Partners at the Point Great Lakes Shipwreck U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery of the Great Lakes piping Historical Society Seney National Wildlife Refuge plover population is a cooperative The mission of the Great Lakes 1674 Refuge Entrance Road effort by individuals, government Shipwreck Historical Society is to Seney, MI 49883 Seney agencies, universities and collect, preserve, study and interpret [email protected] conservation organizations. the material culture of the Great www.fws.gov/refuge/seney Lakes. Primary emphasis is on National Wildlife Refuge Michigan Audubon Society maritime history as it relates to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Michigan Audubon Society (MAS), the U.S. Lifesaving Service, U.S. www.fws.gov founded in 1904, manages nearly Lighthouse Service, U.S. Coast 1 800/344 WILD Whitefish Point Unit 4,000 acres of bird habitat statewide, Guard and ships and travelers who including a total of 83 acres on the fell victim to the perils of maritime Federal Relay Whitefish Point peninsula. The transport. Established in 1978, the 1 800/877 8339 TTY mission of MAS is: Connecting birds Society operates the Shipwreck 1 866/377 8642 Voice and people for the benefit of both Museum at Whitefish Point, the www.federaltty.us through conservation, education, Whitefish Point Light-Station and the and research programs. MAS Historic Weather Bureau Building August 2013 maintains a grassroots network of in Sault Sainte Marie, MI. Visit 35 local chapters, with more than shipwreckmuseum.com for more 2,500 members supporting efforts Whitefish Point information. to broaden the understanding and Lighthouse appreciation of birds in Michigan. © Kathy Maskus/ Whimbrel Visit michiganaudubon.org for more Natural Solitude © Skye Haas information.

Whitefish Point Bird Observatory The mission of the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory (WPBO), an affiliate of Michigan Audubon, is to document the distribution and abundance of birds in the Great Lakes region, with special Long-eared Owl emphasis on migration. Research © Sigurd Utych focuses on assessing the status of bird populations and movements. Data is used to increase knowledge of bird migration, encourage public awareness of birds and their environment, and to further Sharp-shinned Hawk, © Sigurd Utych conservation of birds and their habitats. Visit wpbo.org to learn more. Please Obey These Special Rules Daylight use only. Coastal Program - Great Lakes Dogs allowed on a leash. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Do not enter closed areas - these Coastal Program - Great Lakes areas are meant to protect the provides financial and technical endangered Piping Plover. assistance to partners for the No camping or overnight parking. conservation and restoration of Do not feed the wildlife. priority coastal fish and wildlife Fires, rock collecting, and habitats including wetlands, Pixie Cups off road vehicles, including shorelines, streams, and uplands. Sara Giles, USFWS snowmobiles, are not permitted. © Sierra Utych Whitefish Point Unit Observation The Whitefish Point Unit of the Deck M Lake After a 25-year absence, the plovers seem to Superior Seney National Wildlife Refuge was M established in 1998 with the transfer Hawk a the Great Lakes be responding well to Platform of 33 acres from the U.S. Coast Guard Kiosk to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. population of piping conservation efforts, Eight acres were transferred to the Shipwreck Society and two acres to plovers returned to bringing hope for this Indian Pipe the Michigan Audubon Society. A Sara Giles, USFWS management plan was adopted in Waterbird M Observation nest on Whitefish Point Federally-endangered 2002 which guides the management Blind in 2009. Successful in species. and development at the Point. John Helstrom Addition In 2012 a 20-acre parcel of land, N raising their young, including 1,000 feet of Lake Superior 0 Miles 0.2 Sanderlings shoreline, was purchased and added 0 Kilometers 0.2 © Laura Wong to the Whitefish Point Unit. Now, protected in perpetuity, the land will serve as a breeding ground for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service resident wildlife including the piping John Helstrom Addition plover. The purchase of the land was made possible by generous donations Department of Natural Resources from the John J. Helstrom Memorial Michigan Audubon Society Fund and other contributors. Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society Private Property Important Bird Area Road Beach Pea The Whitefish Point Unit is a stop- Trail © Dawn Marsh over for birds migrating to and from Canada. The Whitefish Point region is renowned for its concentrations of Visitors in the months of May to birds during migration. Each year August will notice that a large portion thousands of raptors, passerines and of the beach is closed due to the water birds funnel through the point nesting plovers. This is to protect to cross Lake Superior. The unit’s the well camouflaged bird and its primary natural features are gravel young. Piping plovers are ground Dunlin beaches, sandy beach dunes and nesting birds that lay their speckled ©Larry McGahey stunted jack pine-dominated forest. eggs in small depressions lined with rocks or shells. Although the tiny Great Lakes Piping Plover chicks are born ready to walk they The Great Lakes population of cannot fly until they are about a the piping plover was at a perilously month old. During that time the birds low level with just 12 breeding pairs are vulnerable. Please help us save the in 1983. Intensive conservation efforts plovers by respecting the closures and have helped the numbers increase keeping your dog on a leash. slowly to 58 pairs in 2012, expanding the breeding range from Michigan into Wisconsin, Canada and Illinois. Piping Plover Incubating Eggs Piping Plover Brooding ©Roger Eriksson its Chicks, © Roger Eriksson