“MIWP”
The Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve is a non-profit land trust dedicated to the protection and preservation of natural areas on Madeline Island for everyone's enjoyment. Madeline Island is adjacent to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on the South Shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin, and is the only one of the Apostle Islands with lands open to private ownership. The MIWP was formed in 1987 and is one of the oldest and most successful land trusts in the State of Wisconsin.
The Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve's mission is the protection and preservation of natural areas on Madeline Island for everyone's enjoyment. "Natural Areas" include both the plants and animals in these areas. While MIWP lands are open to the public, they are private properties and subject to rules to protect their natural features.
Deer hunting is permitted during the State of Wisconsin's hunting season.
Hunting, trapping, or snaring all other animals, including bears, coyotes and wolves, is prohibited.
Biking on MIWP trails is prohibited.
Motorized vehicles are not allowed in Preserve lands.
Camping and fires are not allowed in Preserve lands.
Latest News
Forest health experts are predicting another outbreak year of spongy moth in the region…
What can I do to protect my trees? Property owners who want to act against spongy moth defoliation can…
Peter J. Wasson pwasson@ashlanddailypress.net, Dec 6, 2023
(Copyright © 2023 APG Media) click here to view article online
Scientists at Northland College have documented perhaps the first American marten on Madeline Island in more than a century.
In conjunction with assessing wildlife species and populations, the Wild Madeline and APIS projects also monitor white-tailed deer behavior. This is done through an arduous tagging process that records how each deer is behaving in each photo. Our goal is to see how deer act in the presence or absence of predators like coyotes or wolves. We tag deer behavior by determining whether they have their heads up or down, if they are foraging, vigilant or interacting, and if they are staring into the camera. And this is done for each deer in every photo — that's a lot of photos! So, for this particular photo, both deer would have their head up and would be marked as “camera stares”. We don’t know what makes them stare at the camera, but it does happen from time to time. This photo is particularly interesting because male deer are usually not seen near fawns as male deer play no role in fawn rearing. Is this fawn the offspring of the buck? Why did the doe allow this buck to get so close to the fawn? Is this just a chance encounter captured on camera? These are questions we have but will likely never know the answers to. Photo captured July 30, 2022…
Just like their coloring, blue jays are bold little creatures. Cyanocitta cristata coloration doesn’t come from pigments, it actually comes from the internal structure of the feathers. So, if a blue jay's feather is crushed, the bright blue will be gone because the structure would be destroyed. These birds can also learn to mimic different sounds — in some cases even human speech. For example, blue jays have been known to mimic local hawks' cries, they can be so good at it that you might not even be able to tell a difference! Photo captured October 15, 2022…
Snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, get their name from their large hind feet. Their hind feet act as snowshoes keeping the hare from sinking into the snow when they’re hopping around. They also have fur on the soles of their feet to protect them from freezing temperatures. Another interesting tidbit about snowshoe hare’s appearance is their camouflage coat. During the winter their fur turns white to match the snow and in the summer their coat turns a rusty brown color. Click read more to see photos captured July 29, 2022 and April 5, 2023…
Dryocopus pileatus, also known as a pileated woodpecker, is the largest extant (living) woodpecker in North America. We occasionally detect pileated woodpeckers on our trail cameras and when we do – it is always a special treat. Pileated woodpeckers are social animals. They form bonds with one another, and bonded pairs stay together all year. They are also defensive of their territory. To claim their territory, they perform a drumming show on a hollow log or tree trunk – or even a human structure - to project their drum and let other pileated woodpeckers know that this area is their turf. Oh, and pileated woodpeckers have extremely long tongues given their body size - approximately 3.9 inches or one third of their body length! Click read more to see photos captured August 25–27, 2022…
The American red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, can often be mistaken for a bird when projecting their alarm and bark calls. Other than being loud, they are also very good swimmers! In fact, one researcher observed a red squirrel swimming in Lake Superior up to a mile away from the nearest island. It’s likely that red squirrels are able to move between the islands of the Apostle Islands archipelago by swimming and, perhaps, occasionally crossing ice bridges in winter. Photo captured August 27, 2022…
Did you know that a raccoon can rotate their hind feet 180 degrees? This is so that they can climb down headfirst from trees. The scientific name for the common raccoon is Procyon lotor, which translates to “washer dog,” even though they are more closely related to bears. That nickname may have come about because raccoons are known to occasionally wash their food before they eat it, and if there isn’t water near, they may rub it in debris. Click READ MORE to see film clip from June 20, 2022…
Coming Events
Free and Open to the Public!
Meet at the Big Bay Town Park Pavilion.
A hike for beginners and experts alike.
You never know what we are going to see or hear!
Bring binoculars and wear good waterproof footgear.
Saturday, May 25th, Reception: 6:00pm, hearty appetizers and wine, Program: 7:30pm
Location: Madeline Island School of Arts
Cost: $35.00/person
RSVP: Deadline: Friday, May 17th, or 100-person limit
Click here to RSVP
Peter Annin, author of Purified: How Recycled Sewage is Transforming Our Water.
Veteran water journalist Peter Annin shows that purified wastewater is the unexpected hero in America’s efforts to address water scarcity…
Free and Open to the Public!
Meet at the Capser Trail, Middle Road Trailhead, Fire #640
Leader: Samantha Dobson: naturalist, educator, forager and year-round island resident.
Learn about how to ethically and sustainably harvest early season mushrooms—specifically, oyster mushrooms—on Madeline Island. Learn about weather patterns, phenology, habitat, and safe harvesting techniques. Also learn about how to store, preserve and prepare your harvested mushrooms. Finding mushrooms is not guaranteed but likely.
Free and open to the public!
Location: Madeline Island Museum
This program will cover the biology and ecology of foxes, coyotes and wolves as an important part of a healthy ecosystem. There will be skulls, skins, scat replicas and track casts available for comparison.
Speaker: Jane Weber, retired Master Naturalist and Educator, and speaker for Timber Wolf Alliance. Jane has a passion for presenting fascinating facts about Wisconsin’s wildlife, hoping to promote understanding and coexistence with our unique wildlife neighbors.
Free and open to the public!
Location: Madeline Island Museum
Learn about the bats of Wisconsin, and which bats call the Chequamegon Bay Area home. Explore the diversity and importance of bats and the role they play in ecosystems around the world. They are an integral and amazing part of our ecosystems and our everyday lives.
Speaker: Brian Heeringa, Wildlife Biologist Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
Free and open to the public!
Harry Nelson Recreation Center, Middle Road at Rice Street
Two Shows: 10:00AM and 2:00PM
Experience the magic of birds like owls, hawks, falcons and eagles live and up close. Discover what a raptor is, how to identify in the wild and meet the birds.
Funded by the Grutzner Madeline Island Fund and the Michael Madeline Island Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.
Free and open to the public!
Harry Nelson Recreation Center, Middle Road at Rice Street
Two Shows: 10:00AM and 2:00PM
Experience the magic of birds like owls, hawks, falcons and eagles live and up close. Discover what a raptor is, how to identify in the wild and meet the birds.
Funded by the Grutzner Madeline Island Fund and the Michael Madeline Island Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.
Free and open to the public!
Location: Madeline Island Museum
When a young lady from a cultured New England background came to La Pointe in the final years of the fur trade, it seemed unlikely that she’d do well on the frontier. Florantha Sproat didn’t take long to prove doubters mistaken. Astonishingly, Florantha’s time at LaPointe was just the first chapter in a remarkable life that would take her from the Lake Superior country to gold rush California and the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Along the way she faced hardship and personal tragedy but rose to every challenge with unmatched strength and courage.
Speaker: Bob Mackreth, Apostle Islands National Park Service Historian
Free and open to the public!
Location: Madeline Island Museum
This program will focus on understanding nearshore currents, storm surges, seiches and edge waves and Great Lakes hydrology.
And it will provide lidar images of Madeline Island.
Speakers: Dr. Chin Wu and Sarah Peterson, WI Sea Grant Coastal Engineering
Free and open to the public!
Location: Madeline Island Museum
This program will look at centuries of wave action, freezing and thawing that have sculptured shorelines throughout the Apostle Island National Lakeshore. Dr. Fitz will discuss the evolution of these beautiful arched and vaulted chambers and honeycomb passages.
Speaker: Tom Fitz, Northland College Professor of Geoscience, Affiliated Faculty, Burke Center
Free and Open to the Public!
Meet at the Schoolhouse Trailhead in the North End Forest, 2865 Schoolhouse Road
Learn about how to ethically and sustainably harvest late season mushrooms on Madeline Island. Learn about weather patterns, phenology, habitat, and safe harvesting techniques. Also learn about how to store, preserve and prepare your harvested mushrooms. Finding mushrooms is not guaranteed.
Leader: Samantha Dobson: naturalist, educator, forager and year-round island resident.
Free and Open to the Public!
Meet at the Sowl Trailhead, 3547 North Shore Road
Enjoy the beautiful fall colors in this pristine forest of hemlocks, oaks and maple. The trails are rustic so good hiking boots (waterproof), and an adventuresome spirit are required.
Leader(s): MIWP Board Member(s)
Free and Open to the Public!
Meet at the Sowl Trailhead, 3547 North Shore Road
Enjoy the magic of fall in this pristine forest with stand of old hemlock, oak and maple. The trails are rustic so good hiking boots (waterproof) and an adventuresome spirit are required.
Leader(s): MIWP Board Member(s)
The Preserve & Trails—open to the public for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, berry-picking....
The Preserve holds more than 2900 acres of forest, wetlands and trails on Madeline Island that provide plant and wildlife habitat and contribute to the natural beauty of the Island. The Preserve acquires land through purchase, donations and conservation easements.
The nature preserve lands are open to the public for hiking, berry-picking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Deer hunting is permitted during the State of Wisconsin's hunting season. Hunting, trapping, or snaring all other animals, including bears, coyotes and wolves, is prohibited. Biking on MIWP trails is prohibited. Motorized vehicles are not allowed in Preserve lands. Camping and fires are not allowed in Preserve lands.
Please take advantage of these very special places when you are on the island!
For more information about preserve lands and trails go to The Preserve & Trails.
Education & Advocacy—and Fun!
The MIWP is committed to education and advocacy. Each summer we sponsor free field trips and evening programs, open to both youth and adults, featuring the natural history of the Apostle Islands area, and highlighting issues important to the area's protection and preservation. We also underwrite education and preservation projects on Madeline Island.
Just for fun, each year we select an important environmental issue as the theme for our entry in the Madeline Island 4th of July parade—often winning one of the coveted trophies awarded to exceptional parade entries!
And one of the anticipated events signaling the start of the summer season on Madeline Island: Our Annual Meeting, which is held on Memorial Day weekend, and features food, drink and an always-interesting environmental program.
We would love to have you join us for any of these, and would especially appreciate your support!