Minnesota preserves beach and rare wetland on north shore of Lake Superior

Carnivorous plants, a picturesque pebble beach and outcrops of a rare type of volcanic lava rock highlight Minnesota’s newest nature preserve.

The Icelandite Coastal Fen Scientific and Natural Area is open to the public. It’s about 10 miles northeast of Grand Marais on the foggy northern shore of Lake Superior, and it permanently saves from development one of the rarest and unlikeliest wetlands to form in Minnesota.

Lake Superior’s endless waves and harsh winds typically wash away the silt needed for fens to form, said Pat Collins, the conservation program manager for the Minnesota Land Trust.

This area was protected just enough by the pebble beach and a few well placed boulders and islands to calm the shoreline, Collins said.

“You’re left with this totally unique and neat boggy habitat filled with sphagnum mosses, lichens, vascular plants and carnivorous plants all right behind this rocky beach,” he said.

The preserve is small, just 25 acres, sandwiched between the lake and Highway 61. But it’s home to several species that are hard to find in Minnesota, including round-leaf sundew, one of the only types of plants in the state that feeds on insects. The small, sticky, bright-red flower traps the bugs as they crawl across, and absorbs their nutrients.

A segment of the Superior Hiking Trail runs through the sector. It includes about a mile of open beach.

The land had previously been owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, where it could someday have been sold or developed. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources received a federal grant to buy and protect the land.

Collins, who previously worked for the DNR and helped lead the project, said the makeup of the North Shore lends itself to the creation of rare plant communities.

“The North Shore tends to be much colder than other areas, and it’s wetter because of all the fog and moisture from the lake,” he said. “Then you have this really high energy from the wind and the waves, and it makes it a very harsh and unique place for things to grow.”

The geology of this site is also unusual.

The exposed bedrock is a type of volcanic rock called icelandite, according to John Green, a professor emeritus in geology at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Icelandite was formed more than one billion years ago and is a lighter gray than the rest of the bedrock that’s typically found on the North Shore, Green said.

The DNR will hold a dedication of the new preserve with speakers and a guided walk through the site at 1 p.m. on Sept. 7.