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19-661: Charity , Little Charity , Scarecrow , Crooked , and Sugar islands form the Lake Huron division of the refuge. Gull , Hat , Pismire , and Shoe islands, which are part of the Beaver Island archipelago, form the Lake Michigan division. No single one of them is large enough to rate a full-time site staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , and they are widely separated from each other in two separate Great Lakes. In an unusual administrative decision,

38-440: A favorite spot for fishing. On the northeast end of the island, a small bay is lined with limestone bedrock, offering good holding ground as a place to anchor during storms. The harbor of refuge is accessible by small boat, though access is controlled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tours of the island (and even dinner cruises) are available. They include the privately owned, rebuilt Charity Island Lightlightkeeper's house and

57-400: A few acres to The Nature Conservancy (which also bought the lighthouse from the government). Geologically, the island contains pockets of chert that are believed to have been quarried by Native Americans . Offshore, the gravel reefs to the south creates a shallow-water channel separating Charity Island from its smaller neighbor, Little Charity Island . The area between the two islands is

76-421: A flower stalk of 100 cm (40 inches) or more in height. At the top of the blooming shoot is a spectacular effusive flower head , ranging in color from creamy white to very light pink, and guarded by spines. Some individuals may be quite bushy, and produce numerous flowering heads. Usually at least 5 years are required for the thistle to reach maturity. Pitcher's thistle is monocarpic ; after flowering once,

95-479: A passing view of Gravelly Shoal Light. They are available from a ferry company in Au Gres, Michigan on the mainland, south of Tawas . Pitcher%27s thistle Cirsium pitcheri , sometimes called Pitcher's thistle or dune thistle , is a species of thistle native to sand dune shorelines along the upper Great Lakes . It is native to Indiana , Illinois , Michigan , Wisconsin , and Ontario . It

114-578: A variety of plants and animals. Many rare and protected species of plants grow on the Island including Pitcher's thistle , acres of Trillium , Jack in the Pulpit , and Pink Lady Slippers . The island is best known among mariners for its former lighthouse. Charity Island Light was constructed in 1857. It operated in 1857-1930 and was then replaced by the Gravelly Shoal Light . The island

133-524: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Charlevoix County, Michigan location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a protected area in Michigan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Charity Island (Michigan) Charity Island , also known as Big Charity Island , is the largest island in Saginaw Bay , in

152-437: Is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a threatened species . Pitcher's thistle is a plant of modest appearance through much of its lifespan; it concentrates most of its biomass in a massive taproot that can be 6 feet (2 m) in length. Its long, narrow, gray-green leaves are protected by spines and dense, silvery hairs. Between 2 and 8 years after germination, the juvenile thistle abruptly matures and sends forth

171-555: The Michigan waters of Lake Huron . The island is 222 acres (0.90 km ) in area and has about 3 miles (4.8 km) of shoreline. It is part of Whitney Township , in Arenac County . The island also contains an 11-acre (0.04 km ) pond, literally a 'lake within a lake', fed by springs. The island was named by lake mariners for its location, placed 'through the charity of God' at the entrance to Saginaw Bay midway between

190-688: The Nordhouse Dunes area of the Manistee National Forest , and within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore . In addition, Pitcher's thistle continues to grow and flower in some smaller state parks and private tracts along these lake shores. Great Lakes dune habitat is threatened by invasive species such as spotted knapweed . In addition, the high economic value of Great lakes shoreline for real estate development continues to threaten

209-519: The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore , Dr. Pitcher discovered a Pitcher's thistle in flower. The physician shipped the specimen to botanists who published and named it in his honor, Cirsium pitcheri . The Pitcher's thistle is found exclusively along the shorelines of Lake Huron , Lake Michigan , and Lake Superior , particularly in areas of sand dunes. Two of the largest remaining populations have been identified in

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228-647: The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary . The Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge islands were set aside as resting places for migratory birds flying over the Great Lakes, but have drawn increased attention in the following decades for their Great Lakes ecosystem plant life, including the Dwarf Lake Iris , the state wildflower of Michigan, and Pitcher's thistle , both classified as threatened species within

247-686: The Fish and Wildlife Service, as of 2007, has divided up management responsibilities over the Michigan Islands NWR between two larger, full-time-staffed wildlife refuges. The four Lake Huron islands are managed by Shiawasee National Wildlife Refuge , based in Saginaw, Michigan , and the four Lake Michigan islands are managed by Seney National Wildlife Refuge , based in Seney, Michigan . Scarecrow and Thunder Bay islands were also designated part of

266-538: The Pitcher's thistle. Although it can be locally abundant in areas of relatively undisturbed habitat, the thistle is highly vulnerable because it is adapted to live in locations where many people would like to build vacation homes and resorts and is therefore critically threatened by anthropogenic habitat destruction . This fact, as well as its general vulnerability due to its specialized habitat and restricted range, has led to Pitcher's Thistle being federally listed as

285-586: The United States. There are automated lighthouses on Charity and Thunder Bay Islands. Pismire, Scarecrow, and Shoe islands were designated as wilderness in 1970. The three islands totaling 12.5 acres (0.05 km) make up the Michigan Islands Wilderness Area. This Alpena County, Michigan location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Arenac County, Michigan location article

304-596: The city of Au Gres, Michigan and " The Thumb ". The islands were not known as the Charity Islands until after 1845. Maps before 1800 show the islands unnamed. According to an 1839 map, Big Charity Island was referred to as Shawangunk, while Little Charity Island was known as Ile de Traverse. The island is largely forested, mainly with mixed hardwoods. The humid ecoclimate is friendly to a diverse herbarium, including some rare plant species. Its isolated beaches and unique hardwood forest provides excellent habitat for

323-490: The flowering. The Pitcher's thistle was first identified by Dr. Zina Pitcher , an amateur naturalist and U.S. Army field surgeon stationed at Fort Brady , Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan . In an unknown summer at some point in the 1820s, Dr. Pitcher was granted leave to go on an adventure camping trip west of the fort on a sandy shoreline of Lake Superior . While exploring what are now the Grand Sable Dunes of

342-413: The plant dies. Most of its seeds do not disperse very far, in fact, entire heads are occasionally buried, producing clusters of seedlings. The Pitcher's thistle is adapted to life on open, windswept, semi-stable sand dune surfaces. It can flower at any time from mid-June through mid-September, depending on the amount of energy it has stored in its taproot and on local rain conditions immediately prior to

361-548: Was offered for sale in 1987 for $ 750,000. In 1993 it was purchased by Standish real estate broker Robert Wiltse and other investors with plans consisting of 24 large houses. After accepting 15 deposits and constructing a harbor, Wiltse changed his mind about the development. In 1997, he sold more than 80% of the island to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) system, and

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