Page 50 - Park and Open Space Plan

Activities: The large populations of sweet cicely, honewort, black
• Archery snakeroot, and wood avens are indicative of past
• Bicycling grazing. Small woodland ponds lie in the northwest
• Bird Watching portion. Summer bird populations are representative
• Day Camp
• Family Gatherings of southern hardwoods and include the state-
• Fishing threatened cerulean warbler.
• Fishing Clinic/Fishing Derby
• Geocaching Natural Management Overview:
• Hiking
• Horseback Riding Most of the designated natural area in Muskego Park
• Horseshoe is a hardwood forest of exceptional quality. The forest
• Kayaking/Lessons slopes gently to the southeast. There are several
• Nature-based Educational Programs ponds and wet areas, most ephemeral, and a larger
• Picnicking wetland downslope, adjacent to the neighboring
• Primitive Camping subdivision. It is one of our smallest parks but it
• Running/Jogging/Walking
• Snowshoeing contains the highest quality woods and best example
• Swimming/Lessons of a native community in the parks system. The large
• Volleyball block of forest to the east of our infrastructure is a
designated State Natural Area called ‘Muskego Park
Events: Hardwoods’ and the spring diversity here is among the
• Polar Plunge – Wisconsin Special best in the state. The woods also contains rare Blue
Olympics
• InPro 5K Run/Walk Ash trees, which are being treated to help resist the
• Hampshire Bike Race effects of Emerald Ash Borer.
• Sand-Modeling Contest – City of
Muskego The Core Zone for Muskego Park covers 138.4 acres.
• Cardboard Canoe Race – GPS Invasive species that challenge the management of
Education Partners
the Core Zone include Garlic mustard, Common
buckthorn, Honeysuckle, Purple loosestrife, Reed
canary grass and the Emerald Ash Borer. The goal for
management is to maintain the forest ecological
quality and a closed canopy if at all possible, and to
encourage succession of native species. Monitoring
and controlling the area for new invasive species and
new populations of existing invasives is critical to the
health of the Core Zones.

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