Great Lakes Coastal Habitats

The Great Lakes coastal zone encompasses some of the most diverse and productive habitats in the region. Dramatic sand dunes, remote islands, and lush wetlands characterize some of the unique coastal ecosystems found along Michigan’s Great Lakes shoreline.

These unique transition areas—linking land and water—provide critical habitat for many species of plants and animals, some of which are found only in the Great Lakes basin. Explore this website to learn about important Great Lakes coastal habitat types, where they occur in Michigan, and the species that live there.

Habitats covered include wetlands, emergent marshes, beaches, sand dunes, lakeplain prairie, forested shoreline, islands, and the open waters of the Great Lakes.