Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Greendale Rep. Serves One Natural/Cultural Gem, Ignores Others

I've brought up on this blog more than once the insensitive statements made by GOP State Rep. Jeff Stone about the state's exclusion earlier this year of Native American participation as the Assembly wrote a mining bill to help enable a massive open-pit iron ore mine at the edge of Ojibwe lands and rice-growing water in Northwest Wisconsin.

And it occurred to me Stone's words ring even more hollow because he lives in and represents the Milwaukee County suburban Village of Greendale - - a special, charming, historic and planned community that rightly maximizes its proximity to nature, not unlike communities in the Penokee Hills which the mine would change forever.

One standard for Greendale and its "gentle hills," and one for the Penokee Hills?  

From Greendale's website:
The site of the development, adjacent to beautiful Whitnall Park, was chosen for its gentle hills, thick wooded areas, and scenic ponds. One of three “Greenbelt” communities in the country, the historic village of Greendale was built on the “garden city” model, in which housing was situated within easy walking access of gardens, employment and a town center...

Residents continue to enjoy lush green spaces, outstanding municipal services, thriving businesses and a highly rated school district...Visitors, and residents alike, savor the community’s heritage, and newcomers as well as founding families are committed to preserving Greendale’s rich history and small town charm.
Also from the website, a few lines from its Smart Growth plan:
1.    Preserve the Village’s diverse environmental and natural resources, including its waterways, woodlands, and open spaces that support local flora and fauna.
2.    Protect Greendale’s natural and historic charm through retaining the traditional suburban character of the Village.
3.    Maintain and enhance access to parks, open space, integrated pathways, and a wide range of recreational programs and facilities that help preserve Greendale’s quality of life.
4.    Preserve and enhance Greendale’s community character, including the distinct identities of the Village’s neighborhoods, districts, and corridors, while directing growth and development.
Imagine what an open-pit mine at the Village borders would do to "Greendale's natural and historic charm..."

Or in Waukesha's Lake Country?


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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 11, 2012 at 2:16 PM

    For them it is NIMBY.

    For the rest of us it's F... U we have the power.

    ReplyDelete
  2. GarethDecember 11, 2012 at 4:36 PM

    Iron mines in northern Minnesota have already devastated the wild rice crops. This isn't conjecture, it is a proven fact. In Conservative lingo, this would be called an "illegal taking". The Cons can write this mining law any way they want, it won't hold up in Federal court when the treaties come into play. Not giving the tribes a seat at the table will then be viewed as an act of bad faith--Injunction granted.

    Here is a two year old story from Minnesota Public Radio on the destruction of wild rice crops due to iron mining:

    http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/11/28/wild-rice-standards/

    ReplyDelete
  3. BetseyDecember 11, 2012 at 10:46 PM

    I'd like to build an open pit mine . . . and push Jeff Stone into it. Or at least make him drink one glass of the excellent water effluent from the clean mining process.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 12, 2012 at 2:00 PM

    All these fake conservatives pretend they are all about free enterprise but they hate new technology and could never do all this destruction without using big government to push it through. they claim to be in love with business abut all they love is free subsidies and quick profits.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 13, 2012 at 4:53 AM

    Actually the wild rice in Minnesota seems to be doing better than the rice in the Kakagon sloughs.

    ReplyDelete