Marinette students install duck houses along Menominee River

MARINETTE — Honoring the earth was on the minds of Marinette Middle School (MMS) technical education students this week as they installed wood duck houses along the Menominee River and Menekaunee Harbor.

Students in Josh Greetan’s class created 10 wood duck houses, each laser engraved with a number and the project identifier. Scott Macintyre’s high school welding class created the mounting brackets. The entrance holes for the wood ducks were cut using a CNC router programmed by Paul Okray.

The final challenge came on Wednesday when the students battled cold winds and high water at the 6th Street boat landing to access the shoreline.

Each installation required a 15-foot metal pipe, pipe driver, 36-inch predator guard, hardware, the wood duck house, shavings for nesting and of course, ladders, all of which they hauled through the muck and tall grasses.

This project follows the three-decade environmental AOC (Area of Concern) delisting process and cleanup for the Menominee River and harbor. Over a period of more than a century, both had been significantly altered by channelization, installation of hard shoreline structures, industrial and municipal contamination, waste and the introduction of invasive species.

Habitat restoration, as part of the AOC delisting process, involves stabilizing shorelines, planting new land and water plants, controlling destructive invasive plants and the installation of various structures to provide shelter and breeding areas for the wide variety of living species that should inhabit this environment. Continuous monitoring and maintenance are required to ensure that the restored habitats thrive. Students, teachers, business owners and concerned citizens showed their commitment last week as project “Wood Duck House” was completed.

As the saying goes, “It takes a village.” The City of Marinette Harbor Commission gave member and alderperson Tom Karban its blessing to spearhead this project. MMS administrators Matthew Hartin and Nathan Motkowski visited the site, bringing beverages to the students, and provided a pizza lunch. Other businesses contributing time and materials included: Wayne Krumrei from White Pine Saw Mill, Alex McDonald at Tri-City Plumbing, Adam Gantner at JET Industrial and Marinette School District. Aiding the students during the installation process were Josh Greetan, Tom Karban, Trygve Rhude, Steve Peterich, Liz and Mik Mikutowski, Ross Wolfe, Doug Oitzinger and Keith West. The participating middle school students were: Ethan Albert, Robby Chaltry, Connor Eastman, Dakota Hanson, Abby Koenigs, Logan Krumrei, Grayson Niemojuski, Carson Sadowski and Ivy Stauss.

The Marinette and Menominee communities will continue to focus on improving and maintaining the waterway’s environmental health. More habitat structures are needed, and more installations are planned. The Harbor Commission encourages residents to visit the sites, enjoy birding and fishing and help keep the area clean by removing trash that migrates toward our waterway.