Site Description
This site, which includes Toft Point State Natural Area, The Ridges Sanctuary, and Mud Lake State Wildlife Area, features unique dune-swale topography and a variety of high-quality habitats including boreal forest, mixed conifer-hardwood forest, alder thicket, coastal wetlands and bays, and open waters of Lake Michigan.
Toft Forest, photo by Robert Howe
Toft Point, photo by Robert Howe
Ornithological Importance
Osprey, bald eagle, American bittern, yellow-bellied flycatcher, blue-headed vireo, and 17 species of warblers breed at this site. Caspian and common terns forage along the shoreline, and waterfowl and landbirds use the site during migration. Large flocks of diving ducks utilize the open waters of Lake Michigan in the winter.