Revitalization boosts recreation , benefits natural environment , celebrates local heritage
By Juliana Poquette
The City of Marinette has a rich history related to its northeastern Wisconsin location at the mouth of the Lower Menominee River . It was a bustling center of commerce during the lumber boom of the 1800s , and then well into the 1900s it was a key part of the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry .
A place of significance throughout that history was Menekaunee Harbor , which was an important industrial site , an embayment for harboring commercial fishing vessels , and a connecting point for the area ’ s inhabitants between the lower Menominee River , the bay of Green Bay , and Lake Michigan beyond .
However , over time , the harbor became filled with contaminated sediment and weeds , rendering the harbor unnavigable and impeding the area ’ s fish reproduction , negatively affecting Marinette ’ s economy . Its wooden retaining walls also were failing , threatening the harbor ’ s stability . What ’ s more , the declined state of the harbor was a visible sign of bigger problems along the Lower Menominee River . In the 1980s , the river was one of six polluted sites in Wisconsin listed as areas of concern by the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency . www . AyresAssociates . com 3