Ridges Sanctuary Inc

THE RIDGES SANCTUARY - FRUIT LAND ACQUISITION PROJECT

THE RIDGES SANCTUARY (TRS) IS A NON-PROFIT NATURE CENTER AND PRESERVE LOCATED IN BAILEYS HARBOR, WISCONSIN. FOUNDED TO PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL 30-ACRE PARCEL, THE RIDGES HAS GROWN THOUGHTFULLY AND STRATEGICALLY TO ENSURE THE PROTECTION OF THE MOST BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM IN WISCONSIN. NEARLY 500 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF PLANTS, INCLUDING 29 SPECIES OF NATIVE ORCHIDS, POPULATE THESE VARIED HABITATS, WHICH ARE ALSO HOME TO OVER 60 SPECIES OF BREEDING BIRDS AND 12 THREATENED OR ENDANGERED SPECIES.DWARF LAKE IRIS (IRIS LACUSTRIS) IS A RARE, SMALL IRIS SPECIES OF THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION, WHERE IT GROWS PRIMARILY ALONG THE EDGES OF SHORELINE FOREST AND DUNE HABITATS IN CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH OR PROXIMITY TO OTHER RARE COASTAL SPECIES. THIS ATTRACTIVE SHORELINE SPECIES IS AMONG THE BEST KNOWN OF ALL THE ENDANGERED AND THREATENED PLANTS OF THE GREAT LAKES REGION, WHERE IT HAS BECOME A SYMBOL OF PLANT RARITY AND CONSERVATION IN BOTH MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN.THOUGH IT IS RELATIVELY COMMON ON THE DOOR PENINSULA, THERE EXISTS SEVERAL THREATS OF MAJOR CONCERN FOR THE HEALTH OF THE POPULATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HABITAT LOSS FROM DEVELOPMENT, FOREST SUCCESSION, DISRUPTION OF NATURAL SHORELINE FORMATION, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. I. LACUSTRIS NUMBERS HAVE BEEN DECREASING AT TRS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES DUE TO FOREST ENCROACHMENT AND LOSS OF NATURAL SHORELINE AND DUNE HABITAT DEVELOPMENT. COUPLED WITH TREE REMOVAL REQUIRED FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE BAILEYS HARBOR RANGE LIGHTS, TRS AIMS TO IMPLEMENT A RESTORATION PROJECT TO STUDY THE CURRENT DLI POPULATIONS IN THE RIDGES SANCTUARY STATE NATURAL AREA, DEVELOP A LONG-TERM GOAL OF EXPANDING EXTANT POPULATIONS, AND OPPORTUNISTICALLY OUTPLANT TO OTHER AREAS OF THE SANCTUARY THAT ALREADY CONTAIN SUITABLE HABITAT FOR DLI. MANIPULATION OF FOREST CONDITIONS, INCLUDING TREE REMOVAL AND CANOPY THINNING, WILL BE CONDUCTED BASED ON COLLECTED DATA TO MIMIC HISTORIC DISTURBANCE REGIMES THAT PROMOTE IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR DLI, THE INTENDED OUTCOME BEING INCREASED LIGHT AVAILABILITY.METHODOLOGY FOR DLI RESTORATION WILL FOLLOW PROTOCOLS TRS HAS ESTABLISHED THROUGH ITS ORCHID RESTORATION PROJECT. THE FUNDAMENTAL IDEA IS TO CREATE A BASELINE DATA SET PRIOR TO FOREST MANIPULATION. THE INITIAL EXTANT POPULATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED AND SERVE AS THE PROJECT CONTROL. THE SIX RESEARCH PLOTS REPRESENT ONE PLOT WHERE NO EXTANT POPULATION AUGMENTATION TAKES PLACE, ONE PLOT WHERE EXTANT POPULATION TAKES PLACE, AND FOUR RESEARCH PLOTS WITH VARYING CANOPY COVERAGE, WHICH ALSO IMPACTS SOIL MOISTURE AND TEMPERATURE. THE INHERENT SOILS IN THE RESEARCH AREA ARE RELATIVELY HOMOGENEOUS. THROUGH MONITORING THE LISTED PARAMETERS, NUMERICAL DATA WILL BE GATHERED ON, PARTICULARLY, LIGHT-TEMPERATURE-SOIL MOISTURE PARAMETERS AND SEXUAL REPRODUCTION SUCCESS IN I. LACUSTRIS. USING THIS INFORMATION WILL PROVIDE PARAMETERS FOR TRANSLOCATING I. LACUSTRIS INTO NUMEROUS AREAS FOR POPULATION REFUGIA.

THE RIDGES SANCTUARY WILL PARTNER WITH THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE TO CONNECT K12 AND HOMESCHOOL LEARNERS WITH GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH HANDSON FIELD EXPERIENCES ON GREEN BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND AT THE RIDGES SANCTUARY IN DOOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN. STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN GUIDED HIKES, BIODIVERSITY SURVEYS, CITIZENSCIENCE MONITORING, INVASIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENTS, AND PLANT IDENTIFICATION TRAINING. PROGRAMMING INCLUDES STRUCTURED FIELDWORK ALIGNED WITH WISCONSIN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY STANDARDS AND THE NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (NAAEE) GUIDANCE. A FOCAL ACTIVITY WILL ENGAGE STUDENTS IN LONGTERM MONITORING OF DWARF LAKE IRIS PLOTS AND BUILDING DATA COLLECTION LITERACY AND CONSERVATION SKILLS WHILE GENERATING USEFUL DATASETS FOR REFUGE DECISION MAKING. THE DWARF LAKE IRIS IS A FEDERALLY THREATENED SPECIES FOUND ON PLUM ISLAND AND THE RIDGES SANCTUARY. EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE INCREASED STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS STRENGTHENED COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND MONITORING RECORDS THAT SUPPORT GREAT LAKES HABITAT STEWARDSHIP AT GREEN BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND THE RIDGES SANCTUARY.

NORTHERN PIKE SPAWNING HABITAT RESTORATION

DOOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT