Location
Natural Areas
Trails and Tours
Development Plans
Lake and Watershed Preservation
Preserving and Restoring Watersheds and Wetlands
Articles and Books
Mapping and Monitoring
Carp Barriers
Related Organizations
Elected Representatives
Friends of Cherokee Marsh
The upper Yahara River and Cherokee Marsh Watershed drains the lands north of Lake Mendota, the first in the Four Lakes chain of lakes in south central Wisconsin. Cherokee Lake, just north of Lake Mendota, is a remnant of a vast, ecologically critical wetland complex.
The latest news about the development plans
About the Friends
The Friends of Cherokee Marsh formed in 2006 to protect, preserve, and restore the beauty, value, and health of the Cherokee Marsh and Upper Yahara river watershed.
Join us. Membership form.
Contact us via Our postal address is PO Box 3390, Madison WI 53704.
Join the Friends' discussion group.
Upcoming Volunteer Activities, Tours, and Events
Help Plant Prairie Seed
Tuesday, May 13, 9 am to 12 noon
Yahara Heights County Park
Help scatter little bluestem seeds on a prairie restoration. More information.
Cherokee Marsh Important Bird Area Project
The Wisconsin Important Bird Areas (IBA) program identifies sites that provide essential habitat for birds. The program has nearly 100 approved sites statewide. More information.
Wednesday Evening Watershed Walks
A series of walks within the Upper Yahara River Watershed and beyond.
Sponsored by the Benedictine Women of Madison. Schedule.
Madison Audubon Field Trips
June 28 (Saturday). Butterflies of Cherokee Marsh.
August 3 (Sunday). Canoe Cherokee Marsh Ecological Restoration.
More information about these and other 2008 Audubon field trips in the upper Yahara watershed.
About the Marsh and the Watershed
Location
Cherokee Marsh and nearby Public Lands. Map with major trailheads marked.
Map of the Upper Yahara River Watershed
Map showing the Yahara River and Lake Mendota watershed boundary and planned growth areas. From Dane County Planning and Development.
Satellite view of the marsh. The north end of Lake Mendota is in the bottom left corner. Zoom and pan to see different areas. Click Map or Hybrid to view a map.
Natural Areas
There are several natural areas in the marsh.
Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park (City of Madison). Three units. Map.
Cherokee Marsh Fishery Area (WDNR).
Yahara Heights/Cherokee Marsh Natural Resource Site (Dane County).
A portion of the marsh is a Wisconsin State Natural Area.
Cherokee Park is a Madison city park adjacent to the marsh (map).
Information about Madison Parks' Marsh Restoration
Cherokee Marsh Naturalist Program
Trails and Tours
Cherokee Marsh is included in the new Yahara Waterways Water Trail Guide.
The Yahara Headwaters water trail travels through the marsh. From Capitol Water Trails.
Bike tour of the upper Yahara River and watershed. Map and information for self-guided tours. Interesting reading even if you don't bike the route. From the Bicycling Community Page.
The Wetlands of Dane County, Wisconsin
In 1974, the Dane County Regional Plan Commission in cooperation with the Wisconsin DNR researched and published a book titled The Wetlands of Dane County, Wisconsin. The book describes and evaluates the county's wetlands.
Cherokee Marsh maps and descriptions
Overview
Map A (north)
Map A Key
Map B (central)
Map B Key
Map C (south)
Map C Key
All of the above files in a zip file
Introduction and description of the wetland ecosystem (9 MB)
Dane County Water Resources. Map showing the watershed and marshes lost since 1905.
The book is available in local libraries.