Apostle Islands - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...

, off the Bayfield Peninsula

Bayfield Peninsula

The Bayfield Peninsula is a peninsula on Lake Superior. It is located in Bayfield County, Wisconsin USA. It is the northernmost region of mainland Wisconsin, with the south shore of Lake Superior to the west and the Chequamegon Bay to the east...

in northern Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Bayfield County. All the islands except for Madeline Island

Madeline Island

Madeline Island is an island of the U.S. state of Wisconsin located in Lake Superior approximately two miles northeast of Bayfield, Wisconsin, and connected to that town seasonally by a 20 minute ferry ride or an ice road. It is the largest of the Apostle Islands, although it is not included...

are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands and shoreline encompassing 69,372 acres on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior....

.

The islands are the spiritual home for the Lake Superior Chippewa

Lake Superior Chippewa

The Lake Superior Chippewa were a historical band of Ojibwe Indians living around Lake Superior in what is now the northern parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.-Origins:...

. The islands were named the Apostle Islands by New France

New France

New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...

historian Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix

Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix

Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix was a French Jesuit traveller and historian distinguished as the first historian of New France....

, who named them after the 12 apostles (even though there were 22 islands).

Environment

"The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore provides regionally diverse and unique plant communities." "Over 800 plant species occur within the lakeshore, including Wisconsin listed endangered and threatened species." The Apostles are dominated by boreal forest, composed largely of white spruce

White Spruce

Picea glauca is a species of spruce native to boreal forests in the north of North America, from central Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; there is also an isolated population in the...

(Picea glauca) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea), often mixed with white birch

White Birch

White Birch may refer to:* Betula papyrifera* Betula pendula* Shirakabaha, Japanese literary group* The White Birch , Norwegian recording artists...

(Betula papyrifera), white cedar

White Cedar

White Cedar may refer to several different trees:* Cupressaceae:** Chamaecyparis thyoides – Atlantic White Cypress** Cupressus lusitanica – Mexican White Cedar** Thuja occidentalis – Eastern Arborvitae* Meliaceae:...

(Thuja occidentalis), white pine

Eastern White Pine

Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...

(Pinus strobus), balsam poplar

Populus balsamifera

Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, bamtree, eastern balsam poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca,...

(Populus balsamifera) and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). On Madeline Island

Madeline Island

, Stockton Island

Stockton Island

Stockton Islands is also a group of islands north of Alaska.Stockton Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, in northern Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....

, and several other islands, a unique bog-dune ecosystem can be found near deep bay

Bay

A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...

s and enclosed lagoon

Lagoon

A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

s.

According to the National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

, "One of the greatest concentrations of black bears in North America is found on Stockton Island in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Bears also regularly inhabit Sand and Oak islands, and, due to their mobility, may be found on just about any of the Apostle Islands."

"The Lakeshore provides important nesting habitat for the following colonial nesting birds: herring

American Herring Gull

The American Herring Gull or Smithsonian Gull is a large gull which breeds in North America. It is often treated as a subspecies of the European Herring Gull but is now regarded as a separate species by some authorities.Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots,...

and ring-billed gull

Ring-billed Gull

The Ring-billed Gull is a medium-sized gull.Adults are length and with a wingspan. The head, neck and underparts are white; the relatively short bill is yellow with a dark ring; the back and wings are silver gray; and the legs are yellow. The eyes are yellow with red rims...

s, double-crested cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico...

s, great blue heron

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...

s, and cliff swallow

Cliff Swallow

The Cliff Swallow is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae — the swallows and martins.It breeds in North America, and is migratory, wintering in western South America from Venezuela southwards to northeast Argentina...

s. Gull

Gull Island (Wisconsin)

Gull Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, in northern Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The island is located off the coast of Michigan Island. The Gull Island Light is on Gull Island....

and Eagle Island

Eagle Island (Wisconsin)

Eagle Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, in northern Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The island is illegal to go on by the National Park service because of bird nesting. Eagle Island is the second smallest island in the Apostle islands. It is...

s combined have 88% of the lakeshore's breeding herring gull populations and 80% of the herring gull breeding population on the entire Wisconsin shore of Lake Superior. Eagle Island has the only great blue heron rookery in the park."

Sea caves

Some of the best sea caves of the Great Lakes are located on the shorelines of the Apostle Islands. Many of the best sea caves to visit are located at the following locations: Swallow Point on Sand Island

Sand Island (Wisconsin)

Sand Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Sand Island Light is located on the island...

, the North Shore of Devils Island

Devils Island (Wisconsin)

Devils Island is one of the twenty-two Apostle Islands of northern Wisconsin, and has also been known as Louisiana Island , Barney and Lamborn's Island , Brownstone Island, and Rabbit Island....

, and near Squaw Bay on the mainland. Arches and delicate chambers are visible . During the winters, visitors can see frozen waterfalls and chambers filled with millions of delicate icicles.

Islands

Name	Size (hectare Hectare The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2... )	Notes
Madeline Island Madeline Island Madeline Island is an island of the U.S. state of Wisconsin located in Lake Superior approximately two miles northeast of Bayfield, Wisconsin, and connected to that town seasonally by a 20 minute ferry ride or an ice road. It is the largest of the Apostle Islands, although it is not included...	Largest 6,215.97 (24 mi²)	Not part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Apostle Islands National Lakeshore The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands and shoreline encompassing 69,372 acres on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior....
Stockton Island Stockton Island Stockton Islands is also a group of islands north of Alaska.Stockton Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, in northern Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	4,003.48 (15.6 mi²)
Gull Island Gull Island (Wisconsin) Gull Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, in northern Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The island is located off the coast of Michigan Island. The Gull Island Light is on Gull Island....	1.42 (3.51 ac.)	Smallest
Eagle Island Eagle Island (Wisconsin) Eagle Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, in northern Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The island is illegal to go on by the National Park service because of bird nesting. Eagle Island is the second smallest island in the Apostle islands. It is...	11.22 (27.7 ac.)
Outer Island Outer Island (Wisconsin) Outer Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, in northern Wisconsin, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Outer Island Light is on the northern part of the island....	3,181.30 (12.3 mi²)
Oak Island Oak Island (Wisconsin) Oak Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	2,033.25 (7.85 mi²)
Sand Island Sand Island (Wisconsin) Sand Island is one of the Apostle Islands, in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Sand Island Light is located on the island...	1,157.17 (4.47 mi²)
Basswood Island Basswood Island Basswood Island is a Wisconsin island in Lake Superior. It is one of the Apostle Islands and a part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	774.71 (2.99 mi²)
Bear Island Bear Island (Wisconsin) Bear Island is one of the Apostle Islands of northern Wisconsin in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Unlike nearby Madeline Island, it is not open to commercial development. There is another Bear Island in Balsam Lake....	734.14 (2.83 mi²)
Michigan Island Michigan Island Michigan Island is one of the Apostle Islands located in western Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula, in northern Wisconsin. This island has no human inhabitants, and is managed by the National Park Service as part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It is centered at approximately...	622.73 (2.4 mi²)
Hermit Island Hermit Island (Wisconsin) Hermit Island is a Wisconsin island in Lake Superior and a part of the Apostle Islands. Along with most of the islands in the group, it is a part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore...	316.72 (1.22 mi²)
Cat Island Cat Island (Wisconsin) Cat Island is a Wisconsin island in Lake Superior. It is one of the Apostle Islands and a part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It is located at . Variant names include Caterhemlock Island and Kagagiwanijikag Miniss...	541.92 (2.09 mi²)
Otter Island Otter Island (Wisconsin) Otter Island is one of the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. There is another Otter Island in Iowa County, in the Wisconsin River....	535.29 (2.07 mi²)
Manitou Island Manitou Island (Wisconsin) One of the twenty-two Apostle Islands of northern Wisconsin, Manitou Island has also been known as New Jersey Island and Tait's Island ....	536.31 (2.07 mi²)
Rocky Island Rocky Island (Wisconsin) Rocky Island is one of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	424.66 (1.64 mi²)
Long Island Long Island (Wisconsin) Long Island is an island in Lake Superior in Wisconsin usually identified with the Apostle Islands. It is geologically different from the other islands, though, in that it is actually just an extension of the spit off Chequamegon Point...	124.94 (308.7 ac.)	not geologically part of the Apostle Islands, but rather an extension of Chequamegon Point Chequamegon Point Chequamegon Point is a peninsula that extends into Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin in Ashland County, Wisconsin. Long Island is an extension of Chequamegon Point. Most of Chequamegon Point is owned by the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. There is...
Ironwood Island Ironwood Island (Wisconsin) Ironwood Island is one of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	269.55 (1.04 mi²)
York Island York Island (Wisconsin) York Island is one of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	110.82 (273.8 ac.)
Raspberry Island Raspberry Island (Wisconsin) Raspberry Island is one of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Raspberry Island Light is located on the island....	116.39 (287.6 ac.)
Devils Island Devils Island (Wisconsin) Devils Island is one of the twenty-two Apostle Islands of northern Wisconsin, and has also been known as Louisiana Island , Barney and Lamborn's Island , Brownstone Island, and Rabbit Island....	125.57 (310.3 ac.)
South Twin Island South Twin Island (Wisconsin) South Twin Island is one of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	136.13 (336.4 ac.)
North Twin Island North Twin Island (Wisconsin) North Twin Island is one of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, in Lake Superior, and is part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore....	67.04 (165.7 ac.)

(source)

External links

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Environment

Sea caves

Islands

See also

External links