Area: 486 Acres

​

Hiking Difficulty: A, B

​

Betterly WPA was purchased with duck stamp dollars, and its mixture of grassland, wetland, and forest habitat is managed with prescribed fire. Controlled burns help with brush control, invasive species control, reinvigorating native prairie stands, and site preparation for seeding native grass and forb (wildflower) species. Through burning, mowing, and other management strategies, Betterly WPA will be maintained near its original landscape state of native grassland.

 

Birds of Interest: American Goldfinch, Bobolink, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Kingbird, Field Sparrow, Henslow’s Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Tree Swallow, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk and Wood Duck.

​

• Betterly WPA, a floodplain for the Willow River, has a seasonal high water table and poorly drained soils, allowing wetland grasses, sedges and willows to flourish

​

• A public use access trail guides through a riparian forest, over an intermittent stream, and to an open and secluded prairie

​

• The management strategy of this WPA includes controlled burning, a practice proven to rejuvenate prairies and encourage native bird and plant species to flourish

​

Directions: From the city of New Richmond, go 3 miles east on Cty. Rd. K. Turn South on 160th St. Travel 0.5 mile till you cross the railroad tracks. The WPA is on both sides of the road.