Brunet Island State Park

Story

Brunet Island State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, USA, featuring a 169acre island in the Chippewa River. The remainder of the park's 1225acre are on the east bank of the river. It is noted for its numerous white-tailed deer and large eastern hemlock trees. The park is located just north of Cornell in Chippewa County in the Northern Highland region of Wisconsin. The Old Abe State Trail begins in the park and follows the riverbank south to the town of Chippewa Falls, with access to Lake Wissota State Park.Natural historyBrunet Island is formed by the confluence of the Chippewa and Fisher Rivers. Backwater channels at the north end of the island create several undeveloped islets. The regional landscape was strongly marked by glaciation during the Wisconsin glaciation.The park is forested with mature eastern hemlocks. Deer, overpopulated on the island, eat most of the young hemlocks. In time red pines and spruces may become dominant. Small fenced plots are scattered throughout the island to protect saplings and undergrowth from the deer. In 1977, a tornado touched down on the north-central part of the island, leveling 18acre. The tornado left so much debris that the park was closed until spring 1978 for cleanup. Today, this area is regenerating with birch trees.