The Susie Islands (The Susies) are a group of thirteen islands off the coast of the North Shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

in the

Arrowhead Region The Arrowhead Region is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, so called because of its pointed shape. The predominantly rural region encompasses of land area and includes Carlton, Cook, Lake and Saint Louis counties. ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The outermost island is Lucille, and like Susie and Francis islands, it was named for a member of the Falconer family who once lived on Susie, mining its copper ore during the early 1900s. The

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

and the Grand Portage Band of the Chippewa Tribe are working cooperatively to ensure that the area will remain intact and that the unique and unusual flora of the islands will survive. Susie Island was previously owned by the Nature Conservancy and held as the

Francis Lee Jaques Memorial Preserve Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural Mu ...

and is the home to some of Minnesota's rarest plants, including

alpine bistort ''Bistorta vivipara'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Persicaria vivipara'') is a perennial plant, perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae, commonly known as alpine bistort. Scientific synonyms includ ...

and

slender hairgrass ''Deschampsia elongata'' is a species of grass known by the common name slender hairgrass. Distribution It is native to western North America from Alaska to Wyoming to northern Mexico, and South America in Chile. It grows at all elevations, ofte ...

, both species of special concern, mountain or rock cranberry and common bearberry. In 2017, the Nature Conservancy returned the island to the Grand Portage Band of the Chippewa Tribe. Other diverse plant species include Norwegian whitlow grass (a state endangered species) and northern eyebright (a species of special concern),

pearlwort Pearlwort is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * ''Sagina'' * ''Colobanthus ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they s ...

Arctic lupine ''Lupinus arcticus'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Arctic lupine or subalpine lupine. It is native to northwestern North America, where it occurs from Oregon north to Alaska and east to Nunavut.

, purple crowberry, and

sphagnum moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

. The interior of Susie Island is carpeted with a thick layer of moss. This is a fragile treasure that is easily destroyed by walking through the forest. Its high point is more than above the lake.

References

{{authority control Lake islands of Minnesota Islands of Lake Superior Landforms of Cook County, Minnesota Uninhabited islands of the United States

See also

References