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Martin Creek flowing into Martin Bay |
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| Martin Bay Royal Fern Fertile Frond |
Martin Bay
34 acres in Delta County
MNA has secured an option to buy an incredibly stunning 34-acre parcel of land on Martin Bay, located on the Stonington Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula. The area is a large coastal wetland, ecologically vital to the health of our Great Lakes and its inhabitants, with one-half mile of shoreline on Lake Michigan. Martin Creek runs through the property into a large shallow estuary in the bay. A number of different fish, including steelhead and brook trout have been seen in the creek, and the area is also very popular with bird watchers. Some of the birds spotted include bald eagle, marsh hawk, ospreys and black terns. Spotters are also trying to determine whether the yellow rail, which has been thought to nest mainly in the Seney National Wildlife Refuge to the northeast of Martin Bay, is in fact nesting in the proposed MNA sanctuary area.
In addition to a wide variety of wildlife, the area is full of wonderful native plants, including the calcium-loving birdseye primrose. Sedge hummocks just west of the open water in the bay are amazingly tall, suggesting the area has not been disturbed for at least a century, if at all. Sedge hummocks, grassy-looking mounds of sedge plants, normally take years to grow a few centimeters in height.
The owners of this property have worked with MNA to find a way to preserve the property that gives MNA time to raise funds before the purchase occurs. We are now collecting funds to protect this stunning bay from the lakeside development encircling the Great Lakes and to preserve the unique and wonderful habitat that occurs there. This is our only chance to preserve this Lake Michigan shoreline. Please send your donation to guarantee this coastline is preserved forever.
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