From freezing mornings to blazing summer days, crews are working to restore Waazija Haci’s globally rare pine barrens. Discover how this Ho-Chunk-named State Natural Area is reclaiming its place as one of Wisconsin’s ecological treasures.
Pine barrens habitat at Waazija Haci. Photo courtesy of Jason Garstka (WDNR)
Restoring Waazija Haci, one season at a time
On an early winter morning, Jason Garstka, a biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), fires up a forestry mower to clear overgrown oak and brush from the pine barrens habitat at Waazija Haci State Natural Area. With only two weeks to clear 10 acres, he’ll work until it’s too dark to see.
On the south side of the property, crew members cut an aspen stand that’s been spreading for several years. By removing the aspen, the site will become more open for other native species to grow and diversify the ground layer. It’s physically demanding work, especially in frigid late-December temperatures, but it’s all part of a long-term restoration effort to increase this globally rare pine barrens habitat.
The forestry mower used at the site. Photo courtesy of Jason Garstka (WDNR)
Fast forward to the following summer. The crew returns under a hot July sun to spray herbicides on the oak resprouts. At 8:30 a.m. they shoulder their backpack sprayers and get to work. The temperature climbs to nearly 90 degrees, and biting flies swarm, but by the end of the day the crew has treated nearly all the new growth.
Crew members spraying herbicide at Waazija Haci. Photo courtesy of Jason Garstka (WDNR)
Teaming up with the DNR to revive Waazija Haci’s pine barrens
With support from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program successfully cleared 10 acres of oak and brush from significant pine barrens habitat at Waazija Haci State Natural Area. The crew opened the site’s shady canopy of oaks, allowing more sunlight to reach the forest floor. They also removed a spreading aspen stand which was crowding out other species. These are critical steps that help jack pines and flowering plants thrive in pine barrens habitats.
The project site at Waazija Haci after mowing. Photo courtesy of Jason Garstka (WDNR)
A year later, the site is much more open, wildflowers are moving back into the site, and this critical habitat can expand and flourish.
Pine barrens habitat at Waazija Haci. Photo courtesy of Armund Bartz
Armund Bartz, an ecologist with the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program, shares that when oak is overgrown it shades out light-dependent prairie grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs like blueberries. These understory species make up the globally rare pine and oak barrens natural community types that conservationists are trying to restore.
How pine barrens are managed and restored
This work is part of a broader effort to restore Wisconsin’s globally rare pine barrens, a type of fire-adapted ecosystem with sandy, well-drained soils and a landscape of open areas, pines, and oak savannas. To bring back the open, sun-filled conditions that barrens species need, the DNR crew used a mix of restoration techniques:
- Clearing invasive or overgrown trees and shrubs
- Spraying herbicide on resprouts to prevent regrowth
- Conducting prescribed burns to stimulate native vegetation growth and diversify the ground layer
Wisconsin holds the world’s best opportunity to manage for barrens.
Crew members conducting a prescribed burn at Waazija Haci. Photo courtesy of Jason Garstka (WDNR)
An ecological gem in the Black River State Forest
In 2007, Bartz was surveying the Black River State Forest in Jackson County, a vast landscape of 68,000 acres, when he came across a small but ecologically rich area of pine barrens.
“Immediately, I noticed plants that I had not yet seen before on any other barrens sites in the forest. I knew it was an ecological gem right away,” Bartz recalls.
That gem would later become Waazija Haci State Natural Area, officially designated in 2023. Today, at 142 acres, it features the highest barrens plant diversity in the Black River State Forest and is likely one of the most diverse sites in the entire Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape. It’s home to several barrens indicator species, plants that thrive in these rare conditions, including:
- wild lupine
- showy goldenrod
- rough blazing star, and more
Close up of wild lupine, showy goldenrod, and rough blazing star. Photos by Joshua Mayer
Honoring Ho-Chunk land stewardship
Waazija Haci is the first State Natural Area in Wisconsin to be named by one of the state’s recognized tribes. The Ho-Chunk Nation chose the name “Waazija Haci,” which means “people of the pines” in the Ho-Chunk language.
The site lies between two developed areas owned by the Ho-Chunk Nation, and its restoration creates more opportunities for traditional uses like blueberry foraging, which will be further enhanced through ongoing prescribed fire and habitat work.
Oak and pine barrens habitat at Waazija Haci State Natural Area. Photo by Joshua Mayer
Continued restoration at Waazija Haci will support biodiversity, cultural traditions, and the health of one of Wisconsin’s most unique natural communities for generations to come.
Thank you to NRF’s supporters and members for protecting Wisconsin’s most treasured lands, waters, and wildlife at Waazija Haci!
Written by Emma Schatz, Digital Communications Coordinator