Pointe aux Chenes
Location
MI Natural Community Types:
Based on the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Point aux Chenes RNA includes the following natural communities: Sand/Gravel Beach, Open Dune, Interdunal Wetland, Great Lakes Marsh, Northern Fen, Northern Wet Meadow, Dry Northern Forest, Rich Conifer Swamp, Patterned Fen, and Mesic Northern Forest.
Potential Research Topics:
Some potential research topics include piping plover ecology and restoration, climate change impacts on fluctuating lake levels, along with other herpetological, ecological and aquatic wildlife topics.
Ecological and Physical Description
Pointe aux Chenes RNA is Michigan’s best example of an interdunal wetland and a coastal marsh with swales and dunes that include some critically important rare plant populations.The RNA contains excellent examples of unique northern fens with microsites adapted to alkaline soil conditions that allow many calciphiles (plants that grow well on lime rich soil) to flourish. The patterned fen located within the RNA is the best example of this habitat type within the Eastern unit of the Hiawatha National Forest.
Annual rainfall averages 32inches (82cm).
Moranstation, (I.D. 205591, latitude 45 ̊59’N, longitude -84 ̊50’W).
The bedrock geology of the RNA is of Pointe aux Chenes shale with a surficial laucustrine sand and gravel, and a thin to discontinuous glacial till over bedrock. The RNA located on an ancient glacial lake shoreline formed between the Lake Algonquin and Lake Nippissing periods. The most common soil types in Point aux Chenes RNA are the Eastport-Leafriver (formerly Roscommon) complex, Markley and Carbondale mucks, and Leafriver (formerly Roscommon) muck.
The Pointe aux Chenes River meanders through the middle of the RNA, bordering and following the alternating wetlands, shallow ponds, and interdunal wetlands, before eventually breaking through the foredune at the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Flora and Fauna
Common Plant Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinus resinosa | red pine | Common Flora | ||
| P. banksiana | jack pine | Common Flora | ||
| Tsuga canadensis | eastern hemlock | Common Flora | ||
| Pinus strobus | eastern white pine | Common Flora | ||
| Thujaoccidentalis | northern white cedar | Common Flora | ||
| Abies balsamea | balsam fir | Common Flora | ||
| Picea glauca | white spruce | Common Flora | ||
| Larix laricina | tamarack | Common Flora | ||
| Betula papyrifera | paper birch | Common Flora | ||
| Carex lasiocarpa | Common Flora | |||
| Carex rostrate | Common Flora | |||
| Equisetume fluviatile | Common Flora | |||
| Calamagrostis Canadensis | Common Flora | |||
| Eupatonum maculatum | Common Flora |
Common Animal Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Category | At Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ondatra zibethic | muskrat | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Tamias striatus | eastern chipmunk | Common Mammal Species | ||
| amiasciurus hudsonicus | red squirrel | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Lepus americanus | snowshoe hare | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Procyon lotor | raccoon | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Mares pennanti | fisher | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Odocoileus virginianus | white-tailed deer | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Ursus americanus | black bear | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Canis latrans | coyote | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Vulpes fulva | redfox | Common Mammal Species | ||
| Anas rubripes | black duck | Common Bird Species | ||
| Branta canadensis | Canada goose | Common Bird Species | ||
| Gavia immer | common loon | Common Bird Species | ||
| Ardea herodias | great blue heron | Common Bird Species | ||
| Bonasa umbellus | ruffed grouse | Common Bird Species | ||
| Bufo americanus | American toad | Common Amphibians and reptiles | ||
| Rana clamitans | green frog | Common Amphibians and reptiles | ||
| Rana sylvatica | wood frog | Common Amphibians and reptiles | ||
| Hyla crucifer | spring peeper | Common Amphibians and reptiles | ||
| Chrysemys picta | painted turtle | Common Amphibians and reptiles |