When early explorers paddled up the Fox River in hope of finding the fabled "Route to the Orient" they could not have imagined the myriad opportunities that would be unleashed by their travels. Today, we can see that their historic journey on the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers ultimately led to the opening of the Northwest Territory, and a great expansion of our nation. The Fox River Valley and the Lower Wisconsin waterway share a singular distinction in having played a unique role in shaping our nation's growth and forming our nation's history.
Proposal Background
The original Fox River Heritage State Parkway Concept Plan was conceived of over a decade ago to acknowledge, and promote an appreciation for this route of exploration, and its contribution to our State and National heritage. This plan evolved from the vision of persons such as Assembly Speaker David Prosser, who is today, a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice; and numerous civic leaders and organizations, most notably including Bill Kellet, Val Wiley and the Fox Cities Convention and Visitor Bureau Board, John Foster and the Board of the Friends of the Fox organization, and many others. The East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (ECWRPC) took up the challenge and drafted the original concept plan published in 1997. These organizations and the East Central Wis. RPC remained a mainstay of the effort, and worked closely with area communities and our State and Federal congressional delegations in both parties, to prepare the agreements and secure the transfer of the federal lock properties to the State of Wisconsin.
The transfer of ownership for the 17 Lower Fox lock sites took place in September of 2004. In the year that followed ECWRPC facilitated the creation and organization of the Fox River Navigation System Authority as prescribed in the Wisconsin legislation. With the transfer from Federal to State hands, a check for $11.83 Million dollars was received by the Governor on behalf of the Authority. That money is now invested and managed by three Community Foundations in our region. In 2006 the Authority began work on the Phase I lock restoration work, which involves completion of the Appleton Locks 1-4 projects by December of 2006. A decade after the original plan was published, the vision remains as important as ever, but much has evolved and changed and the decade old plan needs to be updated to reflect the current status of property disposition, and the new plans and visions of the many adjoining communities.
With the acquisition of the Corps of Engineers lock properties on the lower Fox River, the destiny of the Fox River Heritage Parkway and the still larger Winnebago-Fox-Wolf-Wisconsin State Heritage Corridor lies in the hands of those who will make it reality.
2007 Heritage Parkway Project
In 1997 the original concept plan dealt with describing the idea of a heritage parkway and what would need to be done to create it. A decade later in 2007, with the acquisition of the Federal Corps of Engineers property behind us, and the restoration of the locks underway, we can turn our attention to preparing a Heritage Parkway Plan which represents current visions and has a strong implementation focus.
Implementation Program Project Phasing Schedule:
As envisioned the Heritage Parkway plan could proceed in 2 phases over 3 years:
Phase I / 2007-08 Re-examine the 1997 plan, and update it to reflect the current vision and plans of communities in 2007. Much has changed in the past 10 years and we need a plan that reflects that decade of evolution. We have in mind a plan which is realistic, lays out specific actions, and can be implemented in a pragmatic manner
a plan which identifies specific weekend and week-long tourism products, utilizes underdeveloped public and private lands, and stimulates new recreational opportunities for residents. This phase would involve completion of the following tasks:
- Meet with riverfront communities to understand their vision, plans and intentions
- Draft a 2007 updated State Heritage Corridor Plan
- Create the Heritage Parkway oversight organization, and establish three regional river segment sub-management groups: (1) The Lower Fox-Lake Winnebago segment, (2) The Upper Fox-Wolf-Lake Winnebago segment, and (3) The Lower Wisconsin Riverway segment.
Phase II / 2008, 2009 & 2010 Acting as a catalyst and a facilitator, The Friends of the Fox consultant, ECWRPC would work with the Bay Lakes and SWW RPC's to coordinate and carry out a project oriented implementation program producing the following results:
- Provide assistance to local communities to help them improve existing sites, or develop new attractions to increase open space opportunities and public access to the waterways.
- Work with existing and new attractions to create and market specific weekend and week-long tourism products to support the local lodging & tourism economy.
- Provide design assistance and coordination of appearance for interpretive signage, historic markers, and directional signage so that the Heritage Corridor has a recognizable identity, which is coordinated with area wayfinding signage.
- Partner with the U.S. Dept. of Commerce-International Tourism Program, the Wisconsin Dept. of Commerce and Div. of Tourism, and New North to coordinate marketing and promotion of the Heritage Corridor as a recreation destination.
- Work with local economic development staff, New North, the State of Wisconsin & the Federal Economic Development Administration to support riverfront redevelopment projects.
- Partner with the School districts to incorporate river related history and hands on learning experiences into the region's school curriculums.
Project Structure Proposal:
In developing the 1997 plan ECWRPC brought communities from Green Bay to Prairie du Chien together to meet and work on the State Heritage Parkway. Due to the great geographic distances, and resultant driving time, this structure was unwieldy.
To successfully implement a 2007 plan, the East Central Wisconsin RPC proposes to take a more practical approach. The entire State Heritage Corridor can be divided into three distinct but cohesive segments:
- The Lower Fox River ( from the Bay of Green Bay to Lake Winnebago including Lake ports)
- The Upper Fox and the Wolf Rivers
- The Lower Wisconsin Riverway ( from the City of Portage down to the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien )
Each of these segments has a unique character and feel, with special attributes and issues which relate to it. ECWRPC proposes that the communities within each segment could form a governing body and be self-governing with regard to managing their own events and activities. These three segments would also be represented at quarterly meetings of a larger corridor-wide coordinating group which would make decisions regarding the common marketing and promotion of the entire State Heritage Corridor as a state and national attraction. The East Central Wisconsin and the Bay Lake RPC's would work directly with the Upper and Lower Fox-Wolf segment communities, and the Southwest RPC could assist the Lower Wisconsin Riverway segment communities. ECWRPC would assume responsibility for the statewide coordination activities with the three segment governance bodies, and interactions w/New North & State and Federal agencies.
Project Funding Proposal:
In order to make a commitment of this magnitude in staff time and agency resources, the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission is proposing that funding would come from multiple partners who share a common interest in the State Heritage Parkway. This project proposes that a partnership be formed between the Federal and State agencies and local organizations involved in economic development and tourism, New North, and the Community Foundations of the regions involved with the State Heritage Corridor project area. (Green Bay, the Fox Cities, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and the communities of the Upper Fox, Wolf, and Wisconsin Rivers). In addition to these we may wish to approach other private foundations, civic organizations, or individual donors, to determine their interest in partnering in creation of the Heritage Parkway, or executing particular aspects of the implementation phase of the project.
National Heritage Corridor Enhancement Potential
It is our belief that the Wisconsin Fox River Heritage Parkway has the potential to be designated as a National Heritage Corridor. This designation would require approval by the National Park Service and the U.S. Congress. This status was being pursued previously only to have it be put on hold when a national moratorium was placed on the creation of new designations. At that time the program was being reassessed and new criteria were established. The implementation of this project will strengthen our position for a planned future nomination. This designation would greatly improve our national visibility and eligibility for National Park Service funding and promotional assistance.
The Fox and Wisconsin Rivers stretch for over 250 miles across a very diverse expanse of Wisconsin's mid-section offering three unique experiences. The waterway consists of three segments The Lower Fox-Lake Winnebago pool, the Upper Fox-Wolf-Lake Winnebago pool, and the Lower Wisconsin Waterway connected midstream by the historic Portage Canal. This historic water route is famous nationally as the 1673 discovery route of Marquette and Joliet, and served a critically important role in the opening and development of the mid-section of the American Nation.
