Clintonville Area Foundation helped fund restoration project
By Robert Cloud
Volunteers have completed another phase in an ongoing restoration project on Gibson Island.
Located between Grass and Pine lakes in Shawano County, Gibson Island is approximately 25 acres of forest, wetlands, highlands and hills.
About a dozen volunteers working with the Gibson Island Stewardship Committee have been removing invasive species, planting native vegetation and removing litter from the island.
The only structure on the island is a boardwalk. There are no benches or picnic tables.
“It’s not for picnics. It’s not for camping,” according to Joy Krubsack, chairperson of the stewardship committee. “It’s a quiet place for hiking. It’s a place for people to take children to see what a natural forest looks like.”
In 2018, the town of Belle Plaine received a $2,500 grant from the Environmental Stewardship Funds within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and a $1,720 grant from the Clintonville Area Foundation.
The money was used to restore a portion of the shore area on Gibson Island.
Earlier this month the Gibson Island Stewardship Committee purchased plants, and volunteers spent half a day planting about 800 native shrubs and woody perennials.
The committee hopes the native plants help reduce runoff into the lakes and compete with the invasive plants.
Volunteers have also been organized into teams to remove invasive species, such as black locust, Japanese knotweed, buckthorn and garlic mustard.
“Gibson Island could not exist without the volunteers and the support of Belle Plaine,” Krubsack said.
For more information, contact Joy Krubsack at 715-823-6480 or [email protected].