Category: On the Water
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Wild Things: Spring Fishing Heats Up as Air, Water Temperatures Rise
High winds delay bass tourney opener by KEVIN NAZE, [email protected] Gusty south winds Monday pushed back the two-day Sturgeon Bay Bass Tournament – the first of two major bass-fishing contests in Door County this week – to a Tuesday start. Tournament director Gary Nault said the event, which featured a $10,000 first-place prize, would be […]
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Advance tickets are now on sale online for the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay’s 29th annual Shipyard Tour on May 7. For one day each year, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding opens its doors to the public for tours of the shipbuilding industry. This tour requires a considerable amount of walking and standing on gravel surfaces, so […]
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Wild Things: Walking on (Frozen) Water
Scientists invade Great Lakes next week by KEVIN NAZE, [email protected] U.S. and Canadian scientists will join thousands of ice anglers on the frozen waters of Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes next week. While fishers will be trying to hook the catch of the day, more than two dozen researchers will be drilling through the […]
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Report Highlights Impact of Outdoor Recreation
Outdoor recreation generated $689 billion in economic output in 2020, according to a report from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis. In Wisconsin, the outdoor-recreation industry contributed $7.8 billion to the state’s GDP, including $569 million from boating, $17 million from canoeing and kayaking, and $309 million from cycling. The RV economy generated another […]
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Wild Things: Whitefish, Wolves and Bears on NRB Meeting Agenda
The state Natural Resources Board (NRB) meeting on Jan. 26 in Madison will include discussion of changes to the Green Bay whitefish commercial quota, the proposed number of black bear permits for the fall hunt and an update on gray wolves. It’ll be the first in-person NRB meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Data shows […]
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Photos by Rachel Lukas Door County got in the New Year’s spirit with creative outdoor activities in Sister Bay, Jacksonport and Egg Harbor over the weekend. Photographer Rachel Lukas hopped around to capture the scenes as we said hello to 2022. A “Balmy” Day for a Polar Plunge The 35th Jacksonport Polar Plunge drew a […]
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Polar Bear Plunge Returns to Jacksonport
The Jacksonport Polar Bear Club (JPBC) is preparing for its annual plunge into Lake Michigan on Jan. 1, 12 pm, to celebrate the new year with an icy dip. After canceling last year’s event, organizers are calling this the 35th and 36th annual event. More than 500 swimmers are expected to take the plunge, which […]
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IMPERILED SHORES: Wisconsin State Parks Battered as Lake Shrinks Beaches
By Mario Koran, Wisconsin Watch/WPR Lake Michigan’s winds and waves have sculpted the landscape of Whitefish Dunes State Park. Water delivers fine sand to a shoreline that supports threatened plants like the dune thistle. Wind stacks that sand into the mighty dunes that inspired the park’s name. Summer visitors splash on its beach or hike […]
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Fish Creek Says Yes to Waterfront Purchase
Fish Creek’s public waterfront will be a little longer next year. On Monday, voters in the Town of Gibraltar approved the purchase of 0.49 acres of property on the shoreline adjacent to the town dock for $3.5 million. The final tally was 114 in favor and 47 against the purchase of the Holiday Harbor Cottages, […]
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‘The water always wins’: Calls to protect shorelines as volatile Lake Michigan inflicts heavy toll
Wisconsin’s Great Lakes communities expect to spend more than $245 million in five years to protect shorelines as a climate ‘tug of war’ drives extreme shifts in water levels.
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Featured Tour Guide: Leland Brenholt
Paddle and learn with Island Adventure Company’s ecological, historical kayak tours What’s there to do on Washington Island? If you ask kayak and outdoor excursion guide Leland Brenholt, the more appropriate question might be, what isn’t there to do? At Island Adventure Company, guests can choose from a host of self-guided excursions and a variety […]
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Escape the Crowds and Set Sail with Bella Sailing Cruises
Featured Tour Guide: Tom Schroeder They show us all the hidden treasures of Door County, from hiking trails to water views, historical tidbits to adventurous excursions. There’s no doubt about it: The tour guides of the peninsula help to make the Door County experience anything but a run-of-the-mill vacation itinerary. This week we feature Tom […]
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Tucked in the northwestern corner of Washington Island is Little Lake. Part of the Little Lake Nature Preserve, the shallow, 33-acre, inland lake with its Walden Pond-like qualities and secluded location offers quiet respite and is an ideal place to slip a kayak into the water for a calm, easy paddle. Begin the journey by […]
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Ephraim Yacht Club Team Wins 100 Miler
Ephraim Yacht Club sailors raced the Beneteau First 38 Charrette to victory during the 84th running of the Marinette and Menominee Yacht Club’s 100 Miler event this past weekend. This win marked the fifth overall for Team Charrette since 2011. The racers started July 31 in Menominee, Michigan, in a moderate breeze. Then they […]
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Maritime Week Kicks Off in Sturgeon Bay
It’s time once again to salute the U.S. Coast Guard during Sturgeon Bay’s Maritime Week. Events began Aug. 5 with a golf outing at Idlewild Golf Course and will continue through Aug. 15. Want to see everything the event has to offer? This guide will get you started. Aug. 6: Coast Guard vs. City Allstars […]
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Kayaking Door Bluff: A Beginner’s Perspective
From the Eagle Trail at Peninsula State Park to Door Bluff Headlands County Park, I’ve hiked up and down along Door County’s bluffs and ventured downward to view their grandeur from the shores of Lake Michigan. But not every section of the Niagara Escarpment’s limestone is visible on foot, so my next aspiration was to […]
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Cave Point isn’t the only spot to float along the rocky outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment. Take the drive north to Ellison Bay and turn down Garrett Bay Road almost to Gills Rock, winding beneath the picturesque tree canopy, and put in at the Garrett Bay boat launch. Even in the heart of summer, you’ll […]
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The Tales of Captain Robbo: Jim Robinson loves life floating over Death’s Door
Long before setting sail as Door County’s original cruise-boat operator, Jim Robinson — who’s also a skilled scuba diver — aspired to venture a few fathoms below the surface as a U-boat captain. Not with the Navy, mind you — just for kicks. As a young man in Chicago, Robinson knew a guy who sold […]
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Man Dies After Swimming at Cave Point Saturday
A picture-perfect weekend in Door County was marred by the deaths of two men in local waters in separate incidents Saturday. One man died at Cave Point County Park, and another at Schoolhouse Beach. Zachary B. Nessman of Manitowoc, age 35, died after he went swimming off-shore at Cave Point County Park, according to the […]
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Explore Safely at Cave Point County Park
Whether you’re kayaking along the shoreline or hiking on the trails and rocks, it’s crucial to consider safety when adventuring on or near the water at Cave Point County Park. The county park in Sevastopol attracts swarms of visitors each year because of its fascinating topographical features, but those same features can also be very […]