a state park in Monroe County, Michigan. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie and includes Sterling State Park Marina. In 1996 it was designated as a National Natural Landmark. The park’s wetlands provide habitat for many species of flora and fauna, including six endangered plants and animals.
William C. Sterling was a founder and president of Buick Motor Company, which later became General Motors Corporation. He donated to the citizens of Monroe this land that he had known since childhood, originally as a US Naval Reserve training area from 1941–1944 during World War II. The federal government deeded the property back to Michigan after the war with restrictions on development because it is part of an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and an Area of Particular Concern (APC), which includes the following rare, threatened or endangered species: bald eagle, peregrine falcon, piping plover, Karner blue butterfly, eastern prickly pear cactus, and Hines emerald dragonfly. The property also contains four plant species on Michigan’s Special Places list.
The park was acquired by the State in 1943 for use as a training area during World War II. William C. Sterling deeded much of his estate to form this park when he died in 1966; it opened in 1968.