This is the twenty-second diary in my series on Expanding the National Park system The Previous Diaries are below:1.Alabama
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2 Alaska
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3 Arizona
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4 Arkansas
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5 California
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6 Colorado
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7 Connecticut
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8 Delaware
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9 Florida
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10 Georgia
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11 Hawaii
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12 Idaho
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13 Illinois
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14 Indiana
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15 Iowa
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16 Kansas
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17 Kentucky
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18 Louisiana
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19 Maine
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20 Maryland
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21 Massachusetts
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This time I'm exploring Michigan. the Great Lakes state, so-called because it touches 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, only Lake Ontario does not border Michigan. 10% of Michigan is federally owned, good for 16th in the country, and third among states east of the Mississippi River , only New Hampshire (13.4%) and North Carolina (11.8%) have more among eastern states. Michigan currently has 1 national park, 4 national forests, 8 wildlife refuges, and 8 historic sites /other NPS Units. I will be proposing giving Michigan its first national monuments.
This time I'm exploring Michigan. the Great Lakes state, so-called because it touches 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, only Lake Ontario does not border Michigan. 10% of Michigan is federally owned, good for 16th in the country, and third among states east of the Mississippi River , only New Hampshire (13.4%) and North Carolina (11.8%) have more among eastern states. Michigan currently has 1 national park, 4 national forests, 8 wildlife refuges, and 8 historic sites /other NPS Units. I will be proposing giving Michigan its first national monuments.
Michigan
Total Area 96 714 sq miles
Land Area 56 539 sq miles
Water Area 40 175 sq miles
Coastline 3224 miles
Additional monuments -4
ADDITIONAL MONUMENTS-4
*Huron Mountains Proposed Area 320000 acres or 500 sq miles
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Part of the Mountains are shown in the above photo
Located in the Upper Peninsula and bordering Lake Superior, the mountains contain Mount Arvon, at 1979 feet the tallest point in the state, as well some of the largest remaining old-growth forest in the Upper Great Lakes. the area covers 1000 sq miles and stretches for nearly 200 miles. part of the area was proposed as a national park in 1959 but the local Huron Mountain Club, a rich and exclusive hunting club, scuttled attempts to create the park. I propose setting aside half of the area, about 320000 acres as a national monument, to permanently preserve the landscape for future generations.
* Great Lakes Marine Proposed Area 38,400,000 acres or 60000 sq miles(In MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH PA and NY)
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The Lakes are shown above in a photo
Would Set aside the portions of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron Erie and Ontario within the borders of the Great Lake States (including Michigan) as a marine Monument, protecting the lakes from being drawn off by thirsty states outside of the watersheds, and preventing drilling in the lakes themselves. this action will not apply to the Canadian portions of Superior, Huron, Ontario and Erie.
* Michigan Central Station Proposed Area 30 acres
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The Station is shown above in a photo
Once the main passenger depot for Detroit, the building was built in 1913 and served as a train station until 1988. It has been abandoned for nearly 30 years and deserves protection and restoration. Declaring it a national monument would allow for the federal government to restore the inside of the building to what it looked like in the buildings heyday- the 1940s. the monument would incorporate the current Roosevelt Park as well. Monuments do not necessarily have to be features like mountains and canyons, they can be buildings as well, as in this case.
* Gerald Ford Proposed Area 5000 acres (in NE, MI, VA and CA)
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the Boyhood Home of President Ford is shown above
This monument would incorporate all sites associated with President Ford, including the site of his birth, his boyhood home, the house he lived in upon becoming President and the site of his grave, library and Museum, into a monument honoring the 38th President. Ford is the only President to come from Michigan, thus he gets included here. the portions of the monument within Michigan are his Boyhood Home and his Library and Museum.
EXISTING UNITS
NATIONAL PARKS-1
* Isle Royale Established 1940 Covers 571 790 acres
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A View of the park from the air is shown above
The only existing National Park in the state(Mackinac Island was a NP from 1875-95 when it was returned to Michigan and became a state park), Isle Royale lies near the maritime border with Canada, and is the largest island in Lake Superior. Nearly all of the island is classified as wilderness, there are two developed areas on the island- Windigo and Rock Harbor. Given its remote location, the island has a pack of wolves and moose endemic to the island, and is the only place in the country where both moose and wolves are present without bears.Due to its remoteness and access limited to Ferries, Isle Royale is the least-visited national park in the lower 48, with less than 16000 visitors in 2011. It is also the only park to close down for the entire winter.
NATIONAL FORESTS-4
* Hiawatha Established 1931 Covers 894 836 acres
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An entrance to the western part of the NF in Algiers MI is shown in the above photo
The Second-largest and second-oldest of Michigan's four national forests, Hiawatha is named after the Mohawk chief Hiawatha who helped form the Iroquois Confederation and was featured in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem 'Hiawatha'. The Forest is divided into two sections-the Western part, which is larger and lies in the middle of the Upper Peninsula- and the Eastern, which is smaller and lies close to the US-Canadian boundary. 6 wilderness areas (Big Island Lake,Delirium,Horseshoe Bay, Mackinac, Rock River Canyon, and Round Island) and 5 Wild and Scenic Rivers(Carp River,Indian River, Sturgeon River , the eastern branch of the Tahquamenon River, and Whitefish River) lie within the forest. Eastside is older, being created in 1909, the Westside portion being created in 1928, the CCC extensively planted trees in Westside during the 30s. Both parts border Lakes Superior and Michigan, Eastside borders Huron as well.
* Huron Established 1909 Covers 438 584 acres
http://www.fs.usda.gov/...
Lumbermans Monument, part of the Huron Forest, is shown above
Established in 1909, Huron occupies over 400000 acres in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula, and portions of the Au Sable River, which is a Wild and Scenic River, flows through the forest.Huron is habitat for the Kirtlands Warbler, is federally threatened. Huron was combined administratively with Manistee NF in 1945, and the combined acreage of the Forest is managed as a single unit.
* Manistee Established 1939 Covers 540 322 acres
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Boaters paddle the Pere Marquette River in Manistee NF in the above photo
Established in 1938, Manistee is the youngest of Michigan national forests. Straddling the shoreline of Lake Michigan, Manistee is bigger than Huron at over 500000 acres, although areas of the forest are separated by private inholdings. the Nordhouse Dunes wilderness in the forest is one of the few wilderness areas that conserve lakeshore dunes and ecosystems.
* Ottawa Established 1931 Covers 993 010 acres
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Katerine Lake, part of the forest. is shown above
The Largest national forest in the state, at just under 1 million acres, Ottawa lies in the southern portion of the Upper Peninsula, and borders Lake Superior to the West and Wisconsin to the south. The forest contains three wildernesses(McCormick, Sturgeon River Gorge, and Sylvania) as well as the Black River, which is classed as a Wild and Scenic River. The forest was bought from the native Ojibwas in 1854 and opened to logging in the 1890s after the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was completed. most of the forest was heavily logged, and then abandoned. the federal government established Ottawa NF in 1931 but it didn't reach its current size until large areas were added in the mid-30s. Tourism increased after World War II with increased use of cars.
WILDLIFE REFUGES-8
* Detroit River Established 2001 Covers 5047 acres (in MI and Canada)
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Mud Island, Part of Detroit River International wildlife Refuge, is Shown above
The only refuge in the system to extend outside the borders of the US, Detroit River was created in 2001 to protect areas in and around Detroit, such as Humbug Marsh, which is classed as a Ramsar Wetland as of 2010. the refuge originally only included the lands of the former Wyandotte refuge which was established in 1961 by Congress. Wyandotte was small- just over 300 acres - and protected a pair of small islands in the rivers. its small size meant it could protect the river or islands from runoff and contaminated soil. Wyandotte was merged into Detroit River upon its creation , and lands were gradually added from lands and islands around Detroit. currently the Canadian portion of the refuge does not have defined boundaries, but plans call for islands such as Bois Blanc, Crystal, Fighting, Grass and Turkey to be added from the Canadian side, and Grosse Ile, Turtle and Zug islands to be added on the US side. the boundary will extend to the Michigan-Ohio border in the South and cover both sides of the Detroit River around Detroit.
* Harbor Island Established 1983 Covers 695 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Harbor Island, part of the refuge, is shown above
Located in Potagannissing Bay in Lake Huron near Drummond Island, the island was owned by the Nature Conservatory before it was sold to the FWS and turned into a wildlife refuge in 1983. the refuge is the 4th-smallest refuge in the state, and is managed by Seney WR.
* Huron Islands Established 1905 Covers 147 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
A view of Lighthouse and Cattle islands from the air (photo by USFW)
The smallest and oldest refuge in the state Huron was established by President Roosevelt in 1905. Of the eight islands that make up the refuge, only one, Lighthouse Island, is open to the public, the others are classed as wilderness and closed to the public. Huron is managed by Seney WR.
* Kirtlands Warbler WMA Established 1980 Covers 6684 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
an image of Kirtlands Warbler is shown above
Managed by the FWS, the Kirtlands Warbler WMA was set aside to protect the Bird and its habitat. the management area covers 6600 acres in the Lower Peninsula, broken into over 100 separate tracts, which is surrounded by state land set aside for bird habitat. the Warbler remains on the endangered species list, having been put on the list in 1967 as the number of males was dropping from 432 in the early 1950s to under 200 by the early 70s. the population began to recover in the 1990s and now stands at nearly 1800. the WMA is managed by Seney WR.
* Michigan Islands Established 1943 Covers 480 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Scarecrow Island one of the nine islands in the Michigan Islands refuge, is shown above
Set aside by FDR in 1943, the refuge is the third -oldest and -smallest refuge in the state. the refuges is split between islands in Lake Michigan(Gull, Hat, Pismire, and Show) and lake Huron (Thunder Bay, Sugar, Scarecrow Big Charity and Little Charity). Management of the refuge is also split, the Michigan islands are managed by Serey Wr, The Huron islands are managed by Shiawassee WR. three islands, Pismire and Shoe in the Michigan side and Scarecrow in the Huron side were designated as Wilderness in 1970. Sugar Island, the third biggest of the nine islands at 143 acres was added in 2010. Scarecrow, Sgar and thunder Bay Isladnds are Also included as part of the Thunder Bay marine Sanctuary which was created in 2000 and is the only sanctuary to date in the great lakes (although efforts are underway to create one in Wisconsin's Michigan waters.
* Michigan Wetlands Management District Established 1980 Covers 375 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Part of the Wetlands Management District is shown above
Managed by the Michigan Private Lands office in cooperation with the FWS, the District is split into four sections (Edgar, Kinney, Malan and Schlee) with a fifth WPA (Schoonover ) being managed by Ohio's Ottawa WR. the District is second smallest protected area in the state.
* Seney Established 1935 Covers 95212 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Seney at sunset courtesy of Dawn Kopp
The largest refuge in the state and the second-oldest protected area, Seney lies on the remains of the Great Manistique Swamp which was a wetland that existed up until the late 1800s. the swamp was heavily logged between 1880-1910 after attempts wre made to drain the swamp for farmland, efforts that ultimately failed but left the area crisscrossed with canals. the refuge was created in 1935 to restore the region to a natural state, with the CCC restoring the wetlands through re-purposing the canals. today the refuge covers 95000 acres, 25000 of which is wilderness. The wilderness includes the Strangmoor Bog, a national Natural Landmark that is the best example outside of Alaska of a Sub-arctic patterned bog ecosystem. Serey manages several of Michigans smaller refuges. 88000 people visited the refuge in 2007.
* Shiawassee Established 1953 Covers 9427 acres
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
the Shiawassee refuge is shown Above.
known as the Shiawassee Flats, the area was heavily logged in the 1890s and afterwards attempts were made to turn the area into farmland. these largely failed, and the refuge was created in 1953. the area consists of four rivers, Tittabawassee, Flint, Cass and Shiawassee, which merge to form the Saginaw river which runs out into Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay. the refuge is classed as an Important Bird Area for ther thousands of Canadian geese that wnter here each year. Plans call for the refuge to expand by 7500 acres, making it the second refuge (Serey is the other) to cover 10000 acres.
HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-8
* Father Marquette NM Established 1975 Covers 52 acres
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
the main building of the Memorial is shown above
the memorial honors Jesuit priest and explorer father Jacques Marquette who hounded Sault St Marie and helped explore and map the northern part of the Mississippi River in the 1670s. Marquette died in 1675 while returning to his mission at St Ignace, and the memorial was established in 1975 to his memory. the memorial is managed by Michigan DNR and is not on the list of Historic Places. the museum that was affiliated with the memorial was destroyed in a fire in 2000.
* Keweenaw NHP Established 1992 Covers 1869 acres
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The Headquarters of the park is shown above
Located near the city of Calumet, the park is divided into two districts Calumet and Quincy, and is affiliated with 21 Heritage sites through the Keweenaw Peninsula. The peninsula contains the largest known cooper in the world , with purity as high as 97%, and copper was mined in the region for 7000 years dated back to 5000 BC. Quinxcy preserves the Quincy mine,and its steam-powered mine hoist which is the largest in the world. the Calumet Unit preserves building built by the Calumet & Helca mining company, including the company library and bathhouse and mansions owned by the mine owners.
* Pictured Rocks NS Established 1966 Covers 73236 acres
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Au Sable lighthouse, part of the Lakeshore is shown above
The larger of Michigan's two National Lakeshores, Pictured Rocks was the first Lakeshore established by Congress in 1966, and was selected to represent Michigan in the national Parks quarters collection, it will be the first quarter released in 2018. about 11000 acres was set aside as wilderness in 2009 as part of the omnibus Public Lands bill. nearly 480000 people visited the Lakeshore in 2005.
* River Raisin NB Established 2009 Covers 40 acres
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the Battlefield Visitor Center is shown Above
The only battlefield park from the War of 1812 in the system, River Raisin commemorates the Battle of Frenchtown which took place from January 18-23 , 1813. the battle was the bloodiest in state history with nearly 400 Americans dead and over 500 taken prisoner. it was the worst defeat for the US during the entire war, and many of those captured were executed by the Natives afterward estimates range from 30-100 were killed. The massacre horrified many in Kentucky and the cry "Remember River Raisin!" spurred many to enlist. The Site of Frenchtown is now the city of Monroe, Michigan. the battlefield was designated a state historic site in 1956 and was added to the Register of Historic places in 1982, and began operating as a park site in 2010. over 50000 people visited the park in 2010.
* Saint Helena Island NSA Established 2000 Covers 240 acres
Protects all of Saint Helena Island with the exception of the lighthouse. the boundaries of Hiawatha NF were expanded to incorporate the scenic area in 2000. the island is managed by the Forest service, unlike many scenic areas which are managed by the Park Service.
* Sleeping Bear Dunes NL Established 1970 Covers 71187 acres
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A view of the dunes from the air.
Established to conserve the Dunes and shoreline of Lake Michigan, Sleeping Bear covers 71000 acres of coastline in the lower Peninsula. The refuge was named after a Chippewa legend about a bear that fell asleep waiting for the return of her cubs.32500 acres was set aside as wilderness in May, the first wilderness Congress has set aside in 5 years. the Lakeshore was voted as the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by Good Morning America in 2012.
* Thunder Bay NMS Established 2000 Covers 286 720 acres
http://upload.wikimedia.org/...
a map of the sanctuary is shown above
Set Aside to protect the more than 100 historically significant shipwrecks in the area, the sanctuary was originally about 450 miles in area when it was set aside, but was expanded in September in 4300, a nearly 10-fold increase, that added more than 100 shipwrecks, and incorporated waters out to the Canadian maritime border in the upper part of Lake Huron. The Sanctuary draws more than 80000 visitors a year, and the expansion is expected to draw more visitors in the upcoming years.
* Grand Island NRA Established 1990 Covers 13500 Acres
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A Lighthouse in the recreational area is shown above
Established by Congress in 1990, the island was previously owned by the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company which sold it to the Forest Service in early 1990. the island is only accessible by private boat or ferry, and the vast majority of the island is open to campers and the public, with a small tract of private land being the exception.
And thus concludes my tour of Michigan. Next Time I'll be visiting Minnesota, wandering around the Mall of America, and trying to count all 10000 Lakes in the state. as always, comments and imput are Welcome.