Pismire Island is a small island in Lake Michigan of approximately 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) in size.[1] It is part of the Beaver Island archipelago, the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and the Michigan Islands Wilderness Area. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a satellite of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. It is located in St. James Township, Charlevoix County, Michigan.[2]

Pismire Island
Pismire Island is located in Michigan
Pismire Island
Pismire Island
Geography
LocationLake Michigan
Coordinates45°46′06″N 85°26′43″W / 45.76833°N 85.44528°W / 45.76833; -85.44528
Area10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft)
Highest elevation581 ft (177.1 m)
Administration
StateMichigan
CountyCharlevoix County
TownshipSt. James Township
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Lying approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of the harbor of St. James on Beaver Island, Pismire Island is a tiny triangle of glacial gravel. It contains almost no permanent vegetation and is best known as a breeding place for Lake Michigan birds. The island was preserved for public use as part of the creation of the Michigan Islands NWR in 1943, and was designated as wilderness in 1970.

The word pismire means ant,[3] referring to the island's tiny size.

References

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  1. ^ "Feature Detail Report for: Pismire Island". USGNIS. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  2. ^ Michigan Atlas and Gazetteer (10th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2002. p. 93.
  3. ^ Entry for pismire. The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. John Simpson and Edmund Weiner (editors). Clarendon Press, 1989. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.