GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary is celebrating it’s 85th anniversary on Saturday.
The sanctuary was founded in 1936, but the property it sits on wasn’t originally designated for that purpose.
“The city bought a hunk of property, 250 acres, back in 1929 for a golf course. There was a group of people that thought a wildlife refuge and sanctuary would be a better idea,” said Parks Assistant Director James Andersen.
A 50¢ membership fee was charged to raise funds and the first pond was hand dug.
“They started digging one of the lagoons and then they got some heavy equipment and 100 men who worked for two years digging the rest of the lagoon system that you now see here at the wildlife sanctuary,” Andersen told WTAQ News. “Now it’s turned into 600 acres of a great asset to our community and for visitors from all over the place.”
In 1938, 6 Canada geese were donated, which are the ancestors of the present-day flock.
Andersen says it’s very unique for a community like Green Bay to have something like the wildlife sanctuary, park system, and amusement park assets for community members to utilize.
“I think the most important thing to touch on is that right now, especially with what we’re going on, to have in an outdoor amenity like this for public health and for people to come out and connect in a safe environment. It’s really special to have,” Andersen said. “The animal care area, it’s one of the biggest animal care facilities right now with the number of animals we take per year, in the nation.”
The schedule of events for Saturday includes:
10:00 a.m.: Welcome from Mayor Genrich
10:15 a.m.: Live Birds of Prey program
11:00 a.m.: Cake
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Critter Counter open at the Observation Building
12:00 p.m.: Storytelling and hand drum music with friends from the Oneida Nation
1:30 p.m.: Wolf Feeding program
Events are free and family-friendly.
You can connect with the parks on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – or subscribe to their events calendar.
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