Cedar Island Wildlife area comprises a total of 514 acres of public hunting. Located within the park are flood plain woodlands including species such as silver maple, river birch and cotton wood. This habitat is ideal for wildlife species such as white tailed deer and turkey. The area provides access to the river, upland prairie and wetland habitats. Cedar Island Wildlife Area is mainly floodplain oak savanna and wetlands.
Contained within the park boundaries is a stretch of prairie which provides ideal habitat for upland game birds. This portion of prairie also contains coneflowers, spiderwort and a variety of other types prairie vegetation. The variety of plants and prairie habitat will provide bird watchers with ample opportunity to encounter various species of songbirds and other non-game species.
The name Cedar Island stems from a area of cedar trees found centrally located within the park creating and "Island of Cedar Trees." Over time the Cedar River has altered its course and created oxbow lakes within the park providing for a rather unique area. This is a rather unique area due to the soil type found there and it's diverse plant species. This park also contains hardwood species such as oak and walnut trees as well.
Within the southeast boundary of the area there is a section of quality of tallgrass prairie.
Slide show describing the formation of an oxbow
Park boundaries may not be clearly marked in all locations within the park so please be aware of park boundaries and respect private property.