The Gibson Island Citizens Conservation Project continues to improve the area through shoreline restoration and invasive species control
BELLE PLAINE – If you have visited the Cloverleaf Lakes, you have undoubtedly noticed the beauty of the large island
between Grass and Pine Lakes. Since the 1990s, individuals around the Cloverleaf Lakes and the town of Belle Plaine
have had interest in preserving Gibson Island. This interest led to the forming of the Gibson Island Citizens Conservation
Project, Inc. and the purchasing of the island. Since then, volunteers and the Gibson Island Stewardship Committee
have been working tirelessly to maintain and improve Gibson Island.
In 2018, the Town of Belle Plaine received two grants totaling $4,220.00 from the Environmental Stewardship
Funds within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc. and the Clintonville Area Foundation to restore a
portion of the shore area on Gibson Island. In addition, the project supports the control of invasive species found near
the restoration site. They have partnered with Connecting Our Waters, a program focused on shoreline restoration
throughout Shawano and Menominee County, to help complete the project.
The Gibson Island Stewardship Committee has ordered about 900 plants to be delivered mid-September for planting.
The hope is to reduce run-off into the lakes and reduce invasive species in the area near the boardwalk. Black Locus,
Japanese knotweed, and garlic mustard have found a home along the shoreline on Gibson Island. The current project
will plant native shrubs and herbaceous plants native to Wisconsin to create competition for these invasives.
The Gibson Island Stewards are looking for volunteers to help on planting day. Contact Joy Krubsack at 715-823-6480 or
jkrubsack@hotmail.com for more information.
Additionally, for more information about the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance or Connecting Our Waters, please visit
www.fwwa.org or call Emily Henrigillis at (920)851-6472. Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit
organization that works to protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
