Counties: Bayfield

Photos:

• Photo 1

Red Cliff Reservation. Aerial view of Raspberry Bay barrier beach pine forest and open wetland (coastal fen, northern poor fen), 15 Oct. 1995. Photograph, E.J. Epstein.

Site Description

The Reservation of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa occupies the northeastern margin of the Bayfield Peninsula. These are not public lands, and all requests for visitation or additional information must go through the tribal offices at Red Cliff, Wisconsin.

The outstanding feature is an undisturbed wetland complex at the mouth of the Raspberry River containing coastal fen, coastal bog, northern sedge meadow, lagoon, and dry pine forest. Each of these communities harbors a diverse flora and some support significant populations of rare plants. We also obtained records of rare birds and butterflies while conducting vegetation survey work at these sites. Small but undisturbed stands of sedge meadow, alder thicket and marsh occurs along the lower stretches of the Raspberry River, which enters Lake Superior at Raspberry Bay.

Wave-carved sandstone cliffs and ledges are prominent and characteristic features of the northern Bayfield Peninsula. Some of the most extensive and ecologically significant outcroppings occur within the Reservation, but others occur within the boundary of the adjacent mainland unit of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore The cliffs support rare plants, most of them specialists that do not occur in other habitats.

Additional Comments

The site contains an exceptional wetland complex with excellent examples of communities restricted to estuarine environments and is flanked by rocky headlands that also have very high ecological values.