Found in Door County, rare everywhere else: Ridges Sanctuary wins grant to preserve an iris

Christopher Clough, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Updated ·3 min read

BAILEYS HARBOR - A flower that's commonly found in Door County but is rare almost everywhere else is getting some help from the federal government to improve its habitats and expand its numbers locally.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program awarded a $73,000 grant to The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor to help implement the nature preserve's Dwarf Lake Iris Restoration Project.

Seen here surrounded by reindeer moss at The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor, the dwarf lake iris is relatively common in Door County but is listed as endangered in Wisconsin and threatened across the country. The Ridges received a $73,000 federal grant to improve the irises' habitats and increases its population.
Seen here surrounded by reindeer moss at The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor, the dwarf lake iris is relatively common in Door County but is listed as endangered in Wisconsin and threatened across the country. The Ridges received a $73,000 federal grant to improve the irises' habitats and increases its population.

Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris) is a small, brilliant purplish-blue flower that grows almost exclusively along the edges of shoreline forests and dune habitats, often in close proximity to other rare coastal species. It is found in Door and Brown counties in Wisconsin. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it is found in the wild solely on the northern shores of Lakes Michigan and Huron in Wisconsin, Michigan and parts of Ontario. It's become one of the best-known threatened plants in the region and a symbol of plant conservation.

The Ridges plays host to a great number of these irises, but they were listed as federally threatened in 1988 and are listed as state threatened in Michigan and endangered in Wisconsin. Sam Hoffman, land manager at The Ridges, said their numbers have been decreasing at the sanctuary over the past several decades because of forest encroachment, the loss of their dune habitat and the effects of climate change.

"Dwarf lake iris is relatively common on the Door Peninsula. However, its habitat has been greatly reduced by a number of environmental threats,” Hoffman said in a news release. “By protecting its rare habitat, our hope is to increase the population of this threatened species and maximize genetic diversity over time.”

“Door County is just one of two Wisconsin counties hosting the federally threatened iris, with The Ridges Sanctuary the county’s resident expert in dwarf lake iris conservation and research,” said Jade Arneson, biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The Ridges has identified opportunities to foster the persistence of viable populations of the small coastal plant across their properties through experimental land management techniques, research, monitoring and education."

The restoration project aims to study the current dwarf lake iris population, develop a long-term goal of expanding existing populations, and transplant flowers to other areas of the sanctuary that already contain suitable habitat. Forest conditions, including tree removal and canopy thinning, will be manipulated to promote ideal conditions, including increased light availability, for not just dwarf lake irises but also other rare plants. The effort is coupled with tree removal required for maintenance of the Baileys Harbor Range Lights on the sanctuary property.

The project also aims to educate the public about ongoing research and management of this species through outreach opportunities and information signs.

Founded in 1937 as the first nature preserve in Wisconsin, The Ridges Sanctuary is a private, nonprofit preserve that now protects more than 1,600 acres of land, from open beachfront to dense forests. The wide variety of life found on the property ranges from nearly 500 different species of plants, including 25 species of native orchids, to more than 60 species of breeding birds and 12 threatened or endangered species, including the federally endangered Hine’s Emerald dragonfly. The property also holds the Upper and Lower Range Lights that continue to serve watercraft on Lake Michigan 154 years after they were built.

The Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center at The Ridges is at 8166 State 57, Baileys Harbor. Trail fees are $5 for ages 18 and older, free for Ridges members; those with accessibility issues can hike on the one-third-mile boardwalk or sign up for an all-terrain wheelchair (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only; reservations required at least one week in advance). For more information, call 920-839-2802 or visit ridgessanctuary.org.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County sanctuary wins a grant to preserve the dwarf lake iris