Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Monarch Trail Again Being Threatened

After the valiant efforts of people like the Friends of the Monarch Trail, especially Barb Agnew, several County Supervisors, notably John Weishan, and the gentle readers of this humble blogsite, the Monarch Trail was given a fighting, if slim, chance to survive.

Now the Trail is being threatened by a new enemy, WISDOT. Gretchen Schuldt gives us the story:
So WisDOT wants to destroy part of the butterfly trail. What is the impact of that? Will the butterflies settle for only part of a berm and wind break? Will the added noise and pollution from the closer, bigger freeway scare them off or kill them? Will the cumulative impact of the potential freeway project and the proposed construction of the UWM engineering school harm the habitat?

WisDOT doesn't even consider those things. After all, as the agency notes, the butterflies "have no special regulatory protection."

They are just in the way.

It is time again to pick up our phones, our pens, and our keyboards and again take to the defense of the Monarch Trail.
From an email I received this morning from Barb, including an email from Gretchen:

The public hearing for the EIS is today and tomorrow at State Fair Park. Details are here: http://citizensalliedforsanehighways.blogspot.com/2009/06/zoo-interchange-public-hearings-this.html

Comments on the EIS are due by July 13.

They should be sent to

Jim Liptack, project manager

Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Southeast Region

141 Barstow St.

Waukesha, WI 53187

dotdtsdsezoo@dost.state.wi.us

The EIS is at http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/sefreeways/docs/deis-home.pdf
Just be careful if you go to the State Fair Grounds. James Rowen is reporting that he is hearing rumors that WISDOT is being rather Stalinistic.

2 comments:

  1. So, who is in charge of the WISDOT? Of course, it is your favorite governor, Jim Doyle. Are you going after Doyle like you did on Walker? Nah, didn't think so.

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  2. When and if I find out that it was Doyle that specifically made this decision, you bet I will.

    I just don't know who's decision it is yet.

    Besides, Walker is a more immediate menace. And there are more than enough people going after Doyle, now isn't there?

    ReplyDelete