Partner Agency Spotlight:
WAMSCO's Mission:
The Waterway Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties, or WAMSCO's, mission is water conservation for the entire watershed: lakes, rivers, creeks, and groundwater. WAMSCO promotes Best Management Practices “boots on the ground” projects and assists with implementation to protect our natural resources. This includes various education events for our youth and the community year-round. Whether you live on the water, recreate on it, eat the fish out of it, or drink water, this resource affects everyone!
United Way Funding in 2026:
This year, WAMSCO received funding from United Way for educational signage and displays to be installed in a local environmental education garden. The Education Garden will be installed on a 3-acre parcel owned by the town of Belle Plaine located northwest of Long Lake and Schoenick Lake in Shawano County. The garden will be installed in spring of 2026 and include a pond, rain gardens, and native plantings. Educational displays and kiosks will provide resources to learn about the benefits of native plants, rain gardens, and shoreline erosion control. The garden will provide a free, in-person, visual learning tool for the community to enjoy and utilize. The education garden will benefit everyone in the community. It will provide environmental benefits including flood control, increased wildlife and pollinator habitat, erosion control, and reduced runoff pollution. The garden will also provide a valuable resource for individuals to learn about implementing these practices in their own landscape while providing a beautiful public space to enjoy.
What else does WAMSCO do?
In addition to this project, WAMSCO provides a variety of services within the community. We are a local coordinator for Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (CLMN) and Water Action Volunteers (WAV) which are volunteer programs for monitoring waterways. WAMSCO staff also monitors waterways and aquatic invasive species within our service area. We coordinate shoreline restoration projects including stabilization efforts and native plantings that are part of a reimbursement program for landowners. We also provide educational programming for students, youth, and the community with our mobile conservation education trailer. In 2025, WAMSCO received a Wisconsin Lakes Stewardship Award for excellence in public engagement at the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention and a North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) international Leadership and Service Award for significant community education and outreach efforts at the NALMS annual international symposium.
So far, our largest community impact project has been the Gibson Island project. In the summer of 2025 WAMSCO made improvements to Gibson Island on the Cloverleaf Lakes in the town of Belle Plaine with over 1,000 feet of ADA pathways, 6,000 native plants and 475 feet of shoreline stabilization installed with the help of hundreds of hours of volunteer work. Because of this, the last undeveloped shoreline on Pine and Grass Lakes will be protected and the 25.6 acres of natural area on the island is improved. The installation of the ADA trail was also very sentimental to the community as it was a project started by a local resident and the trail was then dedicated to them. You can read more about these projects at the articles below:
https://www.newmedia-wi.com/gibson-island-reopens-public-new-trail
How can you support WAMSCO?
There are many ways to help support WAMSCO. Through our website (wamsco.org), you can make donations, become a member, or join our monthly newsletter. If you're interested in volunteering, you can visit https://www.wamsco.org/volunteer for more information. Each summer, WAMSCO also hosts an annual meat raffle to help support our programming. You can find our booth at community events or stop by our office at 1263 S Main Street to purchase tickets.
You can also participate in our community events like our annual “Where’s WAMSCO” event. This is a family friendly scavenger hunt where boxes are hidden in parks and green spaces around Shawano County. Participants use the clues that are released each week to find boxes that are filled with educational materials, activity booklets, stickers, and other fun take home items. Participants that find all of the locations are then entered to win prizes. In 2026, the event will take place from June 19th – July 19th.
If you have further questions, please feel free to reach out to our Outreach Specialist, Alexis Trinko, at:
Mailing Address: 1263 S Main St Shawano, Wi 54166
Email: wamsco.outreach@gmail.com
Phone: 715-851-7897