West Sister Island Rookery Cruise
Friday, August 23, 2019

Did you know that the egrets and herons that use the West Sister Island NWR rookery travel an 18 mile round trip, just to feed their young?

Learn more on a sunset cruise around West Sister Island on the Jet Express. This unique experience will highlight the largest Great Blue Heron and Great Egret rookery in the U.S. Great Lakes! Researchers from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Ohio Department of Natural Resources will be on board to tell you more about this critical habitat.

West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge is also a designated wilderness area. That means that access to the island is by permit only. It also means that maintenance crews can only use hand tools on the island!  

The ferry boards at 6:45pm in Port Clinton, Ohio and will return by 9:00pm.  Hors-d'oeuvres and cash bar will be on board.  The August cruise is a luau theme! Menu will include pork or chicken sliders, fruit, and dessert. 

​50/50 raffle and door prizes!
Picture

You will see...

  • Great Blue Herons
  • Great Egrets
  • Snowy Egrets
  • Black-Crowned Night Herons
  • Double-Crested Cormorants
Possible: 
  • Gulls
  • Little Blue Heron
  • Migrating warblers
  • Waterfowl
  • Pelicans
  • Bald Eagles

You will learn about...

  • The history of West Sister Island and its role in conservation
  • Island species and habits
  • What its like to perform surveys and bird banding on the island

Also on board...

  • Local biologists, birders, and researchers
  • Friends of Ottawa NWR