West Sister Island

For the island in the Bay of Bengal, see West Sister Island (Andaman).

West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge

IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)

West Sister Light with Keeper's Dwelling

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Location| Jerusalem Township, Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Nearest city| Toledo, Ohio
Coordinates| 41°44′23″N 83°6′19″W﻿ / ﻿41.73972°N 83.10528°W﻿ / 41.73972; -83.10528Coordinates: 41°44′23″N 83°6′19″W﻿ / ﻿41.73972°N 83.10528°W﻿ / 41.73972; -83.10528
Area| 77 acres (31 ha)
Established| 1937
Governing body| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Website| West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge

West Sister Island is an island of the U.S. state of Ohio located in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. The 82 acres (33 ha) island, jointly owned by the United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is Ohio's only designated Wilderness Area, the West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge.[1]

Most of the island is covered with trees. Tall hackberry trees make up most of the canopy, with poison ivy on the ground. Polygonatum and a great variety of ferns, wildflowers, mushrooms, and other plant life can also be found.[2]

The island is part of the Pelee Archipelago which also includes East Sister Island and Middle Sister Island (both in Ontario, Canada). West Sister Island is roughly 13 miles west of Rattlesnake Island, 14.5 miles east of Turtle Island, and 8.75 miles due north of the Ohio mainland.

## Lighthouse[edit]

A lighthouse was established on the westernmost point of West Sister Island in 1848 to mark the west end of the South Passage through Lake Erie's Bass Islands. Standing on a stone foundation, the limestone and brick tower rises to a height of 55 feet (17 m). The West Sister Island Lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation, and is one of the oldest lighthouses to survive on the Great Lakes.[3]

## History[edit]

Map of the Lake Erie Islands.

Ironically, after being established as a wildlife refuge in 1937, the island was used by the United States Army for artillery practice during World War II. Although the wildlife population and the lighthouse were not significantly damaged, the keeper's house was destroyed. It is also reported that fuel tanks jettisoned by dive bombers can still be found on the island.[3]

West Sister Island was a popular stop for bootleggers during Prohibition. The island provided a certain level of visual cover from the authorities for rum runners crossing the lake. When approached by these authorities, bootleggers would often dump their illegal stash overboard. Legend has it that bottles of prohibition-era alcohol can still be found on the bottom of the lake around the island.

West Sister Island was once rumored to be the final resting place of missing Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. It was speculated that after his abduction in Detroit, he was brought by boat to the island and buried. The island's jungle-like environment would have made discovery of his remains difficult; however these conditions would also have made the deposit of his remains difficult, therefore the island is not one of the more widely considered possibilities in the case.

## Wildlife Refuge[edit]

The West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt "as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife...," specifically designated to protect the largest wading bird nesting colony on the U.S. Great Lakes.[4] The refuge is managed by the staff of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge as a wilderness area, as provided under the Federal Wilderness Act. To protect it, public access is permitted for research only.[5]

The refuge, which has a surface area of 80.13 acres (0.3243 km² or 32.43 ha),[6] was recognized in 2000 as part of a globally Important Bird Area.[7]

West Sister Island provides nesting habitat for 40% of all the nesting herons and egrets in the U.S. Great Lakes.[8]

## In popular culture[edit]

The wildlife refuge was featured in a 2007 episode of the Discovery Channel TV series Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Due to the large number of birds vomiting and defecating from high in the trees the island is referred to as "Vomit Island" in the program.[9]

In the animated television series Transformers Animated, the Dinobots reside in refuge on an island called "North Sister Island", located in Lake Erie, a fictional reference to West Sister Island.

## References[edit]

### Notes[edit]

1. ^ "West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge".
2. ^ "West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge".
3. ^ a b "West Sister Island Lighthouse, Ohio at Lighthousefriends.com".
4. ^ "Franklin D. Roosevelt: Executive Order 7937—ESTABLISHING WEST SISTER ISLAND MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
5. ^ "Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge". Retrieved 23 April 2018.
6. ^ National Wildlife Refuge System. "Lands Report - National Wildlife Refuge System". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
7. ^ Ohio Audubon Society Important Bird Areas, Western Lake Erie.
8. ^ Black Swamp Bird Observatory. 2019. Colonial Wading Bird Populations Monitoring on West Sister Island national Wildlife Refuge. www.bsbo.org/colonial-wadingbirds.html
9. ^ "Dirty jobs" IMDb.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

### Further reading[edit]

* Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
* U.S. Coast Guard. Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
* Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3

## External links[edit]

* Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Ohio". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
* "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Ohio". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. West Sister Island Light.
* Refuge website
* Wobser, David; Hart, Al. West Sister Island Lighthouse at boatnerd.com.

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Lake Erie Islands

Michigan|

* Gard Island
* Indian Island
* Turtle Island (MI / OH)

Ontario|

* Big Chicken Island
* Chick Island
* East Sister Island
* Hen Island
* Little Chicken Island
* Middle Island
* Middle Sister Island
* Mohawk Island
* North Harbour Island
* Pelee Island
* Ryerson's Island
* Second Island
* Snow Island

Ohio|

* Ballast Island
* Buckeye Island
* Catawba Island
* Gibraltar Island
* Green Island
* Gull Island
* Johnson's Island
* Kafralu Island
* Kelleys Island
* Lost Ballast Island
* Middle Bass Island
* Mouse Island
* North Bass Island
* Rattlesnake Island
* South Bass Island
* Starve Island
* Sugar Island
* Turtle Island (MI / OH)
* West Sister Island

Pennsylvania|

* Presque Island

New York|

* Bird Island

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Lighthouses of Ohio

Main: List of lighthouses in the United States

* Ashtabula Harbor Light
* Cedar Point Light
* Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light
* Grand Lake St. Marys Lighthouse
* Grand River (Fairport Harbor) Light
* Green Island Light
* Huron Harbor Light
* Lorain West Breakwater Light
* Marblehead Light
* Port Clinton Light
* South Bass Island Light
* Toledo Harbor Light
* Turtle Island Light
* Vermilion Light
* West Sister Island

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Protected areas of Ohio

Federal|

| National parks|

* Cuyahoga Valley

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National historical parks and sites|

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* Big Darby Creek
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National wildlife refuges|

* Cedar Point
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National estuarine research reserve|

* Old Woman Creek

National Natural Landmarks|

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State|

| State parks|

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|

State forests|

* Beaver Creek
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* Perry
* Pike
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* Scioto Trail
* Shade River
* Shawnee
* Sunfish Creek
* Tar Hollow
* Yellow Creek
* Zaleski

State nature
preserves|

* Acadia Cliffs
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* Audubon Islands
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* Aurora Sanctuary
* Baker Woods
* Evans Beck Memorial
* Betsch Fen
* Bigelow Cemetery
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* Bonnet Pond
* Boord
* Brown's Lake Bog
* Burton Wetlands
* Caesar Creek Gorge
* Lou Campbell
* Carmean Woods
* Cedar Bog
* Chaparral Prairie
* Christmas Rocks
* Clear Creek
* Clear Fork Gorge
* Clifton Gorge
* Howard Collier
* Compass Plant Prairie
* Conkle's Hollow
* Copperrider-Kent Bog
* Crabill Fen
* Cranberry Bog
* Crane Hollow
* Crooked Run
* Culberson Woods
* Davey Woods
* Davis Memorial
* Marie J. Desonier
* Drew Woods
* Dupont Marsh
* Eagle Creek
* Emerald Hills
* Erie Sand Barrens
* Etawah Woods
* Flatiron Lake Bog
* Fowler Woods
* Frame Lake Fen
* Gahanna Woods
* Gallagher/Springfield Fen
* Goll Woods
* Goode Prairie
* Gott Fen
* Greenbelt
* Greenville Falls
* Gross Memorial Woods
* Hatch-Otis
* Halls Creek
* Headlands Dunes
* Hueston Woods
* Hutchins (Highland)
* Irwin Prairie
* Jackson Bog
* Johnson Ridge
* Johnson Woods
* Karlo Fen
* Kendrick Woods
* Kessler Swamp
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* Kitty Todd
* Knox Woods
* Kyle Woods
* Ladd Natural Bridge
* Lake Katharine
* Lakeside Daisy
* Lawrence Woods
* Little Rocky Hollow
* Mantua Bog
* Marsh Wetlands
* McCracken Fen
* Mentor Marsh
* Milford Center Railroad Prairie
* Miller
* Morris Woods
* Mud Lake Bog
* Myersville
* Newberry
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* North Shore Alvar
* Novak Sanctuary
* Old Woman Creek
* Owens/Liberty Fen
* Pallister
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* Portage Lakes Wetland
* Prairie Road Fen
* William C. McCoy
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* Riddle
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* Rome
* Rothenbuhler Woods
* Saltpetre Cave
* Sears Woods
* Seymour Woods
* Shallenberger
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* Sheepskin Hollow
* Sheick Hollow
* Sheldon Marsh
* Shoemaker
* Siegenthaler-Kaestner Esker
* Smith Cemetery
* Spring Beauty Dell
* Spring Brook Sanctuary
* Springville Marsh
* Stage's Pond
* Strait Creek Prairie
* Stratford Woods
* Swamp Cottonwood
* Edward Thomas
* Tinker's Creek
* Travertine Fen
* Triangle Lake Bog
* Trillium Trails
* Walter Tucker
* Tummonds
* Warder-Perkins
* Whipple
* White Pine Bog Forest
* Zimmerman Prairie

State
scenic rivers|

* Big Darby Creek
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* Maumee River
* Mohican River
* Olentangy River
* Sandusky River
* Stillwater River

Regional|

| Metro Parks|

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Ohio Department of Natural Resources (web)

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