TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Nature Conservancy saidWednesday it has bought most of an
uninhabited Lake Michigan island thatprovides crucial stopover habitat for migratory birds, assuring it
willremain permanently undeveloped and protected.St. Martin Islandis part of a chain stretching between
Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula andMichigan’s Garden Peninsula in the northwestern corner of the lake. Morethan 7
miles from the nearest mainland, it features wetlands,cobblestone beaches, bluffs and thick vegetation. It
sits northeast ofWashington Island in Michigan waters.Millions of sparrows,warblers and other species stop
briefly on St. Martin and neighboringislands to take a break and feed before continuing their journey
southduring fall migration and north in springtime. More than 100 specieshave been documented on St. Martin
in recent years, said Dave Ewert,senior scientist with the nonprofit conservancy’s Michigan
chapter."Migrationis very stressful for birds, and having safe stopover sites where theycan rest is
critical to their success," Ewert said.The NatureConservancy bought 1,244 acres — roughly 94 percent of
the island — fromthe Fred Luber family. Luber, of Milwaukee, is former chairman and CEOof Super Steel
Products Corp. The remainder consists of a few privatelots and a small area controlled by the U.S. Coast
Guard, which has alight tower on the island.Eventually, the conservancy will turnover its share to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service for addition to theGreen Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a sanctuary for native
birds andendangered plant and animal species, including rare snails. The refugeincludes Hog, Plum and Pilot
islands.The conservancy owns all orpart of other Great Lakes islands, including Susie Island in LakeSuperior
near Grand Portage, Minn., and a parcel on Charity Island inLake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. It once owned Calf
Island in the Detroit Rivernear Lake Erie but turned it over to the federal government in
2002.Conservancyofficials said they’re seeking private donations and government grantsto cover the St.
Martin costs. The group also plans to donate nearby10-acre Rocky Island, which it has owned since 1986, to
the Fish andWildlife Service.Luber, 88, bought most of the island in themid-1980s intending to develop it as
a resort, said his daughter, MarthaLuber. But the remote location and lack of electricity, running waterand
other infrastructure were substantial hurdles — and the familydecided the island’s ecological value and
natural beauty were moreimportant."The biologists with The Nature Conservancy took me upthere to learn
about the birds, the ecosystem," Martha Luber said."These islands are unique places and they need
to be kept that way.They’re jewels."She said she’s seen dozens of bald eagles nesting there — and even
pelicans.The family sold it for $1.5 million, which the conservancy said was well below the fair market
value of $4.35 million.Asidefrom its location, what makes the island particularly suitable fortraveling
birds is its heavy cover of Canada yew, white cedar and othertrees that provide protection and an abundant
diet of flies,caterpillars and other insects, Ewert said.It’s also popular with migrating bats, butterflies
and dragonflies.Abouttwo dozen commercial fishing families lived on St. Martin Island in the1800s but
abandoned it when fish populations dropped.___Follow John Flesher on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnFlesherCopyright 2013
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