The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve,
located within the city limits of Sturgeon Bay,
is as ecologically diverse as it is beautiful.
From the water, sand dunes give way to a
forested ridgeswale landscape where towering
white pines, hemlocks and red maples blanket
ancient shore ridges. To the west, Strawberry
Creek emerges from a large cedar wetland and
meanders its way to the waters of Sturgeon Bay.
A sand ridge on the northern preserve boundary
offers magnificent views of two historic
lighthouses and the entrance to the ship canal
below. Rare and threatened species such as the
dune thistle, dune goldenrod, dwarf lake iris,
bald eagle, Caspian tern and osprey call this
preserve home. It is also one of the region’s
most critical resting spots for migrating neo-
tropical birds.