Nature lovers, volunteers and area residents will celebrate Sept. 13 with the grand reopening of Gibson Island at the Cloverleaf Lakes, marking the dedication of a new Americans with Disabilities Act-approved trail exploring the island’s scenic shoreline, wetlands and wooded upland.
The environmental nonprofit Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties is hosting the event at the Gibson Island parking lot (adjacent to W8407 Cloverleaf Lake Road). The event will begin at 10 a.m. with speakers from WAMSCO and other contributors followed by a dedication, a ribbon cutting with the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce and tours of the new, accessible trail.
During the recent closure of the area, WAMSCO, which works to improve and protect waterways in the Shawano area, led efforts to improve public access and environmental benefits on the island.
More than 1,000 feet of ADA pathways, 6,000 native plants and 475 feet of shoreline stabilization have been installed with the help of hundreds of hours of volunteer work.
Funding for this project was provided by the Town of Belle Plaine (owner of the island, which is connected to the mainland by a short narrow isthmus), grants received from the Shawano Area Community Foundation and Wisconsin DNR, and donations from local residents.
The brief dedication ceremony will include a tribute to Peter J. Jensema, a longtime Cloverleaf Lakes resident who was instrumental in pushing for the installation of an ADA crushed limestone path onto the island.
Jensema lost the use of his legs and used a wheelchair his entire adult life yet became a familiar figure on the lakes as an avid fisherman, boater and winter-sports enthusiast. He died unexpectedly in July at the age of 56. Memorial gifts from family and friends were directed to the Gibson Island improvements.
