Conservancy Protects 9,000 Feet of Lake Superior Shoreline

Nearly two miles of undisturbed shoreline means a lot to a migrating bird at a time when development has greatly altered an ever-increasing amount of Great Lakes coast.

And considering the thousands of birds that migrate biannually along the shores of Lake Superior, protecting 210 acres and 9,000 feet of shoreline at the confluence of Lake Superior and the St. Mary’s River was clearly a critical priority.

Known as Round Island Point, the land is located approximately six miles west of Sault Ste. Marie. Earlier this year, the property was on the market and offers from an out-of-state developer were on the table. The property is being protected by Little Traverse Conservancy in cooperation with the Michigan Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). TNC agreed to hold the property to ensure it would not be sold, to allow the Little Traverse Conservancy time to raise funds for the purchase.

"The whole area is very wild with little access," said Dr. William Scharf, who has conducted an ecological inventory of the property for the Conservancy. "It is of great significance to migrating songbirds to and from Canada, as well as migrating loons, grebes, and sea ducks along the corridor from Whitefish Point to Iroquois Point and beyond."

Dr. Scharf also pointed out that the rocky shoreline of the property supports threatened and rare species of dune/beach plants.

"The Little Traverse Conservancy is thrilled to be able to protect this long stretch of undeveloped Lake Superior shoreline," noted MaryKay O’Donnell, Director of Land Protection. "It isn’t every day that an opportunity like this comes along."

"We are grateful to The Nature Conservancy for their assistance with this purchase," added Tom Lagerstrom, Associate Director for Little Traverse Conservancy. "And we are particularly thankful to the donors who have stepped in to make this effort a reality."

The Conservancy is currently fundraising for a total of $275,000 toward the property’s purchase. Thus far, pledges and donations totaling $210,000 have been received. To help complete the acquisition, the Conservancy plans to request a $50,000 grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, a federal program to protect critical waterfowl habitat across North America.

"However, we are still $15,000 short of our fundraising goal, and would welcome donations to help fund the purchase of this significant ecosystem," Lagerstrom said.