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Place

Gull Harbor Natural Area

Also Gull Harbor Preserve · Gull Harbor Nature Preserve

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Gull Harbor Natural Area highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Locator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypePlace
Coordinates45.7452° N, 85.5011° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
WithinTownship of Saint James · Beaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Gull Harbor Natural Area highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Locator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Place
Along road
Gull Harbor Drive
Coordinates
45.7452° N, 85.5011° WGoogle MapsDownload KML
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
conservationwetlandsgovernance
Within
Township of Saint James · Beaver Island

Summary

Gull Harbor Natural Area is a St. James Township public natural-area record on Beaver Island’s northeast coast. The 2023 Master Plan lists a 14-acre site east of St. James Harbor with trails, wetland/coastal frontage, and woods. The 2024–2028 recreation plan describes it as a coastal wetland reached by Gull Harbor Road, locally called Car Wash Road, between Whiskey Point and Sucker Point.

Evidence and limits

The recreation plan says trails and seating were in place, that signage had been damaged by high water and ice, and that a replacement sign was proposed. Those statements are a dated planning snapshot, not proof of present access, maintenance, signage, or shoreline condition.

PAD-US maps a locally managed “Gull Harbor Preserve” of 25 acres, while the Master Plan’s public-site inventory gives 14 acres for “Gull Harbor Natural Area.” The records support a closely related protected-area/place connection, but they do not resolve whether their mapped and inventory extents are the same. The boundary, acquisition instruments, ownership history, and current public access conditions remain open questions.

See also

Maps for this place

These Atlas plates provide regional context. They do not establish a precise boundary, current ownership, access right, operating status, or field condition.

  • EnvironmentSoils, wetlands, hydrography, and terrain
  • GeologyGeneralized geology and landforms
  • HydrologyMapped water and wetland context
  • AccessMapped routes, facilities, and protected areas
  • Land surveyPLSS geometry and historic GLO patent-location context

Sources

  1. PAD-US polygon centroid used as a representative point; the source records a 25-acre Gull Harbor Preserve while the local planning inventory records a 14-acre Gull Harbor Natural Area, so the extents are not treated as identical.
    federal · layers · padus_fee_managers
  2. Described in this archive: Beaver Island Master Plan, 2023.
    Lists Gull Harbor Natural Area as a 14-acre St. James Township public site east of St. James Harbor with trails, wetland/coastal frontage, and woods. It does not establish a legal boundary, acquisition history, title, access conditions, or current facilities.
    planning · beaver_island_master_plan · 2023-beaver-island-master-plan-fe5d5c6b
  3. Described in this archive: Peaine Township Five-Year Parks and Recreation Plan, 2024–2028.
    Describes the Gull Harbor coastal wetland, access via Gull Harbor/Car Wash Road, existing trails and seating, and proposed replacement signage after high-water and ice damage. It is a planning-description snapshot, not a survey, title record, access guarantee, or completed-improvement record.
    planning · beaver_island_master_plan · 2024-2028-beaver-island-recreation-plan-fa1f69af
  4. Maps a 25-acre locally managed feature called "Gull Harbor Preserve," with public access recorded as open. Its name and mapped acreage differ from the Master Plan inventory; the layer is spatial evidence, not a legal boundary, current access determination, or proof that both records describe identical extents.
    federal · layers · padus_fee_managers
  5. PIN 013-226-003-20 is an exempt parcel owned by TOWNSHIP OF ST JAMES, with current situs Gull Harbor Drive and a representative point near the PAD-US centroid. It provides current township-property context, but does not reconcile the 14-acre planning inventory with the 25-acre PAD-US feature or establish a legal boundary.
    county · charlevoix · parcels_arcgis · 2026-08-01 · island_parcel_attributes

Added 2 August 2026 · revised 6 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Gull Harbor Natural Area”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/places/gull-harbor-natural-area/, accessed [date], citing U.S. Geological Survey Protected Areas Database of the United States, Gull Harbor Preserve feature, retrieved 2026-08-06. (and 4 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-06. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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