THANK YOU!! With your support, The Ridges has purchased the Sandpiper property in Baileys Harbor!
This will eventually be the sight of the new The Ridges Sanctuary Interpretive Center.
Thank you helping further the vision of the founders in 1937. | By sleonard, on September 7th, 2011  Ridges Sanctuary How Did the Ridges Form? Beach ridge formation is an ongoing process that started about 1400 years ago. At that time, Lake Michigan extended about a mile further inland than it does today, and water covered much of what is now The Ridges Sanctuary. A key ingredient in ridge formation is the sand deposited during the last advance of glaciers into Wisconsin. This sand is carried by longshore currents along the Lake Michigan shoreline into Baileys Harbor. These sand-laden currents are slowed by the shallow U-shaped harbor. The sand settles out of the slow moving water, creating one of Door County’s finest beaches – and continuing the process of ridge construction. The other important factor in ridge formation is the natural cycle of high and low water levels of Lake Michigan. When lake levels are high, wave action pushes the sand into a low ridge along the shoreline. As lake levels drop, the ridge becomes exposed and is sometimes capped by wind-blown sand. The new ridge is rapidly stabilized by plants. First in line are the sedges and grasses, followed by small shrubs and a few species of trees. These pioneers of the plant world stabilize the “new” land and provide conditions for other plant communities to form. Gradually other trees and plants move in, finally becoming the boreal forest community that we see today. One by one, the ridges continue to form, reflecting the natural ups and downs of the lake level. Thus, over the past 1400 years, about 30 crescent-shaped ridges of sand and soil have formed parallel to the shore. The ridges closest to the shoreline are the youngest in terms of the plant communities found there. Since it takes, on average, 30 to 40 years for each ridge to form, older plant communities are found on each succeeding ridge to the north, therefore creating a living example of the concept of succession in plant communities. As Lake Michigan continues its cycle of highs and lows, ridges continue to form along the shoreline of Baileys Harbor. By sleonard, on September 7th, 2011 The Lands We Protect  Overview The Ridges Sanctuary is an unspoiled wild place that occupies just over 1,600 acres in two units along the eastern edge of the Door Peninsula, a rocky finger of land projecting northward into Lake Michigan. On the west side of the peninsula is the shallow water of Green bay, and on the east side is Lake Michigan, a deep and expansive inland sea. The Peninsula itself is a ridge of dolomite limestone – part of the Niagara Escarpment that passes through east central Wisconsin, circles around the State of Michigan, and creates Niagara Falls in New York State. The largest portion of The Ridges Sanctuary’s land, about 1,400 acres, is located on the north end of the bay of Baileys Harbor. Much of this area is made up of a series of low, sandy ridges, alternating with wet areas called swales. The ridges run parallel to the shoreline of Baileys Harbor, and extend inland about a mile. Cooling breezes from Lake Michigan help to sustain a boreal forest in The Ridges Sanctuary – a forest type that is more characteristic of most of Canada. This forest, in which white spruce and balsam fir predominate, continues around the northern rim of the Door Peninsula. This aerial photo illustrates the close relationship between The Ridges and Lake Michigan. At the right is the bay of Baileys Harbor, while Moonlight bay is seen at the top merging with the expanse of Lake Michigan. Water-filled swales lie between ridges covered by fir, spruce, pine, tamarack, and cedars. Many of the plants found in this portion of the Sanctuary are more typically found further north. However, they survive here because of the cooling effect of Lake Michigan. The Ridges Sanctuary also manages the Logan Creek Property, a parcel of 170 acres located south of Jacksonport, on the north end of Clark Lake. This land is comprised of a variety of habitats, including upland hardwood forest, lowland cedar-hemlock forest, and frontage along Clark Lake and Logan Creek. Mature Beech, Hemlock and Sugar Maple trees are found throughout the property. Spring wildflowers are outstanding on this site, with Hepatica, Spring Beauty, Trilliums and Trout Lilies putting on a show from mid-April to the end of May. A trail system and parking lot have been developed on the site, at 5724 Loritz Road. By cschuster, on April 15th, 2010 If you are interested in receiving updates about invasive species efforts in Door County. Click on the sign up button below.By knewbern, on January 6th, 2010 
The Ridges Sanctuary recently closed on 3 additional parcels of land, totaling 53 acres. All are adjacent to property already owned by the Sanctuary, and will help to protect the watershed which feeds into the swales and Lake Michigan. Funding for these purchases was provided through the Wisconsin Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Wetland grant program. Ridges members, through their generous contributions to our Land Fund, also helped to make these acquisitions possible. By knewbern, on September 11th, 2009 | Common Name | Scientific Name | Typical Blooming Dates | | Arctic Primrose | Primula mistassinica | May 1 – June 19 | | Dwarf Lake Iris | Iris lacustris | May 10 – June 23 | | Indian Paintbrush | Castilleja coccinea | May 18 – August 30 | | Gaywings | Polygala paucifolia | May 18 – June 21 | | Bog Buckbean | Menyanthes trifoliata | May 24 – June 15 | | Pink Moccasin Flower | Cypripedium acaule | June 5 – June 30 | | Yellow Lady’s-slipper | Cypripedium calceolus var. pubescens | June 5 – July 1 | | Labrador Tea | Ledum groenlandicum | June 5 – June 30 | | Twinflower | Linnaea borealis | June 12 – July 12 | | Shrubby Potentilla | Potentilla fruticosa | June 12 – October 10 | | Pitcher Plant | Sarracenia purpurea | June 12 – July 5 | | Thimbleberry | Rubus parviflorus | June 15 – July 6 | | Lance-leaved Coreopsis | Coreopsis lanceolata | June 15 – August 9 | | Wild Rose | Rosa blanda | June 15 – August 10 | | Wood Lily | Lilium philadelphicum | June 23 – July 20 | | Grass Pink Orchid | Calopogon pulchellus | June 23 – July 18 | | Showy Lady’s-slipper | Cypripedium reginae | June 22 – July 14 | | Black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | June 23 – September 14 | | Ohio Goldenrod | Solidago ohioensis | July 29 – September 1 | | Grass of Parnassus | Parnassia glauca | August 5 – September 14 | | Dune Goldenrod | Solidago simplex | August 21 – September 14 | | Fringed Gentian | Gentianopsis procera | August 24 – October 1 |
A more comprehensive blooming list, with 100 species of The Ridges, can be downloaded here. Related Plant Links University of Wisconsin Herbarium – the website features a searchable database of Wisconsin plants and lichens, including photos, habitat descriptions, distribution maps and more. Orchids of Wisconsin – a somewhat technical site, with detailed descriptions and photos of all Wisconsin orchid species. | |
