USFWS · National wildlife refuge · 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 ↗
1fire
active
6 Mile Unit 3 Rx (prescribed burn) · 50 mi from the center
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMichigan
Size837 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point44.0301, -83.4344
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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    6 Mile Unit 3 Rx

    50 mi from the center point

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 · 17 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

837 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

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, -83.434. 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 2026-09-17, the nearest 6 Mile Unit 3 Rx at 50 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 6 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge?

17 National Register 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: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • 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.