WISCONSIN
Celebrating People, Place and Past
Land
Use these links to learn more about Wisconsin's geography,
geology and natural resources.
Quick Links: Natural Resources / Geology and Glaciers / Maps and Geography / Weather
Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
This site provides information on Wisconsin parks, wildlife, and forests.
The Teacher's Guide to Wisconsin State Parks and Forests provides guide to field trips
that are correlated to Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards.
Protecting the Wild Ones
Stories about some of Wisconsin's endangered species from the Department of Natural Resources Environmental Education site.
Critter Corner
Learn about Wisconsin wildlife from the Department of Natural Resources Environmental
Education site.
Endangered
Species in Wisconsin
This list from the US Fish and Wildlife Service includes links to additional
information and photos
of each species. For more general information on
endangered species in our region, see the
Region 3 Endangered Species home page and the US
Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species
home page.
Endangered and Threatened Species in the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes Information Network provides information about threatened and endangered species in the region, including links to resources such as the Endangered Species Act and
a report on Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes Ecosystem.
Butterflies
of Wisconsin
Butterflies and Moths of North America from the Big Sky Institute provides
information and photographs about Wisconsin's butterflies.
Water Facts
The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute's Wisconsin Water library provides facts
about Wisconsin waters, such as water usage, water pollution, and the number of lakes
and miles of waterways in the state.
Water Resources of Wisconsin
The USGS provides information on Wisconsin waterways, including stream flow data and reports
on pollutants.
Great Lakes Online
This site from the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute includes many resources on the
Great Lakes, including information on air and water quality, and a complete online guide on
the Fish of the Great Lakes.
25 Years of Great Lakes Protection
The Environmental Protection agency presents slide shows depicting the resources of the Great Lakes, including native plants, beachers, fish and lighthouses. Historical and current problems and solutions are also presented.
Menominee Sustainable Development Institute
This site includes an explanation of Menominee sustainable forestry practices and many
other resources, including a glossary, photographs from the Menominee forest and audio
and video clips.
About Wetlands
Learn about the diversity of life in the wetland habitat from this Iowa State University site.
The Prairies
This site from National Geographic has some interesting information about Prairies, and also
lesson plans.
The Great Peshtigo Fire: an Eyewitness Account:
The Wisconsin
Electronic Reader presents The Great Peshtigo Fire: an Eyewitness Account and the
Peshtigo Fire Gallery.
Scorecard is a service that helps you find out about chemical pollution in your community. Information from the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory about chemicals that are released is available by zip code. You can also learn about the health effects of any of these chemicals.
Northern Wisconsin: A Handbook for the Homeseeker
This guide, published in 1896 to encourage settlers to move to northern Wisconsin,
discusses the soil, climate, forest and water resources, land availability and principal economic activities in northern Wisconsin during the 1890's.
Geology and Glaciers
The Midwestern U.S. 16,000 Years Ago
This online exhibit from the Illinois State Museum provides a geologic
history of our region,
including information on the plants and animals
of the Pleistocene era and
maps
depicting the retreat of the glaciers in North America.
The Virtual Reef
This site from the Milwaukee Public Museum explains the geologic history of Wisconsin.
A virtual reality diorama allows students to explore the reef that covered Wisconsin during
the Silurian period.
The Third Planet
This electronic exhibit from the Milwaukee Public Museum depicts the continuing
evolution of the landscape and life on Earth, with a focus on Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's Glacial Landscape
This illustrated guide to the glacial period of Wisconsin's history is provided by the Ice Age Park
and Trail Foundation.
Gifts of the Glaciers
The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute provides a brief history and overview of the great lakes.
Glacial Features of Central Wisconsin
This electronic field trip describes the glacial history of Portage County through photographs and text.
K-12 Resources from Milwaukee Public Museum
The K-12 Education Section of the Milwaukee Public Museum provides geologic maps and a time scale that can be downloaded or printed for classroom use.
Geology Museum
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Geology Museum provides a guide to common rocks,
minerals and fossils found in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
The Geological and Natural History Survey provides scientific information about the geology, mineral resources, water resources, soil, climate, and biology of Wisconsin.
This site provides information about the Survey's publications, and includes maps such as Bedrock Geology of Wisconsin, Early Vegetation of Wisconsin, and others.
Formation
of the Mississippi River
This site from the Mississippi River Home Page describes the glacial origins
of the Mississippi.
Maps and Geography
Where in the Wisconsin is Jessica Doyle?
Students can "follow" Wisconsin's First Lady on her travels to learn about interesting but little known places in Wisconsin. A quiz will be posted each Friday.
Exploring Wisconsin Our Home
This instructional television series and World Wide Web site is designed for teachers and students
of Wisconsin geography.
The Great Lakes Environmental Atlas and Resource Book
Information on early settlement and development in the Great Lakes region and the geology, biology, and management of the lakes, as well as current and historical maps.
Wisconsin Maps
These maps from the Color Landform Atlas of the United States include a detailed relief map and a 1895 map of the state.
Wisconsin
State Cartographer's Office
The State Cartographer's Office provides information for people interested
in mapping in Wisconsin, including geographic
statistics about Wisconsin and outline
maps of the state which are available
for downloading.
Wisconsin County Maps
Maps for 20 Wisconsin counties may be printed or downloaded, subject to restrictions listed
at the site.
Library of Congress Map Collection
This collection contains maps of Madison and New Berlin from 1867 and a map of Milwaukee from 1872. Choose the "search" function and enter "Wisconsin" to bring up these maps.
North America Map Archive
These historical maps are provided by the University of Oregon. Some, such as an interactive map showing slave and free territories after the Compromise of 1850, require the Shockwave plug-in.
U.S. Gazetteer
Type in a city and state and the U.S. Census Bureau gazetteer will generate a map. You may then zoom in or out, or add features such as roads, parks, congressional districts, and so forth to the map to suit your purpose.
MapQuest! Interactive Atlas
Enter an address and this site will generate a map of any area in the United States.
General Wisconsin Climate Data
This site provides data on snowfall and snow cover, mean and extreme temperatures and precipitation, and general climactic conditions in Wisconsin.
Midwest Regional Climate Center
Current and historical climate data for the Midwest is available here, including Mississippi River flood data and historical climate summaries and graphs for many locations in Wisconsin.
Current Satellite Image of Wisconsin
These images from the UW Space Science and Engineering Center are updated every 30 minutes.
