A crew sharing a common motivation to improve our waterways and the land that surrounds them gathered to cleanup Chaparral Fishing Area.
Chaparral Fishing Area is located on highway 45, just north of Fond du Lac. Along with providing free, public fishing access, the site has also unfortunately served as a public dumping site for many years.
It only took an hour before the 20-yard dumpster, which was graciously donated by the Winnebagoland Conservation Alliance, was full. Although the dumpster was packed, the crew continued to clean up broken glass from a dozen old smashed TVs, crumbing shingles, old and decaying clothes, and a seemingly infinite amount of plastic. Wisconsin DNR staff hauled off 35 dumped tires.
The disregard for the environment was truly appalling, especially considering that the dumping was occurring within feet of one of the region’s prized possessions, Lake Winnebago. Members of Walleyes for Tomorrow, Lighthouse Anglers, Winnebagoland Conservation Alliance, North Fond du Lac Fishing Team, the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, and the WDNR all pitched in for a dramatic improvement to this public spot.
Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
This post was written by Austin Pethan for the Winnebago Waterways Program. Questions or comments? Contact Austin at austin@fwwa.org or (920) 920-851-4295.
