Sturgeon restoration project to provide improved spawning habitat on the Wolf River

WAUPACA COUNTY (WLUK) -- Experts call it one of the best places to view the spring sturgeon spawning run, and efforts are underway now, to make it even better.

The habitat restoration project in Waupaca County is nearly complete.

Heavy equipment was on the move Monday at the Wolf River Sturgeon Trail west of New London.

"They just had that last load of the stone delivered. And the gentleman in the hoe is just placing it," said Kevin Conradt, Shadows on the Wolf President.

Crews have been sculpting about 1,300 feet of new shoreline for the past three weeks. Conradt says decades of Wisconsin weather have taken a toll on the banks.

"You could see there was a lot of areas where the ice would take out the rocks, and they would roll to the bottom. And just the weight of that will have that stone slide down to the bottom of the river," he said.

Department of Natural Resources Sturgeon Biologist Ryan Koenigs says the fish lay their eggs on the rocks, and the big stones will provide space underwater for the tiny sturgeon to safely hatch.

After the rocks are installed, crews will turn their attention to the walking trail. The concrete barriers will be removed, the guard rails will go back into place, and the Wolf River Sturgeon Trail will be ready to welcome its annual visitors.

"A prehistoric fish like that. The fish is very old, and it's just a sight to see in the spring, when you have all these fish and the people come from a long ways away to see them. So, it's a good cause, for everybody," said Conradt.

The project costs about $100,000, and is a partnership between the Wisconsin DNR, Shadows on the Wolf,Sturgeon for Tomorrow, and the Waupaca County Parks Department.

Wisconsin Interstate Contracting, Lunda Construction, Ort Trucking, Storm Equipment, and MCC, Inc. also contributed to the initiative.