TOWN OF GRAFTON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has asked that some fence posts installed in the water at Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve in the Town of Grafton be removed.
The fence went up in June at the north end of the public beach in Ozaukee County. It is marked with trespassing signs and monitored by a trail camera. While part of the fence would still remain standing, the DNR tells TMJ4 that beachgoers are okay as long as they keep their feet wet.
WATCH: Wisconsin DNR asks that some fence posts be removed from Lion's Den Gorge beach
The agency says it has not issued any citations related to the fence but is working through its "stepped enforcement process," which remains ongoing.
The dispute is unfolding against a broader legal backdrop. Beach access in Wisconsin in front of private homes is a contested issue, with homeowners relying on decades of legal precedent to assert their property rights. Those precedents are currently being challenged in a separate case in Milwaukee County.
Parkgoers at Lion's Den said the fence caught them off guard.
"We would have walked the entire beach. We were kind of excluded from one side," said Gina Moran, who was visiting from South Milwaukee. "It seems a little strange that people have exclusive rights to the lake. The lake should belong to everybody."
Amanda Cespedes, another parkgoer, said she had followed the beach access debate in the news and welcomed the DNR's involvement in Ozaukee County — even with part of the fence still in place.
"I remember seeing it on the news, and thinking, 'ok well, that's what they are talking about,'" Cespedes said. "You don't want to make anybody upset, but you also want to explore the whole beach area."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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