Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map
Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map
Guide to Significant Wildlife Habitat - Door County Web Map
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LOGAN CREEK / LOST LAKE CORRIDOR<br />
LOCATION:<br />
The Logan Creek / Lost Lake Corridor is approximately 4,950 acres located in the Town of<br />
Jacksonport in the central portion of <strong>Door</strong> <strong>County</strong> (T28-29N, R26-27E). As this report represents general<br />
areas of concern, exact locations of boundary lines have not been designated.<br />
GENERAL SITE DESCRIPTION:<br />
The Logan Creek / Lost Lake Corridor encompasses the natural habitat associated with this<br />
wetland corridor. The southern edge borders Clark Lake, Whitefish Dunes State Park and Whitefish<br />
Dune State Natural Area. This is an important wetland habitat for fish and wildlife. Scenery, water<br />
quality, and forest resources are all of high quality (Zimmerman 1989). The Town of Jacksonport has<br />
adopted the county’s zoning ordinance.<br />
ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE:<br />
The ecological significance of this site is defined by the condition of Lost Lake, the presence of<br />
several species of state significance, a large diverse wetland complex north of Lost Lake, and extensive<br />
riparian conifer forest along Logan Creek south of Lost Lake. Other attributes that contribute <strong>to</strong> the areas<br />
significance are several tracts of old growth forest, especially north of Lost Lake and at the mouth of<br />
Logan Creek at Clark Lake, and the high volume springs which feed Logan Creek south of Lost Lake and<br />
near Highway 57.<br />
Lost Lake, with an almost completely undeveloped shoreline, represents a rare opportunity <strong>to</strong><br />
preserve a large lake-wetland system nearly intact. While its shallow nature precludes a diverse fish<br />
population; perch, northern pike, and black bullheads are present, and lake and wetland associated birds<br />
and aquatic insects (esp. odonates) are abundant. Except for a narrow lawn on the west shore the entire<br />
shoreline of the lake holds natural vegetation. A wide buffer of forest borders the lake on the north,<br />
southwest and south, with a narrow buffer on the east shore.<br />
Based on a very limited inven<strong>to</strong>ry, species of state significance observed at the lake and<br />
surrounding forest include, Osprey (feeding), Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) (feeding), Red-shouldered<br />
Hawk (possibly nesting), and the white adder’s mouth orchid (Malaxis brachypoda). Other natural<br />
communities and rare plant and animal species have been documented in the area. Refer <strong>to</strong> the Natural<br />
Communities Cross Reference, Appendix “A” and Wisconsin’s Natural Heritage Inven<strong>to</strong>ry Listing,<br />
Appendix “B” for further information.<br />
NOTEWORTHY CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL FEATURES:<br />
A settlement located on the shores of Lake Michigan in the vicinity of Clark Lake was started<br />
around 1838. Originally it was a fishing village and a project of John P. Clark, who was the first white<br />
settler in this area of the county. The inland lake was named for him and nearby Whitefish Bay was<br />
named for the large amounts of fish that were being caught there. He packed his tremendous catches in<br />
salt barrels and shipped them <strong>to</strong> markets on the Great Lakes in his own schooners. Clark bought up 2,500<br />
acres of land that included 9 miles of shore land. Much of the time he had as many as 30 fisherman and a<br />
number of coopers, including several Native Americans, who made barrels in his employ (Lotz 1994)<br />
SITE FEATURES:<br />
Logan Creek<br />
Logan Creek is 5.4 miles in length, approximately 8 feet wide with a gradient of 17.7 feet per<br />
mile, and flows southeast from Lost Lake until it empties in<strong>to</strong> Clark Lake. The creek is designated as a<br />
Wisconsin Outstanding Water Resource, a distinction given by the Outstanding Resource Waters portion<br />
of the Wisconsin Administrative Codes.<br />
Logan Creek / Lost Lake Corridor 91