Zippel Bay State Park - Ecology

Ecology

Zippel Bay State Park is home to a diverse population of jack pine, birch and aspen trees. Other plants in the area include choke cherries, blueberries, cranberries, Juneberries, pin cherries, strawberries and mushrooms. The plant life attracts herbivores like Moose and White-tailed deer. Other wildlife in the park include Black Bear, Coyote, Mink, Fisher, Otter and the rarely seen Pine Marten. Timber Wolves have also been sighted in the park.

The shoreline of Lake of the Woods attract a wide variety of shorebirds, water fowl and birds of prey. Sandhill Cranes nest on the northern side of Zippel Bay. The bay is one of four known breeding areas for the rare Piping Plover. The plover is nearing extinction in the Great Lakes region of North America. Other birds found in the park include American White Pelicans, Franklin's and Bonaparte's Gulls, Double-crested Cormorants, and several species of terns. Ospreys and Bald Eagles nest in the park.