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Green Bay
Green Bay is a semienclosed body of water located on the northwest side of Lake Michigan. It is approximately 120 miles long with a maximum depth of about 100 feet and a surface area of roughly 1,620 square miles. The bay is considered to be a freshwater estuary because of its ability to trap nutrients and its high biological productivity (defined as the amount of animals and plants that grow within a specified area). Its waters also exhibit differences in temperature and chemical properties when compared to those of its tributaries and Lake Michigan.
The bay receives waters from a 15,400 square mile area that includes the watersheds of the Menominee, Peshtigo, Oconto, Pensaukee, Suamico, and Little Suamico Rivers as well as the entire Fox-Wolf Basin.
[Source: Smith, Peyton L., Robert A. Ragotzkie, Anders W. Andren, and Hallet J. Harris. 1988. "Estuary Rehabilitation: The Green Bay Story." University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Program Reprint (WIS-SG-88-864). Reprinted from: Oeanus, 31(3):12-20, 1988]
An Important Resource
The bay is important to area residents who rely on it for recreational and commercial fishing, boating, swimming, and scenic beauty. Industries rely on the ships arriving via Lake Michigan and the bay for delivery of raw materials such as coal and cement, and for transporting goods to national and international markets. The bay also provides important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and aquatic organisms.
The coastal wetlands located along Green Bay's western shore are a unique and important aspect of the bay's ecosystem. They provide spawning and nursery areas for fish, nesting and feeding areas for a wide range of birds, and nutrient cycling and erosion control to protect water quality.
The bay's eastern shoreline is part of the Lakeshore Basin which includes the beautiful Door Peninsula, a favorite tourist destination. The Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has been active in protecting the Door Peninsula's natural resources as well as in developing partnerships and strategies for protecting the bay. A summary of TNC's efforts related to the bay is found in the publication, "Green Bay: Restoring a Great Lakes Treasure" (pdf, 2.5 Mb).
Green Bay Links
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