Thursday, February 22, 2018

2/28 Kohler-state land deal screams special interest access

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board - - its membership and direction firmly controlled by Gov. Walker and his 'chamber of commerce mentality' environmental wrecking ball - - is poised at its 2/28 meeting to sign off on redrawing the boundaries and altering the integrity of popular Kohler Andrae State Park.

To facilitate for a key Walker donor the construction of an upscale, privately-owned golf course bulldozed into a heavily-wooded 247-acre Lake Michigan shoreline wetland/rare dune/historic artifact and migrating bird habitat-rich nature preserve next door to the state park.

Why would this public oversight board do such a thing?

Call the 2/28 deal and meeting a case study in special interest access, privilege and donor power - - or a Wednesday in Walker's Wisconsin.

Plenty of specific details about impacts of the proposed project are in this post, here.

People can attend the 2/28 meeting in Madison - - and also speak there - - to witness for themselves special interest access to government and public resources in action.

And to grasp how land held in trust for the public in Walker's 'chamber of commerce mentality' administration is 'managed' even by the WNRB which is supposed to be an oversight board for the Department of Natural Resources, a beaten-down agency stripped of staff, science and funding since early 2011 by Walker's business-obeisant political appointees to become a Department of Commerce..

Basically, the land deal that awaits its rubber-stamp after behind-the-scenes negotiations - - and more state staff time on the taxpayer's meter since 2014 for a single person's privately-managed business - - has emerged in a process not much different than had the parties been two weekend shoppers who closed out out email deal in person to swap Beanie Babies for collectible beer cans at the local Rummage-o-Rama - - but note that if you want to comment at the 2/28 meeting there is a speaking registration deadline that closes tomorrow morning, so here's what you need to know:

*  This is the item in question - - 2.
B.3 on the agency's 2/28 agenda
Land Exchange and Easement – John Michael Kohler State Park – Sheboygan County. 
 *  Here is the registration, comment and meeting location information: 

Public Participation Deadline: NRB Liaison receipt of your request to testify and/or written comment is 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 23, 2018.

Please contact Laurie Ross, NRB Liaison, at 608-267-7420 or by email at laurie.ross@wisconsin.gov with NRB related questions, to request information, to submit written comments, to register to attend a Board tour, and to register to testify at a meeting or listening session.
WISCONSIN NATURAL RESOURCES BOARD
AGENDA
For meeting at:
Room G09, State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2)
101 South Webster Street
Madison, Wisconsin
Wednesday, February 28, 2018


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