Inside you will find: OEC EMPLOYEES RAISE $20,000 FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, DISTRICT MEETINGS SERVE AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION, CONGRATULATIONS BYRON NOLDE 2021 ACE Award Recipient, Holiday Saving Tips and much more.
News
Looking for Youth Tour Delegates
It’s the trip of a lifetime for sons and daughters of co-op members.
APPLY TODAY!
NRECA Youth Tour of Washington, D.C.
June 17-22, 2022
Oconto Electric is pleased to choose one delegate to represent our local co-op at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. The trip is hosted by NRECA and all expenses are paid by Oconto Electric, according to our cooperative principles to support youth and community.
Any current high school sophomore or junior whose parent or guardian is a residential member of Oconto Electric Cooperative is eligible. (Residential is defined as having the primary residence within OEC’s service territory.)
Applications must be submitted on or before December 17, 2021. Applications received after December 17, 2021, will not be considered.
Government-in-Action Youth Tour
Visiting a place like Washington, D.C., might sound like a far-away dream for high school students who grow up in rural Wisconsin. But every year, several cooperative students are given the opportunity to travel to the capital for an intensive weeklong tour—and it doesn’t cost them a dime.
In June, the Wisconsin Government-in-Action Youth Tour, sponsored by the state’s rural electric cooperatives in conjunction with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, sends select students on an all-expense-paid trip to the nation’s capital. In Washington, tour participants get to see with their own eyes, sights many have only experienced in history books or on television.
In addition to visiting monuments, museums, and historical sites that would be part of any standard tour, the students also fulfill the goal of then U.S. Sen. Lyndon Johnson, who inspired the Youth Tour in 1957, for young people to “actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”
Tour participants get to meet their Members of Congress, hear inspirational speakers, and interact with other Youth Tour participants from across the country. Additionally, Wisconsin students have the chance to witness in the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, see the Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima War Memorial, and tour the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives chambers.
During the intense week on the go—traveling, eating and touring together—many of the Youth Tour participants form fast friendships that continue after they return home. Inspired by their trip, many Youth Tour alumni have gone on to become co-op leaders or perform other public service. Ask almost any of the alumni about their experience, and they will describe it as “the trip of a lifetime.”
November Local WEC News Pages
Inside you will find: Students Driven to Innovation, Ways to Cook Up Energy Savings This Holiday Season, A Message from the Chairman, Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving Comes in Many Forms, and more.
October Local WEC News Pages
Inside you will find: October is National Co-op Month – Let’s Celebrate, Shop online FOCUS on ENERGY pop-up shop, Think Safety When Operating a Generator, SmartHub Engagement and more.
September Local WEC News Pages
Inside this month pages you will find:
TURNING THE LIGHTS BACK ON Summer Storms Impact Members & Activate ROPE Assistance
ELECTRICAL ACCIDENT IMPACTS COUPLE’S LIVES: ‘NORMAL BEFORE WILL NOT BE NORMAL AFTER’
MACHICKANEE FLOWAGE PARTIAL DRAWDOWN and more
August WEC News Local Pages
Inside: Do we have unclaimed capital credits for you?, OEC director Vern Gisenas passes away and more.
July WEC News Local Pages
Inside you will find: We’re Ready for Storm Season. Are you?, Right-Of-Way Clearing Improves Service for All, 2021 OEC Employee Charities, Concerns of Ongoing Pandemic Cancels Member Appreciation Picnic, and more.
Public Information Meeting
Stiles Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 1981) Machickanee Flowage Drawdown
Press Release
Oconto Electric Cooperative (OEC) will be hosting a public information meeting to provide the public with information about the proposed drawdown of the Machickanee Flowage. The meeting will be held on June 15, 2021, 1 PM, at the Stiles Town Hall, located at 5718 Watercrest Road, Lena, WI 54139.
OEC is planning a temporary five-foot drawdown at the Machickanee Flowage upstream of the Stiles Hydroelectric Project (Project). The purpose of the drawdown is management of aquatic invasive species, excessive plant growth, and consolidation of flowage substrate for the purpose of improvements to navigation.
The drawdown is scheduled to begin the week of July 5, 2021, weather dependent and following regulatory approval. The water level of the flowage will be lowered over approximately 10 to 14 days at an average rate of 3 to 6 inches per day (depending on rainfall). Once the maximum drawdown of five feet is reached, the water level will be maintained at this level for approximately 70 days. Upon drawdown completion, the flowage will be refilled over approximately 10 days to a level within the normal operational range. The total duration of the project is planned for approximately three months.
Public foot traffic in the exposed areas may pose a public safety risk. The public is asked to stay away from the exposed river/flowage bed. Additionally, picking items off the bed of the river, and disturbing sediment may require permits from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The public boat landing will be closed until the flowage is returned to normal water levels.
Please contact OEC at 920-846-2816 if you have any questions about this project.
Click here to view slideshow from the meeting.
Information on aquatic invasive species is available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website:
June WEC News Local Pages
Inside you will find: OEC 2021 Scholarship Recipients, A Day at the Farm – OEC Members Host Oconto County Breakfast on the Farm, Oconto Electric Hosts In-Person Annual Meeting, Machickanee Flowage Partial Drawdown Q&A, and more.
May WEC News Local Pages
Inside you will find: Beautify Your Yard, Not Utility Equipment, 3rd Grade Safety Poster Contest, Community Change, Youth Leadership Congress goes Virtual and more.