Nominated
for Legal Dedication,
The Nature Conservancy Natural Areas Registry
Size:
3,495 acres
Location:
Off the
shore of Emmet Co.
Management:
Beaver
Islands State Wildlife Research Area
Activities:
Hiking, wildlife viewing, hunting
(There is no regularly scheduled public transportation to the
island.)
Importance:
High Island is one of the most beautiful islands in the state and
contains both geology and biology that is unique to this earth. The
island is an outcrop of limestone bedrock covered with a relatively
thick layer of glacial drift. The central part of the island (a high
plain) is separated from the rest by an escarpment ranging in height
from a few feet to upwards of 200 or more feet. Parts of the west
side of the escarpment are covered with high perched sand dunes (in
excellent condition), with mostly open dune vegetation. Further west
is an area of sandy beach ridges of former lake levels, which has
some interesting and beautiful cedar and upland forests. The island
has an array of Michigan shoreline features and associated
ecosystems that support a number of rare, threatened and endangered
plant and bird species.
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