OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Due to a recent change to Winnebago County boat launching fees, it's now more expensive for many residents to get on the water.
- The new fee is required for anyone using the county-owned boat landings to enter the water, including those in kayaks and canoes.
- The change is meant to make fees more equitable and align with state DNR code.
- The money from boat landing fees goes towards boat landing upkeep and projects.
"If you don't have a good landing, it's very difficult getting on the lake," Bob Delzer, a Northeast Wisconsin boater says.
Delzer lives in Freedom, but comes to Winnebago County weekly to hunt or fish.
He currently pays a $7 daily fee to park his boat trailer at county-owned boat landings.
"I think it's very reasonable– if you don't have fees, you're not going to have a landing for very long because it's going to get run down," he says.
The fees for Winnebago County boat landings have historically been required only for those parking a trailer.
In January of this year, however, Winnebago County Parks and Expo was informed by a resident that charging for parking is against Wisconsin DNR code.
So, in September, the County Board approved a new fee system for boat landings that includes all users– whether or not they are parking a trailer.
"It didn't come down to necessarily needing more money, it came down to state code," Adam Breest, director of Winnebago County Parks and Expo says.
Breest says the change also makes the fee system more equitable.
In the past, many people who benefited from the boat landings did not pay a fee because they'd park somewhere else or because they didn't have a trailer.
Starting in 2025, everyone using a county-owned boat landing, whether they have a kayak or a motorized boat, must pay a fee.
The options for payment are:
- a daily fee of $7.
- An annual fee of $35 for residents and $45 for non-residents
- Or a 3-year fee of $75 for residents or $100 for non-residents.
There are also discounts for seniors 55 years or older.
Breest says the money from the fees funds general maintenance at the landings– from mowing to dredging– and larger projects like parking lot remodels or kayak launch sites.
For example, the county plans to install a $1.5 million kayak launch site at the Butte Des Morts landing.
“Every dollar that’s spent for the boat launch use fee, it goes back into the boat launches," Breest says.
There has been some negative feedback on social media, but Breest says he hasn't heard directly from any upset residents.
“I wanted it to be at the end of the year so that there could be education between now and the next year, versus just all of a sudden in spring, 'hey there's this new policy'," Breest says.
There are seven boat landings owned by Winnebago County:
- Lake Butte Des Morts Boat Launch at 5316 Leonard Point Road, Omro
- Eureka Boat Launch at 3103 Liberty St, Eureka
- Black Wolf Boat Launch at 6850 Fond du Lac Road, Oshkosh
- Boom Bay Boat Launch at 7499 Richter Lane, Larsen
- Lake Poygan Boat Launch at 8816 Poygan Shores Road, Winneconne
- Grundman Park Boat Launch at1801 Grundman Lane, Oshkosh
- Asylum Point Park Boat Launch at 3400 Sherman Road, Oshkosh
