Isle Royale Unigrid Side 2
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ROYAL BEGINNINGS An archipelago is a group or chain RIDGE One billion years ago, Earth’s crust ripped open here and A deep basin surrounding the rock layers trapped the gla- of islands. released lava, which hardened into a slab of basalt rock. cier’s melting ice. Meltwater filled the basin, creating one Isle Royale This cycle repeated more than four hundred times over of Earth’s largest lakes and immersing all but the upper National Park millions of years, creating a giant layer cake of rock. Later, edges of some layers. These “shards of the continent” that is made up of massive geologic forces cracked and shifted the basalt lay- rise from Lake Superior form the Isle Royale archipelago. Lake Superior more than 400 ers, tilting them upward (see illustration at right). Despite the islands’ isolation from the mainland by the Blake Point at Isle Royale’s VALLEY small islands. lake’s deep, icy water, life took hold. eastern end, viewed from Huge, miles-thick ice sheets advanced and retreated during the air. the last three million years. The crushing, dragging action © E. NEIL HARRI of the ice cut deep gouges into the softer rock in between Cross-section of Isle the harder basalt layers. As the last major glacier retreated Royale’s ridge and valley topography, from the region around 11,000 years ago, it left a pattern of formed by tilted parallel ridges and valleys. basalt layers. Sugar maples densely cover some upland slopes. Explore rugged, © VIRENS exposed shoreline. ABOVE THE SHORELINE © TOM BEAN More than 600 types of lichen, grow on exposed bedrock and dangle beardlike from trees. © RAYMOND T. DUMAS Paper birch is among the first As the last continental ice sheet re- al forest of spruce, balsam fir, and trees to colonize areas newly treated across the region, it helped paper birch gives way to a decidu- opened up by fire or windthrow. create the set of conditions in which ous forest. As you continue to move NPS life developed. It left glacial till on inland, temperatures rise, and trees the main island’s southwestern end such as sugar maple and red oak, and scoured the northeastern end. which prefer warmer conditions, Resulting habitats range from ridges thrive. and uplands to swamps and lakes; gentle, sun-warmed slopes to steep, Wetlands nestled in Isle Royale’s shaded, lichen-covered drops. narrow valleys hum with beaver ac- tivity. Carnivorous plants abound in Notice how the forest composition floating bogs. Long-isolated inland changes as you climb from lakes are home to native mussels, gi- the shoreline toward the ant sponges, and species of fish not Greenstone Ridge. The bore- found in Lake Superior. Hauling a canoe ashore (right). Floating bogs support MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY the carnivorous pitch- er plant. © MIKE WANG The park’s boundary stretches 4.5 Generations of North Shore Ojibwe miles from the archipelago’s edges fished here before the American Fur into Lake Superior. Over 75 percent Company arrived and set up com- of Isle Royale’s 850 square miles is mercial fishing posts in 1837. Small underwater, and the ridge and valley family-owned fisheries also once topography that defines life on land dotted these shores. continues uninterrupted. Varying water depths result in a wide range Non-native species like sea lamprey of water temperatures. These affect threaten the diversity of the Isle water currents and contribute to Royale fishery. Other invasives Isle Royale’s diverse fishery––which too—animals, plants, diseases— includes over 60 species. challenge the survival of organisms native to these waters. The protection of native species A giant lake trout from Lake Superior’s icy, depends upon our actions, not oxygen-rich waters. only in Isle Royale National © NORTH SHORE COMMERCIAL FISHING MUSEUM Park, but around the globe. See ridge and valley topography through the lake’s crystal-clear water. Coaster brook trout can UNDER THE WATER © CARL TERHAAR weigh up to ten pounds. © US FISH AND WILDLIFE Islands upon islands on the horizon. QT LUONG / TERRA GALLERIA GETTING HERE The park is open FOR YOUR SAFETY AND TO cidents or injuries. • Lake Superior FIREARMS For firearms regulations MORE INFORMATION April 16 through October. Public PRESERVE YOUR ISLAND WILDER- waters are dangerously cold and un- check the park website. Isle Royale National Park transportation is by boat or sea- NESS No pets within park bound- predictable. • Boaters should carry 800 E. Lakeshore Dr. plane only. Reservations are always aries. • No wheeled vehicles (except appropriate lake charts. Many ACCESSIBILITY We strive to make Houghton, MI 49931 required. Passenger ship service is wheelchairs), bicycles, or portaging shoals and reefs are hazardous to our facilities, services, and programs 906-482-0984 available from Copper Harbor and devices on trails. • Observe park navigate. • Stay hydrated. All water accessible to all. For information www.nps.gov/isro Houghton, MI, and Grand Portage, wildlife from a safe and respectful not from a spigot must be treated by contact the park prior to your visit. MN. Seaplane service is available distance. Keep wildlife wild; secure filtering or boiling. Isle Royale National Park is from Houghton, MI. See the park your food. • Enjoy the thrill of dis- EMERGENCIES Check the park one of over 400 parks in the website for more information. covery, but leave all park resources FISHING A fishing license is not website for current emergency National Park System. To learn where you find them for others to required for inland lakes, ponds, numbers. more about national parks and CUSTOMS US citizens returning experience. • Permits are required and streams, but you must have a National Park Service programs from Canada and Canadian visitors for all overnight stays at park camp- Michigan license for all Lake in America’s communities, visit to the park are required to clear US grounds, docks, and anchorages. Superior waters. www.nps.gov. Join the park community. Customs at Windigo and Rock The park is remote. Plan carefully ✩GPO:20xx—xxx-xxx/xxxxx Reprint 20xx www.nationalparks.org Printed on recycled paper. Wild Archipelago Harbor ranger stations. and exercise caution to prevent ac-.