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THE MICHIGAN BOTANIST
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FIGURE 1. Hog Island in relationship to the other islands of the Beaver Island Archipelago and to
the state of Michigan.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
Study Site:
Hog Island is the fourth largest island in the Beaver Island Archipelago (Fig. 1), having an area
of approximately 10km2, depending on the lake levels. The elevation of the island ranges from
176-187 m above sea level, and it has an undulating topography. (The average high water level of
Lake Michigan is 177.1 m.) The highest point on the island is in the central part of the southern half
of the island. Hog Island was below lake levels during both the Lake Algonquin and Lake Nipissing
stages of the Great Lakes glacial history (Schaetzl 2002). Therefore, Hog Island has only been exposed for plant colonization for a maximum of 3200 years. Hog Island's bedrock is part of the Bois
Blanc formation, which is composed of cherty dolomite, dolomitic limestone, and limestone (Landes
et al. 1945).
The plant communities predicted to be on the island by MNFI were Great Lakes marsh, northern
wet meadow, bog, conifer swamp, boreal forest, mesic and dry-mesic forests, and rocky beaches
(MNFI, unpublished).
Lake Michigan levels have been low the last few years, exposing new shoreline habitat (Center
for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services 2003). This exposed habitat would be available for expansion by plant species populations already located on the shore, and for colonization by
plant species adapted to disturbed habitats or to those species that had seeds present in the seed bank.
Neither Native Americans nor Europeans ever permanently occupied Hog Island; however, Native Americans used the island to a limited extent for agriculture and both Native Americans and
early Europeans used the island for fishing and maple syrup production (MNFI 1988). Before planes
carried mail from the mainland to Beaver Island, Hog Island was used as a resting area for horse
teams and their drivers on the winter mail run over the ice between Beaver Island and Cross Village.
Hog Island was selectively logged approximately 50 years ago and bulldozed skid paths were
made to move the logs (P. Gregg, personal communication). The island is still used for recreation and
for research.
As a matter of interest, there are two stories about the origin of Hog Island's name. The first
