A message from Linn Beck, WITU Council Chair: Dear Friend of Wisconsin TU, Thank all of you for contacting all of the DNR representatives and expressing your concerns on the properties that were proposed to be coming up for sale by the state. The review process on these properties will be coming to an end and the fisheries review board will be presenting their recommendations on the properties that will be offered for sale to the Natural Resources Board. The Natural Resources Board then will review and offer the recommended properties for sale. Unfortunately we will not know these recommendations until they come up for sale which will then be too late.
I cannot express the gravity of this issue. This is a very important time and we still need to voice our opinions on the properties we deem to valuable to be offered for sale. This is the time for us to let the Natural Resources Board know that we really would like these properties to be taken off of the saleable land list. See below for the properties in question, and then there are some talking points to help express the importance of these properties.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has released a list of 118 parcels of land which are currently being reviewed for possible sale. These parcels are being considered due to a state law which requires the Natural Resources Board to make 10,000 acres of non-project land available for sale no later than June 30, 2017. Lands currently proposed for sale are located in 40 counties, and tally approximately 8,300 acres. Of the lands identified, 5,387 acres are proposed for sale to the public. 2,575 acres are proposed for sale to Wisconsin’s counties, or other units of government. Finally, 325.5 acres are proposed for sale to Wisconsin Tribal Nations.
To be plain, the law involved and the disposition of State-owned land is the subject of great debate. That debate is not intended to be solved by this e-mail however, and our members are, as always, free to their opinions.
Several of the parcels proposed for sale, however, pose great concern to Wisconsin Trout Unlimited. First, several spring pond parcels in Langlade County have been proposed for sale. Langlade County has the world’s greatest concentration of spring ponds, and such ponds are destination fisheries for numerous anglers. Such ponds also provide a uniquely accessible opportunity for handicapped anglers. Continue reading – http://www.tu.org/blog-posts/action-alert-dnr-land-sales-could-affect-access-to-trout-waters