Little Chute dam over the Fox River, December 19, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
LITTLE CHUTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Fundraising is underway to help improve waterway access and create better ways for boaters to portage along the Fox River Locks System.
The project includes a matching grant challenge from a Fox Valley foundation.
With kayaking becoming more and more popular, paddlers need ways to get around the many dams on the Fox River.
“Most of the portages require you to lift or carry your personal watercraft, probably 150-180 feet. So that would be about 50 or 60 yards,” said Phil Ramlet, Fox Locks executive director.
Ramlet says those locks typically operate on the weekends in the summer, leaving people to create their own way around. Officials say that can damage the shorelines, and cause erosion around the 17 locks themselves.
To help the situation, Fox Locks hopes to raise $150,000. The David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund is offering the same amount, in the form of a challenge. Megan Schuessler is with the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.
“And one of the areas of focus for this fund, is parks and recreation, with a focus on waterways. So through this effort, we’ve been able to work together with FRNSA, to issue this grant to them,” said Schuessler.
The entire project cost is about $495,000. Ramlet says upgrades could include wooden and stone reinforcements, as well as some landscaping too. He expects construction to begin in the spring.
“We think that there will be more and more people that will use the system, which is an important part of our mission. But also the people that use the system, it will be a much more safe way to get in and out of your kayak, and your craft, and to move it around the locks, when the locks aren’t open,” he said.
Fox Locks manages 17 locks on the Fox River from Menasha to De Pere.
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