>> A bird's-eye view of
St. Martin Island showcases
a sea of green in an
ocean of blue anchored off
the northern shores of
Door County.
>> It's one of the
Grand Traverse chain islands.
>> For a few days in May this is
Mike Grimm's work space
and home, as he arrives with
fellow conservation ecologist,
Kari Hagenow.
The island is the newest crown
jewel in the Wisconsin Nature
Conservancy's land acquisitions.
>> There's a nice trail
over there, lots of birds.
>> The mission for this trip,
tracking migratory birds.
>> We have Black-throated Blue,
>> Is he above the Cape May?
Three warblers in one tree,
that's great.
>> They catalog each species.
>> Pretty nice start, huh?
>> Yeah.
What is that?
>> It's a bird lovers paradise.
>> Huh, a chipping sparrow.
>> I don't know why I waste
my time birding elsewhere.
[laughing]
>> Mike and Kari's research is
taking flight after the
Fred Luber family agreed
to sell 1,250 island acres
to The Nature Conservancy for
a reduced price of
$1.5 million, nearly 2/3
below fair market value.
>> Having it go to
The Nature Conservancy is
what should happen.
Those islands are so
undocumented for what's out
there.
My dad's not really isn't an
environmentalist at all.
I mean, he owns a steel
fabricating company in
Milwaukee.
Actions speak louder than words,
and he's bought all this
property up here and none
of it's developed.
It's like a little paradise.
>> As a kid, Martha Luber
remembers some wild adventures
just to get to
St. Martin Island.
>> When I explain how I grew up
a lot of people are like,
you guys are crazy.
We had like a 22 foot
plywood boat, and there were
2 dads, 2 moms, 8 kids
thrown into this thing
with one outboard engine,
no radio.
And we'd go north and look at
those islands.
Close?
We're 27 miles by water.
>> He just came in below him.
>> Today the exploring of this
untamed, wild place is being
done by professional scientists.
>> Ooh, there's a Blackbirnian,
Mike.
Yep, he's in this birch.
>> And the white bluffs jetting
from the western shore provide a
unique outdoor laboratory.
>> We may find some rare
land snails, or some rare ferns,
or some other rare plants
on this escarpment.
Probably the most important
aspect to these islands are
that they are somewhat isolated
from the mainland, and they
provide a really irreplaceable
habitat for migrating birds,
migrating land birds
particularly.
>> And a habitat for migrating
butterflies, dragonflies and
bats that nestle into the
boreal conifer and northern
hardwood forests.
>> We usually check for
salamanders.
>> They're actually quite
abundant, here and, I think,
throughout the northern forest.
>> The wildlife is abundant on
this migratory route.
>> When these birds are moving
up from the south they may be
traveling a few hundred miles
in the night.
They need places like this to
stop and feed, and this is
just an ideal island.
>> To keep the island ideal, and
for safety reasons, it is
closed to the public.
>> There's liability out there.
I mean, it's really dangerous
getting in there.
You have to know where
you're going.
>> What makes this habitat so
attractive?
For the last 125 years it's been
nearly untouched by humans.
>> There was undoubtedly
Native American usage of
the island back in the late,
probably mid-late 1800's.
This island was populated by
a small village.
It's fishing village, and
that village came and went.
From that point it was pretty
much left alone.
>> It's like you're thrown back
in time.
It's to be preserved the way
it is.
It's a great little research
spot, I think, for botanists and
birders, and that kind of thing.
I want to hear about all those
spiders and the birds, or
whatever is growing out there.
Learn about it and share it
with the world.
>> It's just an exciting
opportunity for me to come out
to the island.
It's a great day at work
[laughing]
to come out here.
What's to complain about when
you standing on the shore
here in the Great Lakes.