Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area
A Wilderness Story
The Beginning
Once upon a time, glaciers covered a large portion of the upper Midwest. An ice sheet almost one mile thick covered present day Nordhouse Dunes. As the ice retreated, an ancient river valley was replaced by what is now Lake Michigan. Sand dunes and the largest ecosystem of freshwater interdunal wetlands in the world remain as the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area. In this story map, we will examine what makes this wilderness so unique and explore some of the challenges facing this area. We will also examine solutions and ideas that will help us to maintain this area for future generations to enjoy.
The Present
Nordhouse Dunes is a 3,450 acre Federally Designated Wilderness Area on the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan and is popular for hiking, camping, hunting, nature study, wildlife viewing, and for its miles of undeveloped beach, soft sand, and cool waters.
So, what is a wilderness area? A wilderness area is a federally designated area that is designated for preservation in its natural condition and managed as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in accordance with the Wilderness Act of 1964.
The National Wilderness Preservation System protects 111 million acres of wilderness areas from coast to coast. Originally drafted in 1956, the Wilderness Act was revised 66 times over 8 years before being signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson. “Wilderness areas shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and so as to provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character.”
The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as, “An area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”
When President Johnson signed the wilderness act, he said this, "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through it.” These words still ring true today. We want to leave future generations a Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness that will endure.
The Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness is extremely fragile, and the ecosystem of the area is not found anywhere else in the world.
This wilderness is a birdwatcher’s paradise, with bald eagles, and songbirds and waterfowl flocking to the area in the spring.
Two species found in this wilderness are iconic to this area and are found only in the coastal dune ecosystem of Michigan.
Piping Plover – A small federally endangered shorebird.
Most of the beach at Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness is considered critical habitat for this species.
Pitcher’s Thistle – A federally threatened plant that takes five or more years to reproduce, and is easily outcompeted by non-native invasive plants (NNIP).
Pitcher's Thistle requires fairly open habitat that is often used for recreation sites, or is being occupied by NNIP.
Issues and Challenges
Non-native invasive plants
It is estimated that over 100 acres within the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness are infested with non-native invasive plants (NNIP), including spotted knapweed, houndstongue, bull thistle, japanese barberry, honeysuckle, and more. Spotted knapweed is most prevalent at campsites and disturbed areas.
Pictured right: Spotted Knapweed removed from Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area
Overcrowding
The Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is loved and enjoyed by many people, as evidenced by this photo, taken on a typical summer weekend. This heavy use is leading to significant resource damage to the area.
Pictured right: A line of vehicles fill Nurnberg Road
Resource Damage
For whatever reason, these trees were chopped down, leaving unsightly stumps for the next wilderness visitor. This is the opposite of Leave No Trace practices!
Pictured right: Pine tree stumps
Overflowing trash cans
If you pack it in, please pack it out and dispose of your trash properly. Leaving trash like this is unsightly, unsanitary and may attract animals such as bears to the area. Please respect the land and Leave No Trace.
Pictured right: Trash cans overflowing with trash
Solutions and Ideas
Introduction
The Huron-Manistee National Forests recognize and understand the need to engage the public in a collaborative fashion about the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area. We want to develop a mechanism where diverse parties can be engaged about the future of the Wilderness. In this section we will examine some solutions and ideas we are working on implementing in addition to our outreach to stakeholders.
Backcountry Trail Work
- Expand volunteer opportunities to conduct backcountry trail work
- Place trail markers near confusing intersections
- On Lake Michigan Trail, add markers at intersections with social trails and where trail crosses U-shaped dunes
- For campsite spurs, add small campsite markers at acceptable locations
- Add trail names and mileage to maps posted at trailhead
- Add “No Camping, Restoration Area” signs to illegal sites near trails
- Naturalize illegal fire rings on trails and on beach
- Add erosion control structures to “washed out” areas, especially on the Lake Michigan Trail
- Close/Block user trails that are not in use or do not lead to a use area
Pictured left: a trail winds through the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area.
Backcountry Presence
- Increase the presence of USFS personnel and knowledgeable volunteers in the Wilderness Area
- Seek partners willing to help maintain a presence, both in the backcountry and at the trailhead
- Attempt to prevent violations before they occur
- Educate visitors regarding the value of the resource, wilderness regulations, and Leave No Trace Ethics
- Issue written warnings and/or citations when violations are egregious or repeated
Pictured left: a portal sign at the Nurnberg Trailhead
Trail Signage and Communications
- More prominently display dispersed camping rules and regulations
- Required distance of 400 feet from Lake Michigan, 100 feet from trail, 200 feet from Nordhouse Lake
- Add new wilderness signage to the LMRA sign/fee area
- Post “no wheels” sign at wilderness entrance
- More prominently display signs prohibiting camping in the day use area
- Improve the Nordhouse Dunes website by clearly posting wilderness regulations
- Clearly display the prohibition on mechanized equipment, including wheels
- Develop new and more accessible websites with partners
- Encourage use of the Lake Michigan Recreation area trailhead
Pictured left: a trail sign educates visitors about the Piping Plover
The Future of Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area
This is a small wilderness with something for everyone, and the continued existence of this area depends on protecting and preserving the area’s unique resources, geologic features, and wildlife.
The area is famous for the beach and lake access. However, it is in a constant state of threat, and is being loved to death.
Though a wilderness is ideally left to its own devices, human intervention is needed to preserve and protect the area’s sensitive, threatened, and endangered species.
Monitoring and proper management actions, that preserve wilderness character, are key to the preservation of the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area so that future generations may continue to marvel at its unique majesty.
For more information on the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area, please contact the Cadillac/Manistee Ranger District of the Huron-Manistee National Forests at (231) 848-7090