Today's Hours: 8am - 4:30pm

About

Directions and Hours
Mission and History
Staff
Board of Directors
Rules of the Preserve

Trails are open daily from dawn to dusk.

Building Hours

The Environmental Center is open to the public Tue - Fri from 8am - 4:30pm; Saturday from 11am - 4pm and Sunday from Noon - 4pm.

The trails are open year round, dawn to dusk.

Coming from the south?

Take Highway 41 north to County OO (Northland Ave. Exit #139) exit right (east). Second stoplight -Turn (left) north onto County A (Lynndale Drive).The Preserve entrance is located 1.7 miles from Cty 00 and Cty A intersection on the left side of the road.

Coming from the north?

Take Highway 41 south to Highway 47(Richmond)(right) north. Turn (left) west onto County JJ, then turn (left)south onto County A (Lynndale Drive). The Preserve entrance is located 1 mile from the intersection of Cty JJ and Cty A on the right side of the road.Trails Open During Daylight Hours

Mission of the Preserve

To serve as a gathering place for the community to become inspired by, appreciate and enjoy nature through educational programming and recreational opportunities, while fostering a healthy environment and providing an improved quality of life.

History

Referred to by many as Center Swamp for its location in the center of the county, the preserve has a rich history that includes both logging and farming. Cleared by loggers in the late 1800's and early 1900's, the land was then briefly farmed prior to being sold to Natural Areas Preservation. The preserve's original 488 acres were purchased from a partnership of 3 farmers anxious to be relieved of property taxes after rain drowned their crops 4 out of 5 years.

Founded in 1971 after that purchase, the preserve was originally known as Natural Areas Preservation. This was the namesake of the original group of individuals who began an initiative to set aside green spaces free from development in Northeast Wisconsin. Led by Gordon Bubolz this group was instrumental in saving many other natural areas in Wisconsin including both High Cliff State Park and Mosquito Hill. To honor this work, the name was later changed to the Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve and more recently to The Fox Cities Environmental Learning Campus at Bubolz Nature Preserve.

The unique blend of habitats found here are what make the preserve such an important natural area in Northeast Wisconsin. They include: both upland and lowland hardwood forest, white cedar forest, tall and shortgrass prairie, wet meadow, ponds and streams. The preserve is geographically located within the Tension Zone. This is where Wisconsin's Northern and Southern biological communities meet. Because of this, a diverse array of flora and fauna from both of these regions of the state can be found on this site.