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Tawas Point State Park

Park in Michigan, United States

Summary

Park in Michigan, United States

Field	Value
name	Tawas Point State Park
photo	Tawaspoint3.jpg
photo_caption	Tawas Point Light
photo_width	280
map	USA Michigan#USA
map_caption	Location in Michigan
map_width	280
relief	1
location	Baldwin Township, Iosco County, Michigan, United States
nearest_city	East Tawas, Michigan
coordinates
coords_ref
elevation	584 ft
area	183 acre
designation	Michigan state park
established	1960
administrator	Michigan Department of Natural Resources
website

Tawas Point State Park is a public recreation area located on Lake Huron in Northern Michigan near the city of East Tawas, Michigan. The state park encompasses 183 acre at the end of a sand spit that forms Tawas Bay. It has been referred to as the "Cape Cod of the Midwest" and is a notable bird-watching site. The park is home to the Tawas Point Light, which, although it has been remodeled several times, serves as the sole representative of a true Victorian-era style station built on the Great Lakes.

History

The park was created after the lighthouse property was declared surplus by the United States Government. The 1960 Michigan state legislature authorized the purchase of 175 acres on Tawas Point for $29,250. Development of the park began in 1964, with the park officially opening in 1966. A beach pavilion was added to the site in 1993. The Department of Natural Resources took ownership of the lighthouse for historic monument purposes in 2001, and a year later removed the assistant lighthouse keeper's house that had been built in 1922.

Birding

Described as a "bird watchers' paradise," the park is located along the Lake Huron Flyway. It is said to be the most important "migrant trap" in the Saginaw Bay area. Some 300 species of migratory birds have been seen in and around the park. The park has been recognized as an important bird area by the National Audubon Society because it "[s]upports an incredible diversity and abundance of passerine migrants each spring and fall."

Activities and amenities

The park features a campground on Tawas Bay and water that is shallow and warm for swimming along two miles of sandy beach. The lighthouse is open seasonally for tours and climbing.

Notes

References

{{cite gnis. 1614607. Tawas Point
"Tawas Point State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
(May 21, 2014). "General Management Plan: Tawas Point State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?". Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
"Upcoming Events". Friends of Tawas Point Lighthouse and State Park.
"Twenty-First Biennial Report 1961–1962". State of Michigan Department of Conservation.
Bruce M. Bowman. (January 8, 2011). "Bird Checklist for Tawas Point State Park".
"Tawas Point State Park". National Audubon Society.
"Tawas Point State Park: Bird Watcher's Paradise". Nordic Sports.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

state-parks-of-michigan important-bird-areas-of-michigan saginaw-bay protected-areas-of-iosco-county,-michigan protected-areas-established-in-1960 1960-establishments-in-michigan

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