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NGPC lists Northeast District access upgrades and aquatic-habitat projects; Verdel ramp replacement set for 2025
Summary
NGPC Northeast District fisheries staff described recent access upgrades — including Grove Lake ramp repairs and a new floating fishing pier, a new kayak launch at Cramper Lake, and a pile-driven fishing deck at Willow Creek — and announced a planned $400,000 Verdel boat-ramp rebuild for late 2025.
Jeff Schuckman, fisheries manager for NGPC's Northeast District, outlined five recent or planned lake access and habitat projects and summarized the district's third aquatic habitat plan covering multiple lakes.
Completed and recent projects
- Grove Lake: South ramp received a new concrete approach, the access road was reshaped and crowned, drainage ditches added, parking regraded and banks sloped. A new floating fishing pier (about 100 feet) was installed in the lake's middle area to improve shore-fishing access; the north ramp received a full "pour and push" single-lane concrete ramp with an ADA pad at the boat ramp and a widened gravel parking lot.
- Cramper Lake (near Hubbard): A new kayak launch with an ADA pad and a sloped plastic pad/docking system designed to let users launch without getting feet wet was installed north of the boat ramp; staff said the area is intended as a drop-off/pick-up point rather than general parking and that the launch design has performed well.
- Willow Creek (near Pierce): After flood damage removed older jetties and decks in 2019, staff installed a pile-driven fishing deck with a long gangway and a new concrete parking lot and ADA pad. Additional jetty work will proceed as funding allows.
Planned and large projects
- Verdel boat ramp (Knox County, Missouri River): Schuckman said NGPC will rebuild the Verdel ramp in fall 2025 with a projected cost around "$400,000." The new design reduces slope to about 14 percent, eliminates the previous drop-off at the ramp end, and will include a double-wide concrete ramp with a center slide-in hybrid dock able to accommodate about 3 feet of elevation change. Staff warned that the November construction window may disrupt river access for duck hunters and fall anglers.
- Willow Creek aquatic-habitat renovation: The district's third aquatic habitat plan includes major work at Willow Creek — selective deepening, thousands of feet of offshore breakwaters, jetties, restoration of large woody debris habitat and shoreline angler access. Schuckman said the project is several years out and will require partners and substantial funding; it likely will require a drawdown and public input meetings before implementation.
Other habitat priorities discussed included Buckskin, Red Fox (Pilger), Twin Lakes (south of Bassett) and the need to remove carp from some lakes and install carp barriers at watershed outlets before renovation. On Twin Lakes, staff said they previously renovated the watershed and installed a carp barrier downstream of North Twin Lake; carp reentered from missed upstream locations, and additional bracketing and private-landowner cooperation are needed to prevent reinvasion.
Quotes and operational details
- On the Verdel ramp design: "There will be 3 feet of water over the end of the ramp even at the low water situations at the end of navigation," Schuckman said, describing the intended slope and center dock design.
- On timeline for Willow Creek: "We're a few years out on that. It's gonna be a big one, and it's gonna take a lot of money," Schuckman said, adding that public meetings will occur before any major drawdown or renovation.
Ending: Staff said the access improvements are intended to reduce congestion, improve ADA access where topography allows, and protect angler opportunities; larger habitat renovations will proceed only after planning, funding and public engagement.
