WORTHLESS LAND? THIS IS HOW THE DNR DESCRIBED THE DUNES PICTURED ABOVE  AS YOU ENTER KOHLER ANDRAE STATE PARK. 

HERE'S THE LAND THEY ACCEPTED IN EXCHANGE

 

 

An agreement signed by former Wisconsin Governor Walker and orchestrated by the DNR to convey Kohler Andrae State Park land to the Kohler Company is against the interest of Wisconsin taxpayers and citizens. 

On February 28, 2018, the DNR presented two requests to the Natural Resources Board which the Board approved.

1. To remove from state conservation inventory, Kohler Andrae State Park acreage described by the DNR as innocuous and no longer needed for state conservation purposes.

2. To convey this land to the Kohler Company. This land was needed for the company's building of a maintenance, fuel and pesticide mixing complex. The land to be conveyed had been taken  by eminent domain in the 1960's from landowners to add to the state park. It was funded in part by the federal Land and Water Conservation Act. (LAWCON)

The DNR and the Natural Resources Board's actions ignored Wisconsin law- "state owned land within state park boundaries shall not be sold or otherwise disposed of.

The LAWCON Act has strict regulations regarding any private use of federally funded land. In order to convey the land to the Kohler Company, according to LAWCON law, the land could not be of conservation quality and a conversion to private land must be applied for at the National Park Service. After the NRB approvals, the DNR submitted an application  on behalf of Kohler to convert this "insignificant, worthless land" to private use. 

The application is flawed, contains misinformation on the value of the land which in reality is prime ecologically significant land, misrepresents its availability to the public, and contains no justification which benefits the public. 

These actions set bad precedent and invite further sell-offs of state resources subject to the political climate.

We ask Governor Evers to take these actions to keep Kohler Andrae State Park out of the hands of corporate ownership and ensure this never happens again to our state park lands.

1. Conduct a full legal review of the processes involved with the DNR's and NRB's actions
2. Review the DNR's LAWCON process including its application to the National Park Service
3. Review the agreement between the state and the Kohler Company which favors the Company over the interests of Wisconsin citizens and taxpayers. As of now, the company has no Wetland fill permit needed to start its project. The agreement has no time limit for the company to hold this land under pending conveyance.

We need to act now. No corporate takeover of Kohler Andrae State Park land. 

friendsblackriverforest.org