State Grant to Help Restore Park in Tomahawk, Shorelands in Langlade & Lincoln Counties

Tomahawk – A $100,000 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources grant will help restore shoreland at Sara Park in Tomahawk soon. Langlade and Lincoln County worked together to lobby the state for the grant. Workers will use part of that money to restore the shoreline at Sara Park with native trees and plants.

Duane Haakenson, Director the of Langlade County Land Records & Regulations Department, says the upgrades will should also inspire people looking to do their own shoreland work.

“You know, it’s not only the benefit that they get to enjoy the park or the boat landing or the public land, but they get a pretty good feel for what this really is,” Haakenson said.

Langlade County has used state grants before for projects like this one, including a project on Post Lake that Haakenson says demonstrates the best ways to properly restore and maintain shoreland and habitat by absorbing runoff.

The changes at Sara Park won’t look exactly the same as the Post Lake restoration, but experts say the blooming should look great.

“The nice thing about it is we’ll have such a diversity of plants and that type of thing that there should be things blooming just about anytime throughout the summer,” Haakenson said.

Other private property owners will be able to use nearly half of the grant money to restore their own shorelands.

“It’s always a matter of educating the public,” Haakenson said. “And I think through this grant we will have money to help us do that now, so we can get the word out.”

Work on the Sara Park project should start this summer. If you would like to use some of the grant money to restore the shorelands on your own property, you can contact Jim Kreitlow with the Wisconsin DNR at 715-365-8947.

Source: WJFW- TV 12