treaties, Ojibwe tribes retained reserved treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather on these lands. The forest historically provided traditional medicines, food sources including berries and fish, firewood, and materials for basketry. These lands retain ongoing spiritual and cultural significance recognized by the U.S. Forest Service.

In the early twentieth century, the landscape underwent intensive commercial logging. The Hiles Lumber Company operated starting in 1905, while the Chicago & North Western railroad constructed spur lines into nearby Hiles and Phelps to transport timber. Extensive narrow-gauge and standard-gauge logging railroads operated in the vicinity of Shelp Lake during this period. By the 1920s, this industrial activity left the surrounding land severely depleted—described as "over-cut, burned-over, and farmed-out." Much of the landscape became tax-delinquent and was abandoned by private owners.

Under authority of the Weeks Law of 1911, the federal government began acquiring these abandoned and logged-over lands to protect headwaters and restore timber resources. Between 1928 and 1932, federal acquisition accelerated rapidly across Oneida, Forest, Vilas, Bayfield, Ashland, Taylor, and Price counties. On March 2, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation establishing the Nicolet National Forest from several purchase units including Oneida, Moquah, Flambeau, and Oconto. In November 1933, the Chequamegon National Forest was established as a separate entity. On December 31, 1936, President Roosevelt issued Proclamation 2218, which modified forest boundaries and transferred the Mondeaux Division from the Nicolet to the Chequamegon National Forest.

During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps operated throughout the region, performing extensive reforestation on cutover lands and constructing fire lanes to protect the recovering forest. This CCC work produced the even-aged second-growth forest visible today, replacing the depleted landscape of the previous industrial era. In 1974, the State of Wisconsin and the U.S. Forest Service formally designated the Shelp Lake area as a State Natural Area to protect its remnant ecological features. The two component national forests were administratively merged in February 1998 into the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Today, the area remains completely undeveloped, with only a boardwalk and primitive trail providing managed access, and no permanent buildings or industrial facilities.

Vital Resources Protected

Headwater Wetland Complex and Cold-Water Stream Connectivity

Shelp Lake and Scott Lake function as headwater storage and temperature regulation for Julia Creek, which originates within this roadless area. The interconnected system of open bog, shrub swamp, and softwater lakes moderates water temperature and flow—critical for species dependent on cold, stable aquatic conditions. Road construction would fragment this hydrological network, disrupting the natural flow pathways that maintain the thermal and chemical conditions these downstream ecosystems require.

Northern Forest Interior Habitat for Carnivores and Bats

The unfragmented mesic and wet forest canopy across rolling terrain provides interior forest conditions essential for gray wolves (federally endangered) and Canada lynx (federally threatened), both of which require large, continuous territories free from human disturbance and edge effects. Northern long-eared bats (federally endangered) depend on intact forest structure for foraging and roosting; roads create edge habitat that increases predation risk and reduces the acoustic environment these echolocating bats rely on for navigation. The 285-acre roadless condition preserves the spatial continuity these wide-ranging species cannot maintain if fragmented by road corridors.

Monarch Butterfly Migration and Breeding Habitat

The shrub-thicket and open bog ecosystems within this area provide milkweed and nectar plants critical for monarch butterflies (proposed threatened), which concentrate in northern Wisconsin during spring and fall migration. Road construction and the associated vegetation clearing would eliminate breeding substrate and create barriers to the directional movement patterns monarchs depend on during their multi-generational migration cycle. Once lost, these specialized plant communities recover slowly in lowland ecosystems.

Experimental Whooping Crane Population Support

This roadless area lies within habitat occupied by the experimental, non-essential whooping crane population reintroduced to Wisconsin. The combination of open bog, shrub swamp, and lake shoreline provides the shallow-water foraging and nesting habitat whooping cranes require. Roads introduce human presence, noise, and vehicle strikes—direct mortality risks and chronic disturbance that undermine the recovery goals of this federally managed reintroduction effort.

Threats from Road Construction

Sedimentation and Temperature Increase in Headwater Lakes and Streams

Road construction on rolling terrain requires cut slopes and fill placement that expose mineral soil to erosion. Sediment from these disturbed areas would wash into Julia Creek headwaters, Shelp Lake, and Scott Lake, smothering the fine spawning substrates and reducing light penetration in these softwater systems. Simultaneous removal of riparian forest canopy along road corridors would increase water temperature—a direct threat to cold-water-dependent species and to the thermal buffering function these headwater lakes provide downstream.

Habitat Fragmentation and Edge Effects for Federally Protected Carnivores

Road construction would bisect the continuous forest interior required by gray wolves and Canada lynx, creating a linear corridor of human activity that these species actively avoid. The resulting edge habitat increases exposure to vehicle strikes, reduces prey availability (as ungulates and smaller mammals avoid road-adjacent areas), and fragments the territory sizes these carnivores require to sustain viable populations. In a 285-acre roadless area, a single road creates disproportionate fragmentation relative to total habitat area.

Canopy Disruption and Acoustic Disturbance for Northern Long-Eared Bats

Road construction requires clearing of the forest canopy for right-of-way and sight lines, eliminating the continuous overhead structure northern long-eared bats use for safe, low-altitude foraging. The resulting open corridor and associated vehicle noise disrupt echolocation efficiency and increase predation vulnerability during the critical summer foraging season when bats must gain sufficient body mass for hibernation. Bat populations in fragmented landscapes show reduced reproductive success and higher mortality rates.

Disturbance to Whooping Crane Nesting and Foraging

Road access introduces human presence, vehicle noise, and direct strike mortality into the shallow-water and bog habitats where whooping cranes forage and nest. These birds are highly sensitive to disturbance during breeding season; chronic human activity reduces nesting success and causes abandonment of otherwise suitable habitat. For a federally managed reintroduction population, loss of even small areas of undisturbed habitat reduces the likelihood of population establishment and recovery.

The Shelp Lake Roadless Area encompasses 285 acres of rolling lowland forest in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, centered on two shallow, undeveloped lakes—Shelp Lake (42 acres) and Scott Lake (31 acres)—surrounded by northern mesic and wet forest, open bog, and shrub swamp. Access is via Forest Road 2183 (Scott Lake Road), approximately 9 miles east of Three Lakes. The roadless condition of this area, designated as the Scott Lake and Shelp Lake State Natural Area, preserves the wilderness character that defines recreation here: non-motorized trails through old-growth hemlock and white pine, undisturbed shorelines, and the absence of road noise and fragmentation.

Hunting in this area takes advantage of habitat that supports white-tailed deer, black bear, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, and waterfowl. The dense hemlock ridges and "super canopy" pine stands provide significant cover for big game. Hunters access the area from the parking area on the north side of Forest Road 2183, where trails lead north to Shelp Lake and south to Scott Lake. The area is located within the Northern Forest Zone for deer management; hunters should consult current Wisconsin DNR regulations for the applicable Deer Management Unit and wear blaze orange during active seasons. No motorized or mechanized equipment is permitted on trails within the roadless area—a restriction that preserves the solitude and non-motorized character essential to backcountry hunting.

Fishing opportunities center on northern pike and panfish in both lakes. Shelp Lake, a soft-water lake with a maximum depth of 4 feet, and Scott Lake, similarly shallow with a 95% muck bottom, are spring-fed and undeveloped. Both support common populations of northern pike (open May through early March, 5-fish daily bag limit) and panfish (open year-round, 25-fish daily bag limit). Anglers access Shelp Lake via the trail and boardwalk north from the FR 2183 parking area; Scott Lake is reached by a 1/3-mile trail south of the road. Motor trolling with up to 3 hooks per angler is allowed. The shallow depth of these lakes makes them susceptible to winterkill, which may influence fish populations. The lakes also serve as documented foraging sites for osprey and bald eagles. The absence of roads and development preserves the wilderness character and undisturbed shorelines that support both fish habitat and the quiet fishing experience.

Birding in the Shelp Lake area is rewarding year-round. The old-growth hemlock and pine forest and surrounding bog habitat support northern specialties including gray jays, black-backed woodpeckers, and boreal chickadees. Breeding-season visitors (June) can participate in the Nicolet National Forest Bird Survey, the longest-running volunteer bird-monitoring program in a U.S. National Forest. Spring and summer bring blackburnian warblers, black-throated green warblers, olive-sided flycatchers, and other Neotropical migrants. The Shelp Lake Trail, a short non-motorized trail north from the FR 2183 parking area, winds through old-growth hemlocks to the bog and is specifically managed for viewing bog plants and northern birds. The Scott Lake Trail, south of the road, traverses a 300-year-old stand of white pine and hemlock along the wetland edge. The roadless condition ensures that these interior forest habitats remain unfragmented and that trails remain quiet—critical for hearing warblers, ovenbirds, and other forest songbirds.

Paddling on Shelp Lake and Scott Lake offers access to undeveloped wilderness water. Shelp Lake, a 50-acre soft-water lake surrounded by floating bog, is suitable for kayaking and accessible via the short trail and boardwalk from the FR 2183 parking area. Scott Lake, similarly shallow and spring-fed, is blanketed with wild rice and accessible via the 1/3-mile trail south of the road. Both lakes drain into Scott Creek, which flows toward the Eagle River. The roadless designation preserves these lakes as completely undeveloped, with no motorized boat access or shoreline development—a condition that would be lost if roads were constructed into the area.