Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness is a 3450 acres (14 km²) listed wilderness area within the Manistee National Forest. It is located north of Ludington, Michigan
, and is best known for its 4 miles (6.4 km) of undeveloped Lake Michigan
shoreline.
have fluctuated sharply over the past 4,000 years, with a temporary high-water mark, the Nipssing stage, achieved about 3,500 years before the present. During the Nipissing stage, Lake Huron
and Lake Michigan were interconnected as they are today, but the two lakes brimmed over with fresh water 605 feet (184 m) above sea level. As the lakes fell back toward their current level of 580 feet (177 m) above sea level, large quantities of sand
were exposed. Subsequent work by lake-effect winds shaped this exposed sand into sand dunes.
The Lake Michigan sand-dune shoreline around Big Sable Point
was reshaped into the Big Sable Dunes complex, a 6,270-acre (25.4 km²) area of sandy hills, dunal moraine
s, shallow lakes, and associated plant and animal life. The dunes reach heights of 140 feet (42 m) above lake level.
The Nordhouse Dunes form the northern half of the preserved section of the Big Sable Dunes complex. The southern 2,820 acres (11.4 km²) are contained within Michigan's Ludington State Park
.
. The local climate supports beech
, sugar maple, red oak, and white oak
trees, mixed with a thin sprinkling of evergreens such as the red pine
and Michigan's state tree, the white pine
.
Active dune areas closer to the lake are dotted with early-succession plants and trees such as the juniper
bush and the jack pine
. Of special interest is one of the two largest known remaining populations of the Pitcher's thistle
, a threatened species
listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In animal life, the primary browser is the familiar whitetail deer, mixed with typical examples of Michigan small game such as the coyote
, fox
, porcupine
, and raccoon
.
As a wilderness, the Nordhouse Dunes is not penetrated by road. Two parking lots, Lake Michigan Recreation Area on the wilderness's northern edge and Nurnberg Road at its southeastern corner, provide space for persons seeking to hike into the wilderness itself. While the wilderness nominally enjoys free admission, drivers of vehicles using the parking lots are requested to purchase a vehicle pass for display on the windshield of the vehicle.
Both parking lots are located relatively close to U.S. Highway 31, the primary road serving the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Ludington.
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
, and is best known for its 4 miles (6.4 km) of undeveloped 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...
shoreline.
Geology
The lake levels of the upper Great LakesGreat 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...
have fluctuated sharply over the past 4,000 years, with a temporary high-water mark, the Nipssing stage, achieved about 3,500 years before the present. During the Nipissing stage, 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...
and Lake Michigan were interconnected as they are today, but the two lakes brimmed over with fresh water 605 feet (184 m) above sea level. As the lakes fell back toward their current level of 580 feet (177 m) above sea level, large quantities of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
were exposed. Subsequent work by lake-effect winds shaped this exposed sand into sand dunes.
The Lake Michigan sand-dune shoreline around Big Sable Point
Big Sable Point Light
The Big Sable Point Light is a lighthouse on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan near Ludington in Mason County, Michigan, at the Ludington State Park. It is an active aid to navigation.-History:...
was reshaped into the Big Sable Dunes complex, a 6,270-acre (25.4 km²) area of sandy hills, dunal moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s, shallow lakes, and associated plant and animal life. The dunes reach heights of 140 feet (42 m) above lake level.
The Nordhouse Dunes form the northern half of the preserved section of the Big Sable Dunes complex. The southern 2,820 acres (11.4 km²) are contained within Michigan's Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park
Ludington State Park is a state park located just north of Ludington, Michigan between the shores of Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake. The park encompasses nearly and contains several ecosystems, including: forests, sand dunes, a dam, a Great Lake, and a river.-Big Sable Point Lighthouse:Ludington...
.
Biology
The older Nordhouse Dunes, farther away from Lake Michigan, have had time for the process of plant succession to produce a forest ecosystemEcosystem
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....
. The local climate supports beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, sugar maple, red oak, and white oak
White oak
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
trees, mixed with a thin sprinkling of evergreens such as the red pine
Red Pine
Pinus resinosa, commonly known as the red pine or Norway pine, is pine native to North America. The Red Pine occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well...
and Michigan's state tree, the 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,...
.
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
bush and the jack pine
Jack Pine
Jack pine is a North American pine with its native range in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains from Northwest Territories to Nova Scotia, and the northeast of the United States from Minnesota to Maine, with the southernmost part of the range just into northwest Indiana...
. Of special interest is one of the two largest known remaining populations of the 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...
, a 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,...
listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In animal life, the primary browser is the familiar whitetail deer, mixed with typical examples of Michigan small game such as the coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
, porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
, and raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
.
Nordhouse Dunes today
After northwestern Michigan was heavily logged in the 19th century and early 20th century, the U.S. Congress re-designated much of the cutover land as the Manistee National Forest in 1938. Congress listed the Nordhouse Dunes as a wilderness in 1987.As a wilderness, the Nordhouse Dunes is not penetrated by road. Two parking lots, Lake Michigan Recreation Area on the wilderness's northern edge and Nurnberg Road at its southeastern corner, provide space for persons seeking to hike into the wilderness itself. While the wilderness nominally enjoys free admission, drivers of vehicles using the parking lots are requested to purchase a vehicle pass for display on the windshield of the vehicle.
Both parking lots are located relatively close to U.S. Highway 31, the primary road serving the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Ludington.
External links
- http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTJw8jAwjQL8h2VAQAzHJMsQ!!/?ss=110904&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003693&navid=100000000000000&pnavid=null&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&recid=18770&ttype=recarea&pname=Huron-Manistee%2520National%2520Forests%2520-%2520Nordhouse%2520Dunes%2520Wilderness%2520AreaU.S. Forest Service - Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness]