You are seeking a small cache on Birds Tree Island in Green Bay.
The island is rocky and hazardous. Finding a good landing spots for
a boat is tricky. Sandbars and other navigational hazards abound.
Be sure you know the water if you approach with a powered craft. We
used a kayak to place this cache. It is a 3-mile round trip.
You are looking for a medium-sized, stainless steel water
container. Inside that container is another container with a
micro-log. This cache is not designed for swag, although items less
than 1" around will fit in the cache. PLEASE REHIDE WELL to
protect from non-geocachers and the elements.
At one time, Grassy Island covered a wide expanse in the Bay of
Green Bay. However, in 1867 a channel 200 feet wide by 13 feet deep
was dredged from the mouth of the Fox River straight through the
middle of Grassy Island, cutting it in two, and out into the Bay.
The eastern half of Grassy Island contained two range lights. Here
is a picture of the island in its navigational prime:
Looking south, so the eastern island (what is now Birds Tree or
Lone Tree Island) is on the left.
Dredging in the harbor continued on an almost annual basis
throughout the years, and the original channel through the island
was successively widened on numerous occasions, with each widening
operation being performed on the west of the channel opposite the
range lights.
Due to low water levels in the mid 1960s, the island chains became
a near-marsh. This picture is remarkable when compared with the
current state of the bay. Note that the range lights are still in
position:
Eventually, the range lights outlived their purpose as navigational
aids, and in 1966 the decision was made to destroy the lights in
place, and to widen the channel through what was left of the east
side of Grassy Island. The range lights have been relocated to the
Yacht Club where they can be seen by the public boat launch. At
times of high water, the islands were nearly submerged, but even in
the 1970s, there was much more terra firma than there is
today:
Severe erosion due to high water and wave action eroded much of
what was left of the islands. More information is available at:
http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/PDF/CatIsland_CleanLakes_0803.pdf
Today, the islands are known by different names. They are
alternately referred to as the Grassy Islands or as the Cat Island
Chain. The two islands above water are Cat Island (the western
half) and Lone Tree Island (the eastern half), sometimes called
Birds Tree Island. Bass Island and Willow Island (to the north) and
even Grassy Island itself (to the south) have been under water for
some time.
A restoration project of the Cat Island Chain has been laid out
since the early 2000s but thus far the project is on hold. Today,
the islands remain uninhabited and relatively unvisited except for
duck hunters in season and the occasional angler or sightseer.
Your destination awaits...
The cache is hidden near the spot of the south range light
Looking back from GZ
Sunrise and calm water on the Bay