Thursday, December 7, 2017

Contrast public land conservation in WI with bulldozing for profit

Just a half-hour's drive in Wisconsin between bordering Washington and Sheboygan Counties separates saving woods and wetlands for the public from bulldozing another nature preserve for private gain.

Take a look at the work for the public by the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust in the 73-acre Kratzsch Conservancy near West Bend

as chronicled at the Urban Wilderness blog by the peerless conservation photographer/writer Eddee Daniel:
The property contains 14 acres of wetlands, 24 acres of forests and 37 acres of grasslands. [Land Stewardship manager Ryan] Wallin explained that the trails are being managed in a way that tries to balance the needs of wildlife with the expectations of human visitors. For example, trails are designed to circumscribe open areas because cutting a trail through the middle of a prairie would degrade it as a habitat for certain species, particularly ground-nesting birds.
Then drive to the northeast for about a half hour.

And look at what Kohler corporate interests, the Walker-controlled Department of Administration and Department of Natural Resources he has shamefully-weakened as part of his long war against the environment for partisan advantage are coordinating for politically-linked private gain.

On a 247-acre nature preserve and some state park land along Lake Michigan south of Sheboygan:
A property annexation and re-mapping which the City of Sheboygan and Kohler interests used to steer a controversial golf course project away from opponents in the neighboring Town of Wilson now comes with a side dish of litigation. 

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