Wild Rose Fish Hatchery Open house runs 8a.m.- 3 p.m.; “Indigenous Perspectives on Lake Sturgeon” set for 4 p.m.
Families and fish enthusiasts of all ages will want to visit Wild Rose Fish Hatchery one last time on Oct. 27 for an open house, fun fishing-related activities, and a presentation by a Menominee tribal elder on “Indigenous Perspectives on Lake Sturgeon.”
The hatchery in Waushara County is the workhorse of the state’s fish hatchery system, producing more fish and more diverse species than any other, and it features beautiful, century-old historic hatchery grounds where people can see Lake Michigan fish up close.
“Our open house ends up being a nice family day,” says Jesse Landwehr, Wild Rose supervisor. “Visitors get a good chance to see what we do and why we do it, and it helps get everybody outdoors more.”
Open house and sturgeon presentation details:
The open house runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is free and open to the public, and is the last big opportunity to visit the hatchery before it closes to visitors in November through March.
The hatchery is located at N5871 State Road 22, in Wild Rose, Wis., and during the open house, visitors can enjoy exhibits and aquaria in the education center, including a new exhibit on lake sturgeon. They can join in fish printing, fly tying and casting and other fun activities at the center, and then stroll the historic hatchery grounds and see big brown trout up close in the show pond and raceways.
Visitors also can see what modern fish rearing techniques and equipment look like through a viewing window into Wild Rose’s coldwater facility up the hill. Here, hatchery crews are raising 800,000 chinook salmon and 400,000 each of brown trout and coho salmon for stocking into Lake Michigan. Wild Rose also operates a “coolwater” facility where crews raise lake sturgeon, muskies, northern pike, Great Lakes spotted musky, and walleye; those facilities are not open to the public.
At 4 p.m. in the education center, visitors can join Mike Hoffman for stories and conversation about “Indigenous Perspectives on Lake Sturgeon.” Mr. Hoffman is an Elder who is a descendant of the Menominee and Ottawa tribes. He is a fluent speaker of the Menominee language and serves as Cultural Consultant to the Menominee Clans Exhibit at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Museum of Natural History.
The presentation is the last in a series on lake sturgeon sponsored by the Wisconsin Humanities Council, one of the sponsors of the new sturgeon display, along with Sturgeon for Tomorrow, the DNR and Sport Fish Restoration dollars.
