Moses Creek Meadows
Moses Creek Meadows is a 33-acre natural area donated to the Friends of Schmeeckle by John and Patty Noel in 2021. It is located on the west side of Yulga Park in the Town of Hull. The site features a forest of towering oak and pine trees and provides access to a pristine sedge meadow wetland, the headwaters of Moses Creek which runs through Schmeeckle Reserve on its way to the Wisconsin River. A rich diversity of plants and animals call this area home, including pink lady’s slipper orchids, rattlesnake plantain orchids, American woodcock, and barred owls.
In spring 2022, the Green Circle Trail was rerouted through the wooded portion of the property, meandering under hundred-year-old trees and past a small pond. From 2022 to 2023, Friends of Schmeeckle volunteers constructed trails, boardwalks, and an observation deck that provides sweeping views of the beautiful sedge meadow wetland. Click here to learn more about the project.
Visiting Moses Creek Meadows
The Moses Creek Meadows property is open to the public from sunrise to sunset. Parking is available at the Yulga Disc Golf Course (view in Google Maps) or at the Green Circle parking lot off of Wilshire Blvd. (view in Google Maps). The site is accessed via the Green Circle Trail about 1/4-mile south of the Yulga Park parking lot. Cedar signs mark both the northern and southern entrances.
A 0.2-mile path leads from the Green Circle Trail over two boardwalks to an elevated deck that provides views of the sedge meadow wetland at the headwaters of Moses Creek. The deck has benches, educational signage, and viewing scopes. It is an ideal place to watch for birds, listen to frogs, or learn more about the significance of the site.
Private property is located on the west, north, and northeast sides of the natural area, so please respect the landowners and stay on the marked trails. Leashed pets are welcome on the trails. Due to sensitive wildlife habitat, pets are not allowed off-leash or off-trail.
Why Moses Creek Meadows is significant
This property is strategically located where a 160-acre northern sedge meadow wetland funnels into Moses Creek, which flows south through Schmeeckle Reserve.
Northern sedge meadow habitats are dominated by sedges and grasses that thrive in saturated soils. The water is slightly acidic, supporting trees like tamarack. Northern sedge meadows are considered vulnerable in Wisconsin due to a fairly restricted range and widespread declines and threats. A significant number of wetlands in Wisconsin have been drained for farming. Only 3% of the historic sedge meadow wetlands in the state remain.
As the headwaters of Moses Creek, this wetland is especially significant. Moses Creek once flowed from this wetland to the Wisconsin River where the Riverfront Arts Center is now located. The silty water of the creek created a “point” of land that jutted out into the river. In 1839, George Stevens, a lumberman, used this point of land to store and ship supplies for building a sawmill upstream at Big Bull Falls (now Wausau). The name stuck, and the community that grew around the mouth of Moses Creek became known as Stevens Point.
Much of Moses Creek was ditched by the late 1800s in an effort to drain wetlands in the north for farming. With the loss of its wetlands to buffer storm water, the creek caused major flooding in downtown Stevens Point during rain events and spring snow melt. To better control the floods, the creek was rerouted beneath the city in large concrete storm sewers from the 1930s to the 1970s. The last free-flowing segment of Moses Creek before it enters the storm sewers is located in Schmeeckle Reserve.
Restoring and protecting Moses Creek has always been a priority for Schmeeckle. In 2010, a major habitat restoration project, funded by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, restored the natural meanders of the stream in Schmeeckle along with 17 acres of historic wetland floodplain. This enhanced biodiversity on the site while buffering flooding downstream.
Protecting the entire Moses Creek corridor is a long-term goal of both Schmeeckle Reserve and the Friends of Schmeeckle. Acquiring this vital 33-acre parcel where the sedge meadow narrows into Moses Creek was a major accomplishment toward this goal.
View galleries
Click the galleries below to view photos of Moses Creek Meadows.
