Superior Coastal Plains » Coastal Estuaries
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Plains Key characteristics: Superior Coastal Plains » Coastal estuaries » Sandscapes Coastal ecological landscape » Boreal conifer-hardwood forest » Shoreline cliffs » Red clay soils » Bottomland hardwood Attributes and Characteristics forest in the major rivers Legacy Places Superior This ecological landscape is centered on the » Migratory bird low plains of Lake Superior’s south shore. Two BD Bad River concentration sites large pockets of this low plain occur in Wisconsin: BB Bois Brule River Size: one between the City of Superior and Port Wing and HW Highway 2 Grasslands » 1,415 square miles the other between Ashland and the Montreal River. » 905,800 acres The Bayfield Peninsula ridge splits these low plains. LS Lake Superior South (2.5% of Wisconsin) This ecological landscape includes the near-lake Shore Streams Population: portion of the ridge as well as the Apostle Islands. MU Manitou Falls - Black River An escarpment, rising several hundred feet above » 56,000 the plain, marks this ecological landscape’s southern MD Middle River Contact (1.1% of Wisconsin’s population) boundary. Underlying this landscape is a very MT Montreal River thick band of clay deposited when lake levels were MA Mt. Ashwabay Notable species: considerably higher. Outcroppings of sandstone » Anadromous fish bedrock occur along the northern margin NJ Nemadji River and Wetlands » Lake whitefish of the Bayfield Peninsula and along the ST St. Louis Estuary and » Lake herring shores of some of the Apostle Islands. Pokegama Wetlands » Ninespine stickleback » LeConte’s sparrow WR White River » Piping plover » Common tern » Auricled twayblade orchid » Lake Superior Along the Lake Butterwort » T QUEEN Wild rice R Superior shoreline ROBE » Vasey rush AI AI Apostle Islands Whittlesey Creek Minnesota Natural communities: WL BY Big Bay (See Appendix B for descriptions) QP Chequamegon Point - » Bedrock shore LS BY CK MA Kakagon Sloughs » Boreal forest » Dry and moist cliffs Superior WI CK QP Quarry Point to Bark Point ST BB » Emergent aquatic NJ Western Lake Superior » Great Lakes barrens MD HW WL BAYFIELD » Great Lakes beach BD Drowned River Mouths MT » Great Lakes dune MU HW Wisconsin Point WR WI » Interdunal wetland DOUGLAS » Open bog IRON » Shore fen ASHLAND » Submergent aquatic » Surrogate grasslands Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape 57 Plains Figure 41: Legacy Places and public conservation lands of the Superior Coastal Plains Coastal Legacy Places and public conservation lands Superior Coastal Plains AI 2 Superior WL Lake Superior 13 6 QP Bayfield 1 8 BY LS 3 8 MA er iv R 2 Superior WI s ui o 8 L 4 CK t S 105 BB ST 13 1 Washburn 9 NJ 1 4 MD 2 HW 3 Ashland 2 7 8 BD MT Legacy Places 13 River MU HW BD Bad River 11 White BB Bois Brule River HW Highway 2 Grasslands WR B a d LS Lake Superior South Shore Streams 2 10 MU Manitou Falls-Black River River MD Middle River Contact 3 122 2 MT Montreal River 169 MA Mt. Ashwabay 13 NJ Nemadji River and Wetlands 53 5 ST St. Louis Estuary and Pokegama Wetlands 35 Mellen 77 WR White River 27 Minnesota Along the Lake Public Conservation Lands Superior shoreline State AI Apostle Islands BY Big Bay Federal CK Chequamegon Point- 63 Kakagon Sloughs QP Quarry Point to Bark Point County Forest WL Western Lake Superior Drowned River Mouths Miles WI Wisconsin Point 0 2.5 5 10 58 Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Plains Figure 42: Legacy Places and land cover of the Superior Coastal Plains Coastal Legacy Places and land cover Superior Coastal Plains AI Minnesota Superior WL 13 Lake Superior QP Bayfield LS BY MA 2 Superior WI CK 105 BB ST 13 LAKE SUPERIOR Washburn WATERSHED NJ MD HW 2 Ashland 2 BD MT 13 MU HW WR Land Cover Urban 122 Agriculture 53 13 169 Grassland 35 Shrubland Mellen 77 27 Forest Open Water Open Wetland 63 ST. CROIX Forested Wetland WATERSHED Miles 0 2.5 5 10 UPPER CHIPPEWA WATERSHED Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape 59 Plains Superior Coastal Plains Chequamegon National Forest, Brule River State Forest, St. Louis River Streambank ecological landscape Protection Area, Superior Municipal Forest, and several State Parks and Natural Areas. Coastal There are very few natural lakes within this landscape but many small rivers and streams Conservation Needs and Opportunities flowing north to Lake Superior dissect the lake plain The area’s extensive, high quality coastal and peninsula. Soils are moderately well drained wetlands and estuaries provide critical habitat (on the peninsula) to poorly drained (where the red for many Neotropical migratory songbirds, Superior clay is near the surface). Before European settlement, waterfowl, shorebirds, and rare plants. Of parti- white pine, white spruce and paper birch were the cular conservation value are the Apostle Islands, dominant trees on uplands in the area and this Chequamegon Bay and Point, and the St. Louis was the only area in the state to support sizable River estuary. In addition to wetlands, the shore- tracts of boreal forest. Tamarack and white cedar line also consists of many sandstone cliffs and were dominant on the forested lowlands. Trembling clay bluffs that harbor rare plant species. (quaking) aspen is now dominant throughout the landscape as a result of past disturbance and Wisconsin is at the southern limit of the the succession of idle farmland, as well as active range of boreal forests and, as such, they have management for earlier succession forests. Boreal always been a rare element in the state. They forest remnants consisting of spruce, fir, white were, however, a dominant community type in pine and associated hardwoods (aspen, balsam the Superior Coastal Plains. Today, remnants, none poplar, white birch, and red maple) still exist. larger than 300 acres, exist at several scattered locations with the best potential restoration sites The majority of this ecological landscape located near the Brule River and the Pokegama remains forested, with only a small amount wetlands. Although not native to this area, a swath of the land being used for agriculture. Urban of grassland habitat running roughly between development threatens some coastal wetlands. Superior and Ashland on fallow farm fields provides The Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs are of special important habitat for many northern grassland T QUEEN ecological interest. Public lands within this area birds, mammals, waterfowl, and amphibians. R include the Apostle Island National Lakeshore, ROBE Mouth of the Bois Brule River Figure 43: Land cover of the Superior Coastal Plains Figure 44: Public conservation and other land ownership Figure 45: Land cover of public conservation land in the Superior Coastal Plains in the Superior Coastal Plains Open Water Urban County Forest Urban Agriculture 1% 2% Open Wetland 0% 0% Grassland Open Wetland Agriculture 10% 1% 6% 4% 8% State Forested Shrubland Forested 5% Wetland Wetland 2% Grassland 5% 4% 19% Federal 5% Shrubland 3% Other 80% (private land, roads, Forest Forest 62% schools, cemetaries, military lands, etc.) 83% 60 Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Plains Recreation Uses and Opportunities Public Conservation Lands Lake Superior and its shoreline draw visitors from throughout North America. The Apostle Map# Property Name Size (acres)1 Islands National Lakeshore includes 21 islands Coastal and 12 miles of mainland shoreline, featuring State pristine stretches of sand beach, spectacular sea s 1 Amnicon Falls State Park 830 s 2 Bibon Swamp State Natural Area2 7,880 caves, remnant old-growth forests, resident bald s 3 Big Bay State Park 2,300 eagles and black bears, and the largest collection s 4 Brule River State Forest 2 15,090 of lighthouses anywhere in the National Park 2 s 5 Copper Falls State Park 600 Superior system. With a series of primitive campsites s 6 Lost Creek Bog State Natural Area 460 scattered throughout the islands, the area s 7 Pattison State Park2 1,100 offers a boating and paddling experience s 8 South Shore Lake Superior 2 5,390 unparalleled in the Midwest. State Fish And Wildlife Area s 9 St. Louis River Stream Bank Protection Area 6,230 The many streams and rivers flowing off s10 White River State Fishery Area 1,430 the surrounding uplands through the Superior s11 White River State Wildlife Area2 950 3 Coastal Plains offer excellent fishing, particularly Miscellaneous Lands 2,900 for trout and salmon. Several of the rivers are pop- Federal ular paddling waters, notably the Brule and the s 1 Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest 2 2,150 Montreal. Chequamegon Bay hosts a very productive s 2 Apostle Islands National Lakeshore 41,100 and diverse fishery including trout, salmon, pike, s 3 Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge 300 walleye and bass. Exceptional concentrations of County Forest 4 migratory birds (waterbirds, songbirds, and raptors) s 1 Bayfield County Forest2 69,870 occur at the western end of Lake Superior and attract s 2 Douglas County Forest2 9,130 bird watchers from across the region. Camping and s 3 Iron County Forest 2 7,630 hiking are popular in the several state and local s 4 Superior Municipal Forest 4,500 parks situated along the string of waterfalls that TOTAL 179,540 runs along the escarpment at the southern edge of this ecological landscape. The North Country 1 Actual acres owned in this Ecological Landscape. 2 This property also falls within adjacent Ecological Landscape(s). Trail passes through many of these 3 Includes public access sites, fish hatcheries, fire towers, streambank and non-point easements, lands acquired under statewide wildlife, fishery, forestry, and natural area programs, small properties parks but remains incomplete. under 100 acres, and properties with fewer than 100 acres within this Ecological Landscape.