Richard Bong State Recreation Area

Richard Bong State Recreation Area is a unit of the state park system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is located in the town of Brighton, in Kenosha County. This managed prairie contains of mountain bike trails. Other recreational activities include high power rocketry, swimming, dogsledding, falconry, ATV sports, land sailing, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, camping with amenities, and ultralight aviation. There is a wildlife preserve where great egrets, sandhill cranes, and great blue herons are known to nest. The park is on land once intended for the Richard Bong Air Force Base, whose namesake is World War II veteran aviator Maj. Richard Ira Bong. Part of what was intended to be the main airstrip is still visible from aerial photos of the site. Largely due to its name's coincidental allusions to marijuana use, Bong Recreation Area is a frequent target of sign theft. This has led to the manufacturing of T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the highway exit sign. The Richard Bong SRA is one of the centerpieces of the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.