ST. IGNACE, MI (AP)-- A parcel of Lake Michigan shoreline has been added to the Hiawatha National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service acquired the 11.25-acre property in December from The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit group. Senior associate Peg Kohring says the area is small but contains an ecologically significant dune and wetland ecosystem.
Making it part of the forest's Research Natural Area eliminates a gap in a broader conserved landscape, with alternating sandy ridges and marshy troughs. It hosts the Pitcher's thistle, a threatened species.
When water levels are down, the area also provides nesting grounds for the endangered piping plover.
Officials say the parcel offers visitors great views of the lake and shoreline.
