Hog Island (Michigan)
Hog Island | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Lake Michigan |
Coordinates | 45°47′30″N 85°21′58″W / 45.79167°N 85.36611°WCoordinates: 45°47′30″N 85°21′58″W / 45.79167°N 85.36611°W |
Area | 3.24 sq mi (8.4 km2) |
Administration | |
State | Michigan |
County | Charlevoix County |
Township | St. James Township |
Demographics | |
Population | Uninhabited |
Hog Island, an uninhabited 2,075-acre (8 km²) island in Lake Michigan, is the fourth largest island in the Beaver Island archipelago. It is owned by the U.S. state of Michigan as part of the Beaver Islands State Wildlife Research Area and is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.[1]
Geography
Hog Island is part of the Beaver Island archipelago, a cluster of island in the northern portion of Lake Michigan. These islands are composed of erosion-resistant rock that protruded above the water after retreating glaciers had carved out the basin that holds Lake Michigan.[2] Hog Island is approximately 4 miles (6.5 km) long in a north-south direction. Its low, swampy terrain is of significant interest to naturalists because it is one of the least-disturbed islands in Lake Michigan.
Flora and fauna
The island's wetlands are important spawning grounds for yellow perch and smallmouth bass, as well as lake birds that feed on fish, such as the common tern, listed as threatened within Michigan.[1]
Three endemic riparian plant species, Houghton's goldenrod, the Lake Huron tansy, and Pitcher's thistle, have been identified on Hog Island. All three plants are listed as threatened within Michigan. Old-growth northern hardwood and boreal softwood groves also exist on the island.
View
References
- 1 2 "Hog Island." www.michigan.gov. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ↑ "Garden and Hog Islands, Michigan: Image of the Day." www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov, August 25, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2016.