Minnesota has a new scientific and natural area on Lake Superior
Icelandite Coastal Fen SNA in northeastern Minnesota. (Minnesota DNR)
GRAND MARAIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota is home to a new area of protected land called the Icelandite Coastal Fen Scientific and Natural Area.
The Minnesota DNR, along with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Reinvest in Minnesota, acquired and designated 25 acres in Cook County as the new scientific and natural area or SNA.
Why should you care?
The new Icelandite Coastal Fen SNA has one of only two known fens on coastal wetlands on Lake Superior's North Shore, according to the DNR. The DNR says a fen is a "grassy or shrubby wetland fed by slow-moving groundwater with a buildup of peat."
"Because of the extreme rarity of this wetland type along Lake Superior and this fen’s outstanding quality, the site was deemed a high priority for protection," the DNR said in a press release.
Other features of the SNA include a tamarack-alder swamp and a small spruce-fir woodland. It also has about three-quarters of a mile of shoreline and cobble beach. The Superior Hiking Trail follows the cobble beach through the SNA.
"This gem is ecologically very special, with an impressive combination of natural features that are unique in this area," Steve Wilson, retired SNA specialist for northeast Minnesota, said.
The DNR says the geology of the SNA is also "unusual." John Green Ph.D., professor emeritus in geology at the University of Minnesota Duluth, says the bedrock is volcanic lava rock called icelandite, the SNA's namesake. The rock is lighter gray than the dark basalt that's more prevalent along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Both types of lava rock formed about 1.1 billion years ago, icelandite is relatively rare, especially in the Midwest.
"We don’t have anything like it protected in the state," Judy Elbert, SNA program supervisor said in a statement. "The SNA is truly unique, for both its ecological and geological features."
This has been 25 years in the making
DNR staff have worked for more than 25 years to establish an SNA on this site.
"When a team of ecologists came together in 1998 for an early site evaluation, everyone was surprised by the quality of the native plant community and the uniqueness of the setting of a rich fen right on the shore of Lake Superior," Pat Collins, conservation program manager with the Minnesota Land Trust, said in a statement.
Where is it?
The Icelandite Coastal SNA is in Cook County, about 11 miles northeast of Grand Marais, Minnesota. You can find a map of the SNA here.
What is an SNA?
SNAs are lands that are open to the public, and are ideal for activities like photography, observing nature, education and scientific research, with the DNR noting, "Recreational activities consistent with protection of natural conditions are allowed."
SNAs protect the best of the state's remaining rare species, native prairies, old-growth forests, geologic features and other aspects of Minnesota's natural heritage, according to a press release.
Dedication of the new SNA
A dedication of this new SNA is planned for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. The event will include guest speakers and a guided walk through the site. Anyone who wants to attend is invited.