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The side of the bluff contains many trees (e.g., white pine,
cedar, spruce, oak, maple, balsam fir) and dense vegetation
(e.g., juniper bushes and other shrubs).
Petitioners’ home on the property is sited on relatively
flat land on the top of the bluff approximately 45 to 50 feet
from the edge at the top of the bluff. On a clear day, a
beautiful panoramic view of Lake Michigan may be seen from the
home and from a further distance of at least 50 more feet towards
M-119. Petitioners have chairs at the top of the bluff to enjoy
that view and to socialize.
Species of plants that grow on the Lake Michigan shoreline
in northern Emmet County include Lake Huron tansy and pitcher’s
thistle. These plants are considered to be threatened and
require undisturbed habitats to survive. Birds on that shoreline
include bald eagles, piping plovers, and kingfishers. Other
wildlife in the area includes deer, bears, and raccoons.
In the early 1990s, bald eagles were returning to the Lake
Michigan shoreline on and near the property, and the presence of
bald eagles along that shoreline is more common today than in
earlier years, when it was unusual to see an eagle on that
shoreline. An exceptionally old and high tree on the top of the
bluff of the property covered by conservation easement 1 (the
highest tree on the bluff for some miles) is an occasional
roosting site for at least one bald eagle. The property also has
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Last modified: May 25, 2011