Big Bay State Park Program Page

Other Plans: 1979 Master Plan (Not Compliant with ch. NR 44, Wis. Adm. Code) Property Overview

Big Bay State Park is located on the south shore of Madeline Island, the largest and most southern of the 22 Apostle Islands. Known for incredible views of Lake Superior, Big Bay became a state park in 1963.

Picturesque sandstone bluffs and caves, a 1.5-mile-long sand beach, a modern campground, trails, and a large wetland offer many recreational opportunities and are features for which this park is recognized. Unique habitat types within the park include lakeside dunes, sphagnum bogs, and old-growth forest. Bald eagles return to the park annually to nest and rear offspring. In 1980, Big Bay Sand Spit and Bog State Natural Area (402 ac) was established within the park to preserve an extensive sphagnum-sedge bog and older sand ridges.

Facilities and Recreation Management Big Bay State Park has a variety of facilities and recreational opportunities. The modern campground is a popular place for visitors to Madeline Island to stay. While in the park, visitors can also make use of the swimming and picnicking areas between hiking, motorboating or paddling. The park is also open to hunting and trapping in some areas and anglers can fish either in Lake Superior or the park’s lagoon. Natural Resources Management Big Bay State Park is managed to provide recreation in such a manner as to protect and enhance the natural and scenic resources of the park. The embedded Big Bay Sand Spit and Bog State Natural Area (SNA) is managed passively, allowing nature to determine the ecological characteristics, as a reserve to protect and perpetuate its unique mix of natural communities and their associated wildlife and plant species. Native communities within the park are representative of Great Lakes Beach and Dune, Boreal Forest, Northern Mesic Forest, Northern Sedge Meadow and Northern Mesic Forest in the Superior Coastal Plain Ecological Landscape. Forested areas outside of the SNA are managed for salvage, safety and aesthetics in accordance with the Forestry Management Handbook.

Special Attributes: Big Bay State Park lies within a global Conservation Opportunity Area as described in the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan (WDNR 2015). Big Bay is also a Wisconsin designated Land Legacy Place that identifies one of the most unusual, diverse, and pristine mosaic of natural communities in the Great Lakes.

“Primary Sites” have been identified by the department for special consideration in this planning process, because they generally encompass the best examples of 1) rare and representative natural communities and 2) documented rare species populations with opportunities for restoration or connections. These sites warrant high protection and/or restoration consideration during the development of the new master plan. Primary Sites can be considered High Conservation Value Forests for Forest Certification. Primary sites identified within Big Bay State Park are:

• Big Bay Sand Spit and Bog SNA (402 ac)

• Big Rock Point

Superior Coastal Plain March 2018 Ecological Landscape Planning

The NHC program is collecting and analyzing field data to determine if additional primary sites will be created. This is expected to be completed by August 2018. Challenges & Constraints

Several challenges exist for management of Big Bay State Park. They include:

• Most of the soil in the vicinity has been classified by the Soil Conservation Service as having moderate to severe limitation for road location due to their clay and silt composition. This limits where future trails may be developed. • Unauthorized uses including dogs/pets that are brought into restricted areas frequently occur. • It is costly in time and money to transport staff and supplies to the park, given its island location. To mitigate this, employee housing has been available to staff on park property. This housing needs extensive repairs and a proposal to convert existing facilities to employee housing is currently being reviewed.

Superior Coastal Plain March 2018 Ecological Landscape Planning