Open Space

Verona Sugar River Valley

Verona Sugar River Valley is a natural resource area encompassing 7644 acres on the western side of the Town of Verona. This includes a segment of the Military Ridge State Trail and is one of the largest continuous wetland complexes along the boundary of the driftless area in western Dane County. A rural, scenic river valley, it includes forests and fertile farm fields. Characteristic landmarks of the area are working farms, a clean river, and a water-based trail for all to enjoy. The WDNR and WDOT are the primary public land owners. The Verona Open Space and Parks Commission has identified this natural area as a priority resource area in its five-year plan and the Town Hall has an informational brochure produced by the OSPC and its partners.

Badger Mill Creek

Badger Mill Creek is a 623-acre natural resource area within the Upper Sugar River watershed that flows through the City and Town of Verona on the east side of the township. The area includes wetlands and adjacent upland buffer lands along it?s lower stretch. The Badger Mill Creek is part of the 1998 Upper Sugar River Initiative funded by a U.S. EPA grant to analyze the watershed’s pressing ecological issues. One major concern was the increasing amount of municipal water sent to a treatment plant located in another watershed. As a part of this initiative, Madison Metropolitan Sewer District constructed a return discharge line to preserve base flows in the Badger Mill Creek and Upper Sugar River watershed. The Wisconsin DNR is currently looking at reclassifying Badger Mill Creek as a “cool water fishery,” indicating it does have the potential to sustain some trout populations.