The Winnebago County Parks Department was recently notified that a $100,000 grant has been awarded from the Natural Resource Trustee Council to replace the damaged Asylum Point Island bridge with a new clear span structure. Ice shoves have damaged the piling style bridge several times in the past. Going forward, a clear span bridge will be installed to alleviate the problem of ice damage. The grant was awarded by the Fox River Natural Resource Trustee Council.
The Fox River Natural Resource Trustee Council supports the long-term recovery, protection, and enhancement of the unique natural resources of the Lower Fox River and Green Bay ecosystem. The council has provided settlement funding for over 100 restoration projects over the last decade that restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of natural resources that have been injured by PCB releases.
The natural resource trustees are comprised of the Wisconsin DNR, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The trustees work together in a cooperative process to determine what is necessary to address natural resource injuries caused by past releases of PCBs into the Lower Fox River and Green Bay area.
Settlement funds received by the Council must be used to restore, rehabilitate, replace and/or acquire the equivalent of the natural resources that have been injured. Examples of projects funded by the Council over the last decade include wetland and stream restorations, land protection and acquisition, fisheries projects, and trails and boat launches.
A little history of the lighthouse and the program that built it…
Asylum Point and Lighthouse – Latitude: 44.06244 Longitude: -88.51467
On the central western shore of Lake Winnebago, just a few miles north of Oshkosh, a promontory extends into the water. On this point in 1871, construction began on the Northern Asylum for the Insane. The name of the institute was later changed to Winnebago Mental Health Institute, but the hospital’s original name has been forever connected with the surrounding geography. The promontory is still known as Asylum Point, and the surrounding water is called Asylum Bay.
This article was created by the Winnebago County Park Department. If you have any questions or comments about this article, please contact Winnebago County Parks at WinnebagoCountyParks@co.winnebago.wi.us.
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 Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
