Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Landscape

Map showing the Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Ecological Landscape

General Description

This Ecological Landscape is located in northeastern Wisconsin, and includes Green Bay and the northern part of the Door Peninsula. Its landforms consist of the Niagara escarpment, a prominent dolomite outcropping along the east side of Green Bay, a lacustrine plain along the west side of Green Bay, and ground moraine elsewhere. Low sand dunes and beach ridges that support Great Lakes endemics and many other rare species are found along the Great Lakes shoreline. The influence of Lake Michigan moderates extreme temperatures. Soils are very diverse; in some areas, lacustrine sands are found overlying clays or bedrock within only a few feet of the surface. In the Door Peninsula, soils are typically stony loamy sands to loams. Poorly drained sands are common in the lake plain or in depressions between dunes and beach ridges. On the western side of Green Bay, the ground moraine is composed mostly of moderately well drained, rocky sandy loams, interspersed with lacustrine sands and clays, and peat and muck also common.

Vegetation

Historic vegetation included maple-basswood-beech forest, hemlock-hardwood forest, northern white cedar swamp, hardwood-conifer swamp, wet meadows, and coastal marshes. Conifer dominated upland forests that resemble the boreal forest were present along Lake Michigan; they contain a significant component of white spruce and balsam fir. Cliffs, sinkholes, and dolomite ledges are associated with the Niagara Escarpment. Current vegetation consists of more than 60% non-forested land, most of which is in agricultural crops, with smaller amounts of grassland, wetland, shrubland, and urbanized areas. Forested lands are dominated by maple-basswood, with smaller amounts of lowland hardwoods, aspen-birch, and lowland conifers. High quality areas of exposed alkaline bedrock beach occur on the northern Door Peninsula, providing habitat for many rare plants. Several islands lie off the Door Peninsula and these also provide critical habitat for rare species and colonially nesting birds.

Hydrologic Features

This Ecological Landscape has an extensive shoreline along Green Bay, on the west coast of Lake Michigan. Many small rivers and creeks drain the numerous linear wetlands on the west side of Green Bay that trend southwest to northeast. Large rivers that flow through the Ecological Landscape are the Oconto, Peshtigo, and Menominee Rivers. There are no large inland lakes, but lakes that do occur have relatively high pollution levels. Lakes in four out of six watersheds are classified by Wisconsin DNR as highly polluted.

Land Use

The total land area for the Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Ecological Landscape is approximately 1.3 million acres, of which 37% is classified as timberland. About 3.5% of the Ecological Landscape is public land.

Socioeconomics

Socioeconomic data are summarized based on county-level approximations of the Ecological Landscape (referred to as a "region"). Economic data are available only on a political unit basis with counties as the smallest unit. The counties included in this socioeconomic region are Door, Marinette, Oconto and Shawano ("Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Region"). Recreation is a major economic contributor to the Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Region, especially in Door County, with an above average number of state parks, forests and recreation areas. Agriculture, however, is not a large contributor to the economy of the region. Farm acreage accounts for only 36% of the land base of the region and total market value per acre of agricultural products is below average compared to other regions. Population in the Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Region has been growing relatively rapidly since 1970, especially for elderly people. The population density of the region (35 persons/sq. mile) is slightly less than half that of the state as a whole (96 persons/sq. mile). It has the second highest percentage of elderly (over 65) and the third highest median age. It has the third lowest percentage of minorities and the fourth lowest percentages of high school and college graduates. Economically, it is near average with slightly lower than average rates of unemployment and poverty. The percentage of farming jobs is second highest in this region, whereas the proportion of government jobs is fourth lowest.

For any questions regarding the maps presented on this site or the "DNR Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin" handbook, please contact Jeff Schimpff at Jeff.Schimpff@wisconsin.gov. Suggested Citation for Handbook: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In Prep. DRAFT Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin. State of Wisconsin, Dept. of Nat. Resources, Handbook. 1805.1. Madison, WI.

Last Revised: Thursday February 08 2006