A boat landing is closed at Kiesow's Landing & Storage in the town of Wolf River April 24, 2023, as a bog blocks access from the Rat to the Wolf River. PC: Fox 11 Online
TOWN OF WOLF RIVER, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Part of the Wolf River in Winnebago County is inaccessible because of an unusually large bog.
The bog is in the area where the Rat River feeds into the Wolf. County authorities estimate the bog is about 200 feet wide.
Sunday started as an average day for Brenda Kiesow, co-owner of Kiesow’s Landing and Storage, located on the Rat River.
“I came out Sunday morning of course to start the shop up in the morning, and my first boater came back,” said Kiesow.
She says she went to see if the boater had motor problems, since that’s what usually brings them back.
“He says, ‘can’t get out, there’s a bog in the way,'” said Kiesow.
Kiesow says floating bogs are common in the spring.
“So we regrouped, got my brother out from a cup of coffee and took the boat out, and the push pulls and I figured no problem, we’ll push this little bog out,” said Kiesow. “It’s sitting in the middle of the river.”
They’re typically the size of a boat or car.
“We got out there and we were slightly stunned,” said Kiesow. “There was no river, it didn’t exist. It was completely shut off.”
That’s when Kiesow and her family discovered the 200 foot wide bog, about a mile downstream the Rat River from the landing, blocking access to the Wolf River.
“Generally you’re not going to go through them,” said Kiesow. “You’re going to get hung up in it. If you come around the corner and you hit that, if you can’t stop in time, you’re stuck.”
The bog is made of cattails and dead plants.
“I think it’s a combination of some smaller bogs over the last couple of years that went into that area,” said Kiesow.
The Boom Bay and Poy Sippi fire departments have tried to break up the bog, but have not been successful.
“I would think this is a history maker here, I don’t my dad has even said he’s seen one that big and he’s 86, so she’s a record breaker,” said Kiesow.
Kiesow has been in contact with the DNR and says they’re currently assessing some things and trying to figure out other ways to get the bog out.
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