Nature of Sister Bay

Sister Bay takes its name from the Sister Islands that flank its harbor. The two small uninhabited islands, located two miles northwest of Sister Bay's marina, are a historic nesting site for Herring Gulls and Common Terns and one of the most important gulleries in Green Bay. Birds may nest on the same island for up to 20 years, and the islands were designated a State Natural Area in 1966. Herring Gulls, familiar pink-legged gulls seen along the shoreline, were nearly wiped out in the late 1880s by hunters seeking eggs and feathers, but today they are the most widespread gull in North America, living an average of 30 years and eating almost anything. The area also preserves evidence of ancient Lake Nipissing, which stood 20 feet higher 5,000 years ago and divided Door County into a string of islands; cobblestone terraces in Sister Bay still mark that former shoreline. Sister Bay's waterfront offers the largest public waterfront in Door County for viewing the islands, birds, and sunsets, and the surrounding peninsula includes natural and historic sites such as Three Springs Nature Preserve, Ellison Bluff County Park, Mink River Estuary State Natural Area, Grand View Park, Sister Islands State Natural Area, Corner of the Past and Old Anderson House Museum, Sister Bay Waterfront Park and Marina, and Gateway Park Information Center.

Sister Bay, Wisconsin · United States