| Alpena County |
| The center piece of Alpena County’s coastal features is Thunder Bay. A long narrow, cedar forested peninsula called North Point jets out into Lake Huron, forming the northern edge of Thunder Bay. South Point in Negwegon State Park is the southern terminus of Thunder Bay. The abandoned Rockport Quarry, located in the northern edge of the county, is part of a large tract of state forest land that recently came into state ownership. The City of Alpena and Alpena Township account for the largest population center along the Huron Greenways. Bike trails in the City of Alpena follow along the shore of Besser Lake, offering glimpses of flooded river oxbows and remnant floodplain islands. Outside the urbanized areas the Huron Greenways traverses great expanses of undeveloped natural habitats. |
| Water Features |
| Middle Lake, Grass Lake, Mud Lake and
Devils Lake are several of the small lakes located along the Huron Greenways.
Long Lake, in the northern part of Alpena County, extends north into Presque
Isle County. The most prominent river system in Alpena County is
the Thunder Bay River. The Thunder Bay River empties into Lake Huron
at the City of Alpena. There are several large lakes and impoundments including
Lake Winyah, Fletcher Pond and Hubbard Lake. Numerous other small lakes
and creeks can be found in this watershed. The Thunder Bay River is a significant
regional ecological corridor with headwaters that arise in western Montmorency
County near the community of Lewiston. Other branches of the Thunder
Bay River extend into Presque Isle, Alcona and Oscoda Counties. While the
natural terrestrial ecosystems have been fragmented within the City of
Alpena, the overall ecological integrity is still very good. Several
small streams, including Long Lake Creek and Devils River drain narrow
coastal watersheds.
Click on this image for an enlargement.
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| Ecological Features |
| Public lands and large tracts of private
land form wide ecological corridors within the coastal zone. The
predominate forest types along the greenways are northern white cedar and
aspen-birch. Species such as the least flycatcher, red-eyed Vireo,
rose-breasted grosbeak, black-billed cuckoo and American redstart nest
in the tree canopy in aspen forests. Ground nesting species such
as the ruffed grouse, veery, snowshoe hare, and white tailed deer also
use aspen forest types.
Squaw Bay is ringed with a rich, productive coastal emergent marsh. Species include cattails, bulrushes, sedges, sweetflag, arrowhead, and pickerelweed. The marsh provides spawning habitat for fish and summer habitat for geese, ducks, great blue herons, red-winged blackbirds, Foster’s tern and black tern. During low water periods, such as the summer of 1999, water receded from this shallow bay exposing the soft, moist lake bottom hundreds of feet out from the shoreline. Devil’s Lake is located west of Squaw Bay This long narrow lake aligns with the shoreline and in fact was once part of Lake Huron. As the post glacial lake levels receded, this linear depression became stranded from Lake Huron. Devil’s River flows south eastward following an old beach ridge until it cuts through near Ossineke and empties into Lake Huron.
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| Geological Features |
| The northern half of the Alpena County
Coast is heavily influenced by bedrock and can be characterized by many
points, bays and islands. The shoreline has rocky outcrops of limestone
bedrock. A series of old shore beach ridges (dune and swale complexes)
can be found in the protected bays. With the exception of subdivisions
along El Cajon Bay and Huron Bay, much of the coastline is still undeveloped.
Near shore Islands are numerous, particularly between North Point and Rockport. Several islands are designated Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuges. These islands are stubborn remnants of limestone bedrock that refused to be bulldozed south by past continental glaciers. The islands are undeveloped, with several being designated Michigan Islands National Wildlife Areas. This area offers many opportunities for sea kayaking adventures. Misery Bay is a shallow bay formed in limestone bedrock. Many small islands are located in this isolated and undeveloped bay. Two submerged sinkholes in El Cajon Bay are unique natural features. Both contain springs that pump large amounts of ground water into Lake Huron. One of the Huron Greenways trails runs through the abandoned quarry called Rockport in northeastern Alpena County. Fossils of invertebrate sea life, such as stromatoporoids and stromatolites, dating to the prehistoric seas abound in the old quarry. This is one of the best fossil collection areas in the Upper Great Lakes. Click on this image for an
enlargement.
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| Natural Areas |
| Squaw Bay, Michigan Islands National
Wildlife Area, Grass Lake, Gull Island, Bird Island, Grass Island, Negwegon
State Park.
Click on this image for an
enlargement.
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