Pointe Mouillee State Game Area
Encyclopedia
Pointe Mouillee State Game Area is a state game
area located primarily in Berlin Charter Township
in the northeasternmost corner of Monroe County
, Michigan
. It consists of 4040 acres (16.3 km²) of coastal wetlands in Lake Erie
near the mouth of the Huron River
. The game area occupies only a tiny area of land on the other side of the Huron River in Wayne County
, where its headquarters are located at 37205 Mouillee Road, Route 2 in Brownstown Charter Township. It is used for waterfowl hunting due to its heavy use by ducks and geese along the flyway across Lake Erie. The park is mostly utilized by bird watchers hiking or biking along the dikes or hunters in small boats. A large number of muskrats are taken yearly by trappers in the area. The Downriver area Catholics had a tradition of eating muskrat under a traditional exemption to the eating of meat during Lent.
The area was named by French fur trade
rs in the 18th century. In 1875, a group of wealthy local men bought about 2000 acres (8.1 km²) and established the Pointe Mouillee Shooting Club which employed punters and cooks to assist the duck hunters. In 1945, the state of Michigan bought 2600 acres (10.5 km²) from the club to establish the state game area. More property would be added to the initial purchase including 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) Celeron Island. The barrier island washed away and the marsh was heavily damaged leading to the Army Corps of Engineers building a new one; the Corps needed a site to dispose of material dredged from harbors and shipping channels which was considered contaminated and could o longer be dumped in depths of the Great Lakes. They constructed a Confined Disposal Facility with 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of dikes enclosing 700 acres (2.8 km²) which doubled as a barrier for the marsh. They later rerouted streams and partially drained the interior to assist the regrowth of vegetation. The Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival has occurred yearly since 1947.
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
area located primarily in Berlin Charter Township
Berlin Charter Township, Michigan
Berlin Charter Township is a charter township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2000 census, the township population was 6,924. Berlin Charter Township was organized from the northern portion of previously established Frenchtown Charter Township, and the township boundaries...
in the northeasternmost corner of Monroe County
Monroe County, Michigan
Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 population is 152,021. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The U.S. Census Bureau defines all of Monroe County as conterminous with the Monroe Metropolitan Area...
, Michigan
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"....
. It consists of 4040 acres (16.3 km²) of coastal wetlands in Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
near the mouth of the Huron River
Huron River (Michigan)
The Huron River is a river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Indian Springs Metropark in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County...
. The game area occupies only a tiny area of land on the other side of the Huron River in Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
, where its headquarters are located at 37205 Mouillee Road, Route 2 in Brownstown Charter Township. It is used for waterfowl hunting due to its heavy use by ducks and geese along the flyway across Lake Erie. The park is mostly utilized by bird watchers hiking or biking along the dikes or hunters in small boats. A large number of muskrats are taken yearly by trappers in the area. The Downriver area Catholics had a tradition of eating muskrat under a traditional exemption to the eating of meat during Lent.
The area was named by French fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
rs in the 18th century. In 1875, a group of wealthy local men bought about 2000 acres (8.1 km²) and established the Pointe Mouillee Shooting Club which employed punters and cooks to assist the duck hunters. In 1945, the state of Michigan bought 2600 acres (10.5 km²) from the club to establish the state game area. More property would be added to the initial purchase including 130 acre (0.5260918 km²) Celeron Island. The barrier island washed away and the marsh was heavily damaged leading to the Army Corps of Engineers building a new one; the Corps needed a site to dispose of material dredged from harbors and shipping channels which was considered contaminated and could o longer be dumped in depths of the Great Lakes. They constructed a Confined Disposal Facility with 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of dikes enclosing 700 acres (2.8 km²) which doubled as a barrier for the marsh. They later rerouted streams and partially drained the interior to assist the regrowth of vegetation. The Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival has occurred yearly since 1947.