Lake Michigan Coast Guard Buoys

I have noted some buoys in Lake Michigan, including one I can see near where I live. It's green and I'd like to get a boat ride so I can get near it and see if it's a bell buoy.

I also noticed it looked like a different green this past summer than last year. And definitely it's location shifted noticeably. I wasn't sure how they place them, if they use GPS coordinates or purposely place them in a different spot.

I do know they take them out near winter, and saw some on the large concrete section where bulk carrierers dock, just south of downtown Milwaukee.

I took a drive near the Coast Guard and noticed a lot of buoys inside a metal fenced area, near where they keep their boats. One large red one really looked like a bell buoy while the rest looked smaller. Most if not all were green or red. I noticed numbers on some as well.

It didn't look like the Coast Guard building welcomed visitors, and indeed had warning signs, so I still am researching my questions. When I was in Door County this past fall, I followed signs for a lighthouse in Sturgeon Bay but once I arrived, it was part of the Coast Guard and I wasn't able to get too close. I do understand the needs for security.

They had really cool red and green older buoys, one on each side of the entrance that I took photos of below. They looked like they had modern energy efficient bulbs in them, so I'll have to take a drive past at night and see if they light up.