Posoh John,
Goose bumps. That’s what happened when I learned that sturgeon, hatched from eggs gathered in spawning areas along the Wolf River, will be tagged and released into Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Milwaukee River on Sunday, Sept. 28.
This sturgeon release event is hosted by the Riveredge Nature Center that powers the Milwaukee River Lake Sturgeon Rehabilitation Program. The program began in 2006 in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Anyone can sponsor a sturgeon and receive updates about the path it takes. Click here for details about sponsoring a sturgeon at Sturgeon Fest.
When I heard about this event, I immediately recalled how important the sturgeon are to my Menominee culture. While growing up on the Menominee Reservation, I watched a small sturgeon blessing ceremony held along the Wolf River. This small gathering turned into what is now a large community celebration feast and pow wow. The event in Milwaukee is a prime example of how all people can work to save the sturgeon and fight to protect our water ways.
Growing up on the Menominee Reservation, elders often told us about the cultural and generational importance of sturgeon to past and future generations. It is a duty for all Menominee’s to protect the blessings bestowed upon our ancestors and the rights of our people. Sturgeon is one of the most important legacies we leave our children, who in turn will leave it for their children.
Culturally significant and a food source to the historic regions’ Indigenous people, sturgeon were almost regionally extinct from the Milwaukee River. The population fell to less than one percent, due to overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and poaching.
The Sept. 28 event is possible thanks to the work of year-long volunteers and the DNR. An event like Sturgeon Fest shows, not only that sturgeon are returning, but that we are revitalizing our culture and honoring ancestors.
For more information go to Sturgeon Fest 2025.
