Grand Traverse Islands offer opportunities

As the Friends of the Grand Traverse Islands works to gain the designation of a National Lakeshore for the island chain, supporters of the effort see the possibilities.

The Grand Traverse, which stretches from the Door Peninsula to the Garden Peninsula in Upper Michigan, is made up of eight large and nine small islands that stretch about 27 miles, as the crow flies. The National Lakeshore Campaign focuses on the publicly owned portions of Plum, Pilot, Rock, St. Martin, Poverty, Summer and Little Summer islands.

The Traverse Islands are a partially submerged section of the Niagara Escarpment, which stretches nearly 1,000 miles in an arc across North America. The Escarpment was formed 420 million years ago and essentially defines the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. They are comprised of dolomitic-limestone cliffs, primarily noticeable on the Bay of Green Bay side of the peninsula, at Cave Point County Park and on the island chain.

According to the Grand Traverse Islands website, the Escarpment’s Canadian section was designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990, placing it in the same league as the Galapagos, African Serengeti, and Florida Everglades. There are more than 240 occurrences of rare plant and animal communities in Wisconsin’s portion of the Escarpment, including 1,000-year-old white cedars.

Considered the "Gateway to the Green Bay" water flows through channels between the islands as the elevation of the Escarpment rises and falls, said John Bacon, chair of the Friends of the Grand Traverse Islands.

Each island has its own geological and historic features as well as special flora, fauna and different recreational opportunities.

Grand Traverse Islands designation sought

Plum and Pilot islands

Plum Island, in the middle of the Death’s Door Strait, is home to two range lights that help guide vessels through the passage and an old U.S. Life Saving Station. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management transferred the island from the Coast Guard to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 2007, to be included in the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge along with Pilot, Hog, Spider, and Gravel Islands.

Since Plum became part of the FWS program, the island became more accessible with public visits made available throughout the summer of 2015, according to the Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine. FWS, the Friends of the Plum and Pilot Islands and the Washington Island Ferry Line are also working to protect the refuge’s resources, preserve the lighthouses and buildings while opening more recreation.

At this time, visitors may come to the island by mooring offshore or using a dedicated kayak entry point near the boathouse. There is a two-mile hiking trail around the perimeter, and the FWS wants to  provide deer hunting, wildlife observation, photography and education for visitors.

Another of the FWS refuge islands, Pilot Island has a lighthouse and fog signal building, which are in need of repair. Visitors are not permitted to visiting the island, as it is home to many birds

Rock Island State Park

Rock can be visited on a regular basis with help of the Washington Island Ferry Line’s Karfi passenger vessel. There are rustic camp sites for people to utilize for tent camping, a beach and the Pottawatomi Lighthouse for visitors to explore. Lighthouse tours will end in mid-October.

The Lighthouse is Wisconsin’s oldest, and is currently as live-in museum. Between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Friends of the Rock Island State Park, operations and maintenance of the park continue year-round. A solar powered well was recently installed at the lighthouse.

St. Martin Island

St. Martin had upwards of 100 residents throughout the year in the 1800s and before had been populated by Native Americans. The fishing community had a school and church, but when fishing died down, many people moved off the island before the 1900s.

Shipping and freighting through the passages north of the peninsula increased, and the St. Martin Lighthouse and fog signal building was constructed, which is now owned by the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. The 40-acre lighthouse property can be accessed by visitors, but the remaining part of the island is owned by the Nature Conservancy, and visitors are not permitted.

Poverty Island

Poverty Island, which lies under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard, is currently not open to visitors. The now-abandoned lighthouse and keeper’s house can be seen from the water. Just over five miles from the Garden Peninsula, the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Summer Islands

Summer Island was formerly used as a timber harvest area in the 1800s. Archaeologists who came to the island in the mid-1900s found Native American artifacts that revealed they lived there seasonally for hunting, fishing and trading.

A Summer Science Camp was established in 1967 for high school students, who helped with archaeological digs.

Now, visitors can visit for camping on both Summer and Little Summer in certain areas. Both are designated as state forest, overseen by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Each of the islands have their own charms, and Tim Pfleiger, professional paddler and owner of the Team Leadership Center and DC Adventure Center said that if the islands were to become of a nationally protected chain, it would be opening the jewels of Lake Michigan.

For the last 20 years, Pfleiger had been padding around Door County and the Grand Traverse on his own and in providing trips. On his personal time, he has traveled up each of the islands to the Garden Peninsula.

“I think this is exciting, if we get a designation like the Apostle Islands, there would be more support for utilization, access and upkeep on the structures,” Pfleiger said. “We would see more usage and visits to the islands with day trips and camping and we would see more people come down to Door from the Garden.”

According to Bacon, nothing inherently prevents power boats or personal watercraft from being used in national parks and lake shores, if the islands are given the designation sought by the Friends of the Grand Traverse Islands.

In addition, the National Lakeshore Campaign would not want to interfere with current work by the FWS which protects a number of the islands. If a national historic park designation was pursued, much of the islands would likely remain under the FWS once it acquires St. Martin, Poverty, and Rocky Islands, the Grand Traverse website says.

"Having an initiative for public use, would automatically open to more utilization," Pfleiger said.

More information and answers to frequently asked questions about the National Lakeshore Campaign can be found at www.grandtraverseislands.com/national-lakeshore-campaign.html.