Sheboygan River Basin Partnership in Wisconsin

The Sheboygan River Basin Partnership (SRBP) is a non-profit organization working to improve water quality and preserve our natural resources within the Sheboygan River Basin. Improving the health of our rivers and lakes is our goal. The SRBP is an alliance of conservation and environmental groups; local businesses; local, state and federal agency staff, and concerned individuals. Together, we are working to cultivate partnerships to raise public awareness, engage participation in stewardship, and promote informed decision-making regarding issues that affect the health of water resources in our area.

Sheboygan River Cleanup - May 17

Enjoy a morning walk or paddle along a stretch of the Sheboygan River picking up litter! Bring your own canoe; use a free camp canoe, or walk along the river. Registration is required. Mail registration form to Camp Y-Koda or drop off at either of the YMCA's by May 1, 2008. Event will be held from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, rain or shine. Learn more!

Sheboygan River Basin Defined

The Sheboygan River Basin includes most of Sheboygan County, along with northeast Ozaukee County, northeast Fond du Lac County and parts of southern Manitowoc County.

Purple Loosestrife Control

Kohler Andrae State Park will host a fun and interesting education and training program on the Galeracella or “Cella” beetle raise and release project, demonstrating the latest technology using a mass rearing environment to control Purple Loosestrife. See links below for detailed infomation.

Education & Control Program
Root Stock Collection & Preparation
Beetle Collection & Native Species Planting

Watershed Awards

The 2nd Annual Watershed Award recognizes achievements of those who have dedicated their time and talent to improving the health of our waters in the Sheboygan Basin including watersheds of the Sheboygan, Pigeon, Black, Onion and Mullet rivers and Sauk and Sucker creeks. Nominations due noon October 15, 2008. Up to five $100 awards will be given at the SRBP annual membership meeting in January, 2009.

Who’s Eligible?
Adult and youth individuals, formal and non-formal educators, businesses, and organizations are eligible for recognition of accomplishments achieved in the Sheboygan Basin within the past two years. (Government agencies and agency staff are not eligible for awards). Think about people you know who are active in water conservation, environmentally-friendly landscaping, education, research, monitoring habitat restoration, and environmental leadership. Find out more!

Basin Recreational Usage

Recreational use of this basin varies for each locality or region. In the eastern regions, non-contact recreation such as, jogging, walking, and bicycling is popular in many of the parks in Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls. The beaches and near shore waters in the Sheboygan area are also popular spots for wading and swimming. However, due to the extensive amount of privately owned river frontage around the city of Kohler, these activities are sometimes restricted.

Generally, there is a good diversity of sport fish, especially in the low reaches of this basin. However, dam and impoundment areas around the cities of Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls and Kohler present barriers to fish movement, and usually result in poor water quality because of the chronic sediment and nutrient build-up. The western portion of this basin is a popular area for hunting and fishing due to its high density of wetlands and surface waters (lakes).

Water Quality

Runoff from both specific and diffuse sources, contaminated sediment, habitat modifications (such as channelization and dams) have degraded water quality throughout the Sheboygan River basin. Construction site erosion and impervious surfaces (roads, roofs, parking lots) are generating threats to water quality, especially in the eastern portions, as the Sheboygan River basin grows increasingly urban.