Mark Storzer(BLM)and Captain Bruce Jones(USCG)present Deputy Regional Director, Charlie Wooley and Refuge Manager, Patti Meyers a commemorative print of the original survey plat for Plum and Pilot Islands.

The Dignitaries acknowledged the significant contributions that Plum and Pilot Islands have made to maritime travel, wildlie habitat, and our nation's history.

The audience of lighthouse enthusiasts and preservationists.

The lighthouses and life saving station on Plum and Pilot Island that have guided and protected maritime travelers through treacherous Lake Michigan waters along "Death's Door Passage" for over 200 years have a new future within the National Wildlife Refuge System.  Management of these islands transferred from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

FWS staff joined the USCG, Bureau of Land Management -Eastern States Milwaukee Field Office (BLM), and the Friends of Plum and Pilot Island (FOPPI) in celebrating the transfer of Plum and Pilot Islands on May 16, 2008.   The BLM finalized and published Public Land Order No. 7681 in the Federal Register enlarging the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to include Plum and Pilot Islands.  Green Bay NWR now consists of Hog Island (2 Acres), Plum Island (325 Acres), and Pilot Island (3.7 Acres). The islands are located off the tip of Wisconsin's Door Peninsula in Lake Michigan.  The Green Bay NWR is managed as a satellite refuge by staff at Horicon NWR.

The ceremony took place under beautiful blue skies along the southern shore of Washington Island, with Plum Island clearly in view for the 175 attendees that attended the days events.  The ceremony began with representatives from the BLM, FWS, and USCG addressing the audience of lighthouse enthusiasts and preservationists from around Wisconsin and the bordering states as they acknowledge the significant contributions that these islands have made to maritime travel and commerce, wildlife habitat, and our nation's history.  Tim Sweet, President of the Friends of Plum and Pilot Island, enthusiastically spoke about the future of the islands historic structures.  In partnership with FWS, they plan to restore the lighthouses.  Rich Langan, Field Representative from Congressman Steve Kagen's office, and WI Secretary of State, Doug LaFollete, affirmed governmental support for the transfer, and Patti Meyers, Refuge Manager, offered closing remarks for the day's festivities. Mark Storzer, BLM Field Manager, concluded the ceremony with the presentation of a commemorative print of the original survey plat for Plum and Pilot Islands to Deputy Regional Director of the FWS, Charlie Wooley and Refuge Manager Patti Meyers. 

The ceremony celebrated not only the culmination of the transfer of Plum and Pilot Islands to the FWS, but also the preservation of these unique island ecosystems, and the partnerships that will preserve its heritage for future generations. The celebration ended with a unique opportunity to board a chartered boat for a guided tour of Plum Island.

The Refuge islands are part of a chain of islands called the Grand Traverse.  From the air they appear as stepping stones between Door County, Wisconsin, and Michigan's Garden Peninsula. The islands are home to nearly 800 species of vascular plants including 2 federally listed species, 59 state listed species in Wisconsin, and 9 state-listed species in Michigan. The federally threatened dwarf lake iris occurs on several of the Grand Traverse Islands.  They are also home to regional and globally rare communities such as Great Lakes Alkaline Rockshore and Great Lakes Alvar.

Significant numbers of colonial nesting birds are found on some islands.  They include Double-crested Cormorants, Ring-billed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Caspian Terns, Common Terns, Black-crowned Night Herons, and Great Blue Herons.  Nesting waterfowl species include Canada Geese, Mallards, and Red-breasted Mergansers. The Grand Traverse Islands also serve as a major migration corridor and provide critical resting areas for birds during the long migration over the Great Lakes.