West Sister Island
Encyclopedia
West Sister Island is an island of the U.S. state
of Ohio
located in Lake Erie
. The 82 acres (33.2 ha) island is in the Western Basin of Lake Erie
and is jointly owned by the United States Coast Guard
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and managed and designated as a wilderness area. The only such area in Ohio with this designation, West Sister Island Wildlife Refuge is home to many bird
s. To protect vital nesting areas of the island's bird population, public access is permitted for research only, and only one day a year.
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.
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
.
Ironically, after being established as a wildlife refuge in 1937 (see below), 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.
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.
"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
. 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.
The refuge, which has a surface area of 80.13 acre
s (0.3243 km² or 32.43 ha
), was recognized in 2000 as part of a globally Important Bird Area
.
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.
In the animated television series Transformers Animated the Dinobots
reside in refuge on island called "North Sister Island", located in Lake Erie, a fictional reference to West Sister Island.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
located in Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. The 82 acres (33.2 ha) island is in the Western Basin of Lake Erie
Western Basin of Lake Erie
The Western Basin of Lake Erie is the shallow flat basin that comprises the western third of the lake. Even with average depths of less than 25 feet, this part of the lake contains world famous walleye fishing grounds with numerous charter fishing boats operating out of the U.S...
and is jointly owned by the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and managed and designated as a wilderness area. The only such area in Ohio with this designation, West Sister Island Wildlife Refuge is home to many bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. To protect vital nesting areas of the island's bird population, public access is permitted for research only, and only one day a year.
Most of the island is covered with trees. Tall hackberry trees make up most of the canopy, with poison ivy
Poison ivy
Toxicodendron radicans, better known as poison ivy , is a poisonous North American plant that is well known for its production of urushiol, a clear liquid compound found within the sap of the plant that causes an itching rash in most people who touch it...
on the ground. Polygonatum
Polygonatum
Polygonatum , King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's Seal, is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...
and a great variety of ferns
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
, wildflowers, mushrooms, and other plant life can also be found.
History
A lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
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
Bass Islands
The Bass Islands are three American islands in the western half of Lake Erie. They are north of Sandusky, Ohio and south of Pelee Island, Ontario. South Bass Island is the largest of the islands, followed closely by North Bass Island and Middle Bass Island . They are located in Ottawa County in...
. Standing on a stone foundation, the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
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
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
Ironically, after being established as a wildlife refuge in 1937 (see below), the island was used by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
for artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
practice during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. 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.
West Sister Island was a popular stop for bootleggers
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
during Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. 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
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
boss Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....
. 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
West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge, Ohio's only wilderness area, was established in 1937 by President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
"as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife...," specifically designated to protect the largest wading bird nesting
Nesting
Nesting refers to the process of efficiently manufacturing parts from flat raw material.Companies manufacturing parts from flat raw material such as sheet metal use a variety of technologies to perform this task. The sheet metal nesting for flat sheets and nesting for coils are different algorithms...
colony on the U.S. Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. The refuge is managed by the staff of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1961 to preserve habitat for migrating birds. Staff at the refuge also manage Cedar Point and West Sister Island refuges...
as a wilderness area, as provided under the Federal Wilderness Act. To protect it, public access is permitted for research only.
The refuge, which has a surface area of 80.13 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (0.3243 km² or 32.43 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
), was recognized in 2000 as part of a globally Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
.
In popular culture
The wildlife refuge was featured in a 2007 episode of the Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
TV series Dirty Jobs
Dirty Jobs
Dirty Jobs is a program on the Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television, in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties alongside the typical employees. The show premiered with two pilot episodes in November 2003...
with Mike Rowe
Mike Rowe
Mike Rowe may refer to:*Michael Rowe, television writer for Futurama*Mike Rowe , host of the Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs* Mike Rowe , retired Canadian professional ice hockey player...
. 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.
In the animated television series Transformers Animated the Dinobots
Dinobots
Dinobots is the name of several teams of characters in the fictional Transformers Universe. The groups are made up of several robots, each of whose transformed mode is that of a dinosaur or similar prehistoric animal. They are called Dinotrons in the Japanese version; and ' in the Japanese dub of...
reside in refuge on island called "North Sister Island", located in Lake Erie, a fictional reference to West Sister Island.
Further reading
- 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 1550463993