KENOSHA — A long-awaited environmental restoration project is officially underway in Kenosha County. The multi-million dollar initiative will return the south branch of the Pike River—between Highway K and Highway S—to its natural path.
County officials, local environmental leaders and community members gathered Tuesday for a ceremonial signing, marking a major milestone.
Andy Buehler, Kenosha County’s Director of Planning and Development, said the goal is to take an area that was once degraded and make it an asset.
"It's going to make it into an asset for the community where it's completely going to be restored and it'll be a recreational area," Buehler said. "Also, it'll help with the water quality at the south branch of the pike river which flows into Lake Michigan."
The restoration will:
• Transform 215 acres of floodplain farmland into naturalized public parkland
• Recreate 1.5 miles of stream channel for improved water flow and ecology
• Reduce an estimated 1,000 tons of sediment each year from reaching Lake Michigan
• Rehabilitate nearly 200 acres of wetlands
• Increase biodiversity with native wetland, woodland, and prairie plantings
• Add a 1.5-mile multi-use trail that connects neighborhoods, parks, college campuses, and the lakefront
Dave Giordano, executive director of Root-Pike WIN, said this has been a vision more than 50 years in the making.
"The south branch of the Pike River has been impaired and degraded for more than 50 years," Giordano said. "I was born in Kenosha, and I've never left here it's so awesome, so we want to make Kenosha as great as we possibly can, and improving the south branch is one more step in that direction."
His daughter, Anna, said that she’s excited about what it means for future generations.
“I want my next generation to carry on to the next generation and I think that this project is going to be amazing for our environment," Anna said.
The initiative is backed by several funding partners, including Root-Pike WIN, the Wisconsin DNR, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Brookwood Foundation, and the Fund for Lake Michigan. The Kenosha County Board recently approved the final funding.
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