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Located at 8519-8415 Cloverleaf Lake Rd, Clintonville, WI 54929

Gibson Island has long been a landmark of natural beauty and community pride. It was owned by the Gibson family from 1881-1964, gifted to the Boy Scouts, and then sold to Gary Lenius in 1982. After a grassroots fundraising project by local citizens and through a DNR grant, the island was purchased by the Town of Belle Plaine in 2006. Today, the island is not only a favorite spot for families to gather and explore nature, but also an important wildlife area, and home to a nesting pair of bald eagles that return year after year.

Led by WAMSCO, the project fulfilled late community member Pete Jensema’s vision of a space where all people could experience the beauty of the Cloverleaf Lakes. Work included protecting the shoreline with riprap and native plantings, constructing a natural cedar log wall to stabilize the steep east hillside, and installing an ADA pathway for easier access to everyone. Click through each sub-project to find out more about each conservation practice and how the project as a whole has touched the lives of so many people.