Hog Island (Michigan)

Hog Island
Hog Island
Geography
Location Lake Michigan
Coordinates 45°47′30″N 85°21′58″W / 45.79167°N 85.36611°W / 45.79167; -85.36611Coordinates: 45°47′30″N 85°21′58″W / 45.79167°N 85.36611°W / 45.79167; -85.36611
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

Garden and Hog island from orbit

References

  1. 1 2 "Hog Island." www.michigan.gov. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Garden and Hog Islands, Michigan: Image of the Day." www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov, August 25, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
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