Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program
Apostle Islands Maritime Forests (No. 266)

Overview

Location

Within the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Sand, Raspberry, Outer, Bear, and Devils Islands, Ashland and Bayfield Counties. T52N-R5W, Sections 12, 13 (Sand Island). T52N-R3W, Sections 18, 19; T52N-R4W, Section 24 (Raspberry Island). T53N-R1W, Section 13 (Outer Island). T53N-R3W, Section 33; T52N-R3W, Section 4 (Bear Island). T53N-R3W, Sections 10, 15 (Devils Island). 1093 acres.

Access

Islands are accessible only by water. Shuttle service to the islands via private carrier can be arranged through the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore headquarters in Bayfield, off State Highway 13. Entrance to the Devils Island unit requires the permission of private landowners to use their docks.

Description

Description

Apostle Islands Maritime Forests consists of portions of five islands within the 21-island Apostle Islands archipelago. Soils on these sandstone-based islands vary from well-drained sands to poorly-drained clays, resulting in a variety of forest types. The cold waters of Lake Superior surrounding the islands greatly influence their vegetation. Except for Bear Island, deer are absent allowing hemlock and cedar to reproduce and Canada yew and other understory plants to thrive. The islands are owned and managed by the National Park Service. The Apostle Islands Maritime Forests were designated a State Natural Area in 1992.

Sand Island features a 167-acre northern wet-mesic forest with boreal affinities on the northeast tip of the island. A sparse canopy of huge (to 40 inches d.b.h.) white pine is mixed with yellow birch, red maple, white spruce, balsam fir, white cedar, and paper birch. The rare Chilean sweet cicely (Osmorhiza berteroi) is found here.

Raspberry Island’s natural area covers 273 acres of undisturbed northern mesic forest, northern wet-mesic forest, and undeveloped shoreline with sandstone and clay bluffs. A small sand spit on the island’s southeast shore encloses a sphagnum bog. The island’s interior forests contain virgin stands of white cedar and yellow birch with a shrub layer of mountain maple and yew. Balsam fir and paper birch dominate the island’s shoreline. Black and white warblers and black-throated blue warblers nest here.

The 202-acre Outer Island unit features undisturbed old-growth northern mesic forest, clay bank seeps, and ephemeral ponds on the northern tip of the island. The virgin hemlock-hardwood forest here is perhaps the most significant single stand of its type in the Upper Great Lakes region. It is truly spectacular. Dominants are hemlock, up to 44” d.b.h and aged at an astonishing 400 years, along with yellow birch and lesser amounts of white cedar, sugar maple, balsam fir, white spruce and mountain ash. Supercanopy white pines provide nesting sites for bald eagles. The understory contains thick beds of yew, bluebead lily, ferns, and clubmosses. The state-threatened marsh grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) is found on the moist clay banks along the shoreline

Bear Island’s 188-acre unit contains a large northern mesic forest, portions of which are recovering from past disturbance. The undisturbed portions are old-growth, containing large hemlocks (to 30” d.b.h.) and yellow birch, along with white cedar, sugar maple, red oak and basswood. A perched bog, with northern wet and wet-mesic forest is also present.

Devils Island, the northernmost of the Apostles, features 263-acres of boreal-like northern mesic forest dominated by yellow birch, white cedar, and balsam fir. Associates include white pine, white spruce, paper birch, red maple, hemlock and balsam poplar. About 40 acres of boggy northern wet forest containing black spruce and tamarack is found in the interior. Merlins and Connecticut warblers nest here.

Maps

The WDNR's State Natural Areas Program is comprised of lands owned by the state, private conservation organizations, municipalities, other governmental agencies, educational institutions, and private individuals. Therefore, while the majority of SNAs are open to the public, access may vary accordingly. Public use restrictions may apply due to public safety, or to protect endangered or threatened species or unique natural features. Lands may be temporarily closed due to specific management activities. Users are encouraged to contact the land owner for more specific details.

The data shown on these maps have been obtained from various sources, and are of varying age, reliability, and resolution. The data may contain errors or omissions and should not be interpreted as a legal representation of legal ownership boundaries.

Activities

Please come prepared for your visit. Amenities vary from site to site with most SNAs being primitive and without facilities. See Guidelines for Visitation for details.

Allowable Activities

Most DNR-owned SNAs allow:

• Hiking
• Hunting
• Fishing
• Trapping
• Skiing

Some exceptions apply. Properties closed to the public or closed to specific use, such as hunting, will be posted.

***For non-DNR-owned SNAs: Additional use guidelines may apply. Please verify any use restrictions with the landowner or contact the SNA Program. Landowners may require additional permits or restrict the number of hunters at a given SNA to provide a quality hunting experience. SNA landowners can be found at the bottom of each SNA description page.

Prohibited Activities

• Horseback riding
• Rock climbing
• Vehicles, including bicycles, ATVs, aircraft, and snowmobiles except on trails and roadways designated for their use
• Collecting of plants (including fruits, nuts, or edible plant parts), animals, fungi, rocks, minerals, fossils, archaeological artifacts, soil, downed wood, or any other natural material, alive or dead

Please note that a permit is required for scientific collection and research on State Natural Areas. For more information, contact Thomas Meyer, State Natural Areas Program Specialist.

For more information on rules governing state-owned SNAs and other state lands, please consult Wisconsin's Administrative Code Chapter NR 45 (exit DNR)

Data

Plant List