Tribal-Led Restoration and Park Planned at Keshena Falls to Restore Lake Sturgeon

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and design partners have unveiled plans for a 37-acre park at Keshena Falls intended to support lake sturgeon restoration and to create a cultural gathering place on the Wolf River. The project, named "Menominee Sturgeon Coming Home Place," is described as celebrating ecological renewal while expanding the Menominee Nation Logging Camp & Cultural Museum outdoors and strengthening ties between restoration and tribal stewardship.

Keshena Falls is a series of rapids and segmented drops where the Wolf River widens and steps across exposed bedrock ledges. Visible remnants near the river include an old bridge and a former hydroelectric plant. The Wolf River runs generally north and south through the Menominee Reservation in Menominee County, and the falls sit within this cultural landscape that Menominee leaders identify as central to sovereignty and intergenerational health.

Lake sturgeon historically migrated between Lake Winnebago and Keshena Falls, traveling roughly 135 miles along the Wolf River before dams were built. Dams at Shawano (1892) and Balsam Row (1926) are explicitly cited as blocking that route and contributing to about a 100-year absence of sturgeon from the Keshena area. Lake sturgeon are long-lived and slow-growing: female sturgeon deposit eggs every four to six years, begin spawning at about 20 years old, can live up to about 50 years, and reach roughly five feet at spawning age. Biologists point to overfishing, by-catch, water quality problems, and siltation of spawning beds as drivers of long-term declines.

Tribal-led restoration work already uses assisted migration methods: biologists catch lake sturgeon downstream and transport them upstream past dams to reestablish spawning activity in upstream shallows. A few lake sturgeon are captured near Keshena Falls each year and used for ceremonial meals. The Menominee revived sturgeon ceremonies in 1992 with assistance from the Wisconsin DNR. "In celebration of Namao’s (Menominee name) return, the Menominee Historic Preservation Department holds an Annual Sturgeon Feast & Pow-Wow at the Menominee Indian High School (MITW, 2012)."

Design details from Bodwegroup list a $10 million project budget and site amenities that include a central pavilion inspired by a traditional wigwam with capacity for up to 80 people, restrooms, a playground, interpretive signage, and a one-mile walking trail. "The park will be designed to celebrate this ecological renewal while creating a place for the Menominee community to gather." "The trails are designed to be circuitous, mimicking the twists and turns of the Wolf River and offer viewing opportunities for a more intimate experience with nature." Five unique clan markers along the path are intended to tell the story of the Menominee people, who are described in the design narrative as the "People of the Wild Rice."

Key policy questions remain unresolved and will determine how the project affects residents: the source and structure of the $10 million in funding, construction and permitting timelines, land management and access rules on reservation land, and the roles of state and federal agencies alongside tribal governance. The site sits within a long chronology of Menominee land-tenure and political history dating back to the 1854 Treaty of Keshena Falls and to restoration of federal recognition in 1975, context that shapes jurisdiction and local expectations.

For Menominee County residents, the project ties ecological restoration to cultural revival and public access. Watch local announcements for funding and permitting decisions, and for opportunities to participate in planning and future ceremonies that may mark the return of Namao to the Wolf River.