Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Location	Washington, Door County, Wisconsin, United States
Nearest city	Washington Island
Coordinates	45°19′N 86°57′W / 45.317°N 86.950°W / 45.317; -86.950Coordinates: 45°19′N 86°57′W / 45.317°N 86.950°W / 45.317; -86.950
Area	330 acres (1.3 km2)
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge consists of Hog Island (2 acres), Plum Island (325 acres), and Pilot Island (3.7 acres). The islands are located in Lake Michigan, near Washington Island, off the tip of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. An Executive Order in 1913 declared Hog Island a protected breeding ground for native birds. Plum and Pilot Island were transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007. The islands were acquired to protect native bird habitats and endangered species habitats in the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem. Because the islands are part of the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness Area, public use of any of the islands is prohibited. The refuge is managed by staff at the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, in Mayville, Wisconsin.

By executive order in 1913, Hog Island was declared a national preserve to provide a safe nesting and breeding ground for the species of birds native to the area. The Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge became the second national wildlife refuge in Great Lakes area. It was the 28th wildlife refuge in the United States. Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuge was also created under the same executive order. It became the 29th wildlife refuge in the United States, and the third refuge in the Great Lakes region. In 1970, Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuge were declared part of the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness Area. This wilderness area is one of the smallest in the entire United States.