Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
The Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for eight Michigan
islands in the North American Great Lakes
. Owned by the United States federal government, they were set aside for ecosystem
protection purposes by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
1943.
Charity, Little Charity
, Scarecrow
, and Thunder Bay
islands form the Lake Huron
division of the refuge. Gull
, Hat
, Pismire
, and Shoe
islands, which are part of the Beaver Island
archipelago, form the Lake Michigan
division.
No single one of them is large enough to rate a full-time site staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and they are widely separated from each other in two separate Great Lakes. In an unusual administrative decision, the Fish and Wildlife Service, , has divided up management responsibilities over the Michigan Islands NWR between two larger, full-time-staffed wildlife refuges. The four Lake Huron islands are managed as if they were part of the Shiawasee National Wildlife Refuge, based in Saginaw, Michigan
, and the four Lake Michigan islands are managed as if they were part of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge
, based in Seney, Michigan
. Scarecrow and Thunder Bay islands were also designated part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
.
The Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge islands were set aside as resting places for migratory birds flying over the Great Lakes, but have drawn increased attention in the following decades for their Great Lakes ecosystem plant life, including the Dwarf Lake Iris
, the state wildflower of Michigan, and Pitcher's thistle
, both classified as threatened species
within the United States.
There are automated lighthouse
s on Charity and Thunder Bay
Islands.
.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
islands in the North American Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. Owned by the United States federal government, they were set aside for ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
protection purposes by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
1943.
Charity, Little Charity
Little Charity Island
Little Charity Island is a small island in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. The 5.4-acre island is located in Sims Township, Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Acquired by the U.S...
, Scarecrow
Scarecrow Island
Scarecrow Island is a small, 7-acre island in Lake Huron. It forms the southern limit of Thunder Bay and helps define the harbor of Alpena, Michigan...
, and Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay Island
Thunder Bay Island is a island in Lake Huron. The island is one of eight constituent islands of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The island is part of Alpena Township in Alpena County...
islands form the Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
division of the refuge. Gull
Gull Island (Charlevoix County, Michigan)
Gull Island, located in St. James Township, Charlevoix County, Michigan, is the largest of approximately one dozen islands bearing this name in Michigan. 230 acres in size, it is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge...
, Hat
Hat Island (Lake Michigan)
Hat Island is a small island on the eastern edge of the Beaver Island archipelago in Lake Michigan. It is about 10 acres in size and located in eastern St. James Township, Charlevoix County, Michigan...
, Pismire
Pismire Island
Pismire Island is a small island in Lake Michigan of approximately in size. It is part of the Beaver Island archipelago, the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and the Michigan Islands Wilderness Area. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a satellite of the Seney...
, and Shoe
Shoe Island (Lake Michigan)
Shoe Island is a small island or islet in the Beaver Island archipelago in Lake Michigan. It is about in size and located in eastern St. James Township, Charlevoix County, Michigan...
islands, which are part of the Beaver Island
Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)
Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
archipelago, form the Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
division.
No single one of them is large enough to rate a full-time site staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and they are widely separated from each other in two separate Great Lakes. In an unusual administrative decision, the Fish and Wildlife Service, , has divided up management responsibilities over the Michigan Islands NWR between two larger, full-time-staffed wildlife refuges. The four Lake Huron islands are managed as if they were part of the Shiawasee National Wildlife Refuge, based in Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, and the four Lake Michigan islands are managed as if they were part of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Seney National Wildlife Refuge
The Seney National Wildlife Refuge is a managed wetland in Schoolcraft County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It has an area of 95,212 acres . It is bordered by M-28 and M-77. The nearest town of any size is Seney, Michigan...
, based in Seney, Michigan
Seney, Michigan
Seney is an unincorporated community in Schoolcraft County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. The town is built on the outskirts of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was featured in the Ernest Hemingway short story "Big...
. Scarecrow and Thunder Bay islands were also designated part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary on Thunder Bay, part of Lake Huron, within the U.S. state of Michigan. The sanctuary and underwater preserve protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwrecks ranging from nineteenth...
.
The Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge islands were set aside as resting places for migratory birds flying over the Great Lakes, but have drawn increased attention in the following decades for their Great Lakes ecosystem plant life, including the Dwarf Lake Iris
Dwarf Lake Iris
The Dwarf Lake Iris is a beardless rhizomatous iris native to the northern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron....
, the state wildflower of Michigan, and Pitcher's thistle
Pitcher's thistle
The Pitcher's thistle , sometimes called dune thistle, is a species of thistle native to sand dune shorelines along the upper Great Lakes. It grows endemically only in Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario. It is listed by the U.S...
, both classified as threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
within the United States.
There are automated lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
s on Charity and Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay Island
Thunder Bay Island is a island in Lake Huron. The island is one of eight constituent islands of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The island is part of Alpena Township in Alpena County...
Islands.
Michigan Islands Wilderness Area
Pismire, Scarecrow, and Shoe islands were designated as wilderness in 1970. The three islands make up the Michigan Islands Wilderness AreaMichigan Islands Wilderness Area
Michigan Islands Wilderness Area, a relatively small wilderness area of 12.5 acres , consists of Pismire Island, Scarecrow Island, and Shoe Island within the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. These three islands, which constitute part of the group of islands that make up the larger...
.