Oconto County
A tour of fishing, restoration, and history in Oconto County, Wisconsin
Welcome to Oconto County!
Oconto County borders Lake Michigan on Wisconsin’s east coast. Oconto County is home to almost 200 lakes and the Oconto River. This quest will take you along the Oconto River, where you’ll end in Lake Michigan!
Each section of this quest includes a link with a question related to these rich coastal assets in Oconto County. To complete this quest, you must correctly answer each question. Correct answers will give you clues that spell out the name of an important species in this region.
Proceed if you choose to accept this quest!
A voyage down the Oconto River!
The Oconto River snakes across Oconto County and empties into Lake Michigan. North Branch Oconto River enters the county in the northwest corner, where it winds through several state natural areas, including Battle Creek Hemlocks State Natural Area . This piece of land, owned by the U.S. Forest Service , was established as a research natural area in 2015. It borders a half mile of the Oconto River and is home to old-growth white pines and hemlocks. These forests provide habitat for many species of birds, from warblers and other song birds to the state-protected bald eagle . Why do you think bald eagles like this habitat?
South Branch Oconto River Fishery Area
South Branch Oconto River also enters the Oconto County in its northwest corner. 11 miles of this river flows through the South Branch Oconto River Fishery Area . This fishery area was established in 1961 to conserve the land around the river, enhance native trout populations, and increase access to the river for anglers. The South Branch Oconto River Fishery Area is popular with anglers because you can find brook trout , brown trout , and rainbow trout there! Surveys in recent years show that the trout populations in this area are very good. After the fishery area, the north and south branches of the Oconto River meet to wind through the rest of Oconto County and into Lake Michigan.
The Oconto River runs into Machickanee Flowage
If you like to fish, Machickanee Flowage is another great place to stop! It is a 436-acre lake located just outside of Stiles WI. It is a beautiful place to catch panfish, largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , and northern pike . However, it has not always been that way.
In 1979 the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources designed and began implementing the Oconto River Restoration Project. Before 1979 there was pulp mill that had been releasing pollutants into the flowage for over 70 years. The mill closed in 1978. The restoration plan includes reducing the amount of water in the flowage for 6 months, chemically treating the flowage and stocking the flowage with new fish like bass, walleye, bluegill, and trout. They also developed boat launching sites and parking lots to give better access to the flowage for fishermen like you.
Do you think there are better regulations put in place today to reduce this type of pollution in Wisconsin?
Copper Culture State Park
As you follow the river east from Machickanee Flowage, you will come to Copper Culture State Park . The park gets its name from the ancient Native American civilizations that were there between 5,000 and 6,000 B.C. (that’s older than the pyramids!), called the Old Copper Culture or Old Copper Complex . These groups were known for making weapons and tools out of copper in the Great Lakes region. There is a museum in the State Park dedicated to the copper culture people, as well as archaeological sites that you can visit. Make sure you leave time to explore the 42 acres of green space that has beautiful mixed forests and short-grass prairie. And like the first two stops along the river, it is a great place to fish!
Oconto City Breakwater Park
To get to our next stop you will follow the river as it winds through the city of Oconto and heads to the harbor of Lake Michigan. Breakwater Park is located on the coast of Lake Michigan where the Oconto River flows into the Lake. The Oconto Harbor was moved to its present-day location in 1875 to allow it to grow into the bustling harbor it is today. Follow this link to learn more about the city’s history. Oconto Breakwater Park is a small 1-acre park with a beautiful view and plenty to do. Boaters can launch their boats into the lake, fisherman can find a spot to fish, or visitors and residents can walk to the end of the causeway to see the amazing view. Here is a link to the city webcam if you want to see the harbor for yourself!
Lake Michigan
Now the Oconto River has brought you to the coast of Lake Michigan. Like many counties along the Great Lakes, Oconto is being affected by climate change . Rises in temperature are leading to more frequent and stronger storms coming in from Lake Michigan leading to flooding along the coast. The large waves in these storms can also lead to erosion. How is climate change affecting your community?
To help with the flooding and prevent erosion, Oconto County has been putting measures in place to help build a buffer zone along the coast. Those measures include restricting what vegetation can be removed within 35 feet of the coast, increasing impermeable surfaces along the coast, encouraging residents to plant rain gardens , and restoring the vegetative shoreline buffer.
Quest complete!
Click here to submit the final word to unlock your certificate for completing the Wisconsin Coastal Guide’s Oconto County Quest!
The clues led you to an important fish species in Oconto and other Wiscnsin Counties on Lake Michigan. This species is actually not native to Lake Michigan, but the Pacific coast of North America. Wisconsin stocks about 500,000 individuals in Lake Michigan each year. They play an important role in the ecosystem by feeding on small fish, insects, and crayfish. They will migrate up rivers to spawn and unlike other fish species, will continue their lives after spawning and return to Lake Michigan. This species is also important economically and recreationally along rivers like the Oconto River.
Acknowledgments
This story map guided tour was developed by the Wisconsin Sea Grant and Wisconsin 4-H . The Great Lakes Quests are part of the Wisconsin Coastal Guide , an interactive map that supports heritage tourism along the Great Lakes coasts of Wisconsin. This guided tour promotes place-based learning about coastal issues in the state and was funded by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension .