USFWS · Michigan

Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for nine Michigan islands in the North American Great Lakes. Owned by the United States federal government, they were set aside for ecosystem protection purposes by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge837 acresUSFWSMI
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1 fire
active
Welcome Lake South Rx (prescribed burn) · 29 mi from the center · 35 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMichigan
Size837 acres
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point44.03° N, 83.43° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 6)

Boundary map

8 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.08 inches of precipitation, 14.3 inches of snowFebruary: 1.82 inches of precipitation, 12.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.90 inches of precipitation, 7.2 inches of snowApril: 3.42 inches of precipitation, 2.9 inches of snowMay: 3.24 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.29 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 3.10 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.95 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.92 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.95 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 2.53 inches of precipitation, 2.6 inches of snowDecember: 2.07 inches of precipitation, 9.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 21.5°F averageFebruary: 22.6°F averageMarch: 30.9°F averageApril: 42.2°F averageMay: 54.4°F averageJune: 64.2°F averageJuly: 69.2°F averageAugust: 67.8°F averageSeptember: 60.4°F averageOctober: 48.4°F averageNovember: 37.3°F averageDecember: 27.8°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at E Tawas, 18 miles from the center point at 586 feet, station USC00202423 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 32 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 49 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Welcome Lake South Rx

    29 mi from the center point · 35 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 18 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Michigan

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Rail-trails Michigan & Wisconsin
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes on and Around the North Country Trail - Michigan and Wisconsin
    Thomas Funke, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Michigan's Upper Peninsula
    Eric Hansen, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

837 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge in?

Michigan.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.030° N, 83.434° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Welcome Lake South Rx at 29 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 18 listings within 15 miles, including Thunder Bay Island Light Station and Mormon Print Shop.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.