SHAWANO COUNTY, WI – More than 35 people took part in the Lake Michigan Area Land and Water Conservation Association Summer Tour hosted by Shawano County, with stops highlighting conservation work, agriculture and local attractions across the county.
At Tilleda Falls Campground, participants learned about shoreline protection and restoration projects completed along Tilleda Pond. The work was carried out through partnerships involving local landowners, Shawano County, WAMSCO and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The tour also stopped at Gibson Island in Belle Plaine, where visitors saw a 25.6-acre restoration project focused on shoreline stabilization and improved public access. The project includes ADA-accessible pathways, thousands of native plants and work to secure 475 feet of eroding hillside.
More than 60 volunteers contributed over 1,000 hours to the Gibson Island project, with additional support coming from grants and donations.
Agriculture was also part of the tour with a visit to Brei’s Aqua Farm near Leopolis. Craig and Karleen Brei showed participants their family-run operation, which raises antibiotic- and chemical-free shrimp using a closed-loop aquaculture system.
Visitors also learned how the property transitioned from a former dairy farm into a shrimp operation and heard about aquaponics trials and other business ventures at the site.
At the Navarino Nature Center, attendees took part in a trolley tour and learned about the nonprofit’s work with the DNR across roughly 15,000 acres of wetlands, forests, prairies and wildlife areas.
The day wrapped up at Twig’s Sundrop Museum in Shawano, where participants toured the museum and sampled several flavors of locally produced soda.
The summer tour gave attendees a closer look at how conservation, agriculture, recreation and local business all play a role in Shawano County.
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