The Nature Conservancy Protects Island in Lake Michigan

The Nature Conservancy announced that it has protected St. Martin Island in Lake Michigan, which is located about five miles from Washington and Rock islands at the tip of the Door Peninsula.

An aerial shot of St. Martin Island. Photo by Mark Godfrey.

One of the larger islands in a chain that stretches from Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula to Michigan’s Garden Peninsula, St. Martin Island provides critical stopover habitat for birds that migrate through the Great Lakes each spring and fall, as well as habitat for fish and other wildlife.

The Conservancy acquired nearly 1,244 acres, or 94 percent, of the island from the Fred Luber family of Milwaukee. Luber is the former chairman and CEO of Super Steel Products Corporation. The Lubers have owned and cared for their land on St. Martin Island since the 1980s. They sold it to the Conservancy for $1.5 million, a price substantially below fair market value, making a gift of more than 60 percent of the land’s value, or $2.85 million, in order to see it protected.

“During this time when we give thanks as a nation, we are grateful to the Luber family for their generous gift as part of the sale of their land to The Nature Conservancy, which has made it possible for us to bring lasting protection to St. Martin Island,” said Mary Jean Huston, who directs the Conservancy’s work in Wisconsin.

“When I bought the land, my initial idea was to develop it,” Fred Luber said. “But my family wanted to maintain its natural beauty. We really enjoyed the 30-some years we owned St. Martin Island. And we are delighted that The Nature Conservancy will protect and preserve it.”

“My family and I considered the future of St. Martin for many years,” Martha Luber Pelrine said. “The more we learned about the island, the more we felt it deserved long-term conservation. We are excited to be a part of making this happen.”

The Luber family. Photo by Vin Reed.

St. Martin Island is in Michigan but the Conservancy’s Wisconsin and Michigan programs teamed up to protect the island.

“Nature doesn’t concern itself with boundaries,” said Jeff Knoop, land protection specialist for the Conservancy’s Michigan program. “This is especially true in the Great Lakes basin where we all need to work together to conserve the lands and waters that support our economy and provide clean drinking water, recreation opportunities and fish and wildlife habitat.”

The Conservancy plans to eventually transfer its land on St. Martin Island to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to add to the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge, which includes Hog, Plum and Pilot islands, is a sanctuary for native birds and endangered plants and animals.

“St. Martin Island will be a valuable addition to our Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge,” said Steve Lenz, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Refuge Project Leader. “Through this acquisition and subsequent transfer to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, critically important migratory bird habitat will be permanently protected in the open waters of Lake Michigan.”

St. Martin Island is part of the Grand Traverse chain of islands in Lake Michigan between Wisconsin and Michigan. These relatively undeveloped, forested islands provide refuges for birds as they travel through the Great Lakes in migration. They are safe places to land, feed and rest, which is critical to the birds’ survival. More than 100 species of birds have been documented using the island in recent years.

Click here to read frequently asked questions about St. Martin Island>>