What is new for Northwoods Drifter in 2026
A legal pad, a pen, and a laptop open to the state legislature website. That’s all it took for a group of Vilas County residents to change the course of local history.
For the past year, neighbors have gathered weekly at the Eagle River library — not for book club or coffee, but to decode the machinery of local government. Their timing couldn’t have been better.
When the Vilas County Board quietly moved to sell Riverside Park for development revenue, this self-educated group was ready to fight back.
Riverside Park sits tucked behind the Vilas County Fairgrounds, a green ribbon of public land hugging the Eagle River. To county officials eyeing budget shortfalls, it looked like underutilized real estate.
The board’s plan seemed straightforward: rezone the parcel from Parks and Recreational to residential, carve it into ten lots, and collect the tax revenue. In January, the Eagle River Planning Commission approved the zoning change 4-1, despite objections from roughly 25 residents.
“I truly don’t believe they thought that people cared,” said Annette Numrich, one of the library group’s core members. “And I guess we showed that we do.”
The weekly library meetings started simply enough. Residents wanted to understand how their local government actually worked — the kind of civics lesson most of us slept through in high school.
The group spent three months studying the U.S. Constitution, then moved on to Wisconsin State Statutes and county ordinances. They tracked bills on the legislature website, attended town board meetings, and encouraged neighbors to run for office.
“We’re trying to learn more about how things work,” explained Nancy Moriarty, another regular attendee. “I don’t see it as any sort of adversarial relationship.”
But when Riverside Park hit the auction block, those months of homework paid off. The group mobilized fast, bringing informed arguments and packed meetings to county officials who’d expected rubber-stamp approval.
“We’ve taken our constitution for granted. We’ve always assumed that it would always guide our government. I think we, as citizens, need to become more involved in the process.” — Annette Numrich
Riverside Park isn’t just a patch of grass. It’s one of the few public access points to the Eagle River Chain — a waterway that’s been central to this region since Old Copper Indians camped here over 4,000 years ago.
By the 1880s, lumberjacks had built a dam on the Wisconsin River and established a logging camp where the park now stands. A mercantile store opened on the north bank in 1883, marking the birth of what would become Eagle River.
Selling the park for residential development would have privatized that riverfront forever. Sure, the county planned to keep some outlots for public access, but neighbors saw through the compromise.
The citizen group’s pressure worked. The Vilas County Board reversed course and scrapped the sale.
Now a committee is forming to explore alternative futures for the park. The library group is already brainstorming ideas — community gardens, fishing piers, river overlooks, maybe outdoor performance space tied to Eagle River’s newly designated Downtown Historic District.
That National Register designation, approved last August, protects downtown’s historic character while unlocking tax credits for preservation projects. It’s a reminder that Eagle River is betting on heritage and public space, not just development dollars.
The group’s work extends beyond the park. They’re relaunching a leadership development program and hosting discussions around Ken Burns’ PBS documentary series on the American Revolution — because informed citizens don’t stop at one victory.
There’s something beautifully Northwoods about this story. No high-powered lawyers or political consultants — just neighbors with notebooks, learning the rules of the game.
“Some of the things that were happening on a day-to-day basis gave a lot of discussion points,” Numrich said, referring to how national events sparked local conversations about constitutional principles and government accountability.
The group insists they’re not politically partisan. They’re just residents who realized that local decisions happen whether you’re paying attention or not.
Their message to other Northwoods communities? You don’t need a law degree to influence local government. You need curiosity, persistence, and maybe a library card.
Riverside Park is safe for now, thanks to people who cared enough to show up. The Eagle River still flows through public land, accessible to anyone who wants to fish its banks or watch the morning mist lift off the water.
That’s worth more than ten tax bills, and a group of library regulars just proved it.
Written by
Mike has been coming up or living in the Northwoods since his childhood. He is also an avid outdoorsman, writer and supper club aficionado.
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