Friday, May 22, 2009

We're Still Hopeful

Barb Agnew, aka Butterfly Barb, has been the indomitable spirit behind the group pushing to save the Monarch Trail. After the disappointing vote by the County Board, where all but four supervisors gave up doing the right thing in favor of taking the easy way out, she wrote the following email to me and the other supporters. I reprint it here, unedited and with her full permission:
Dear Friends of the Monarch Trail and all nature lovers,

The County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the sale of the County Grounds today. There are 4 Supervisors that should be commended for thinking about the future and they worked very hard to delay the vote and get firmer language in the resolution; Supervisor Dimitrijevic, Weishan, Larson, and Lipscomb. Please send them applause in an email or call to thank them for REALLY understanding the issue.

I may never understand the notion that selling land for development is good for the environment no matter how sugar-coated with promises it is. Some Supervisors feel we should be glad they worked so hard on a “replacement” habitat”. But to sub-divide this last quadrant WILL have a devastating impact on the diverse wildlife that calls the County Grounds “home”.

There were memorable moments today, our letters were brought up many times and truly had an impact. Board Members were inundated with wonderful letters, emails and calls and some supervisors felt they deserved credit for reading them all. But somehow, all the opposition and good arguments we made, and the comments at the public hearing were not heard or maybe not fully understood because the “need to pass this now” just could not be undone.

I was particularly disturbed by Supervisor Rice when he compared the potential development to the southeast quadrant(the Hospitals, Medical College, Children’s etc) and how this could become that same type of economic generator. I hope he does not for-see that much development in the Monarch Habitat!

Well, enough about that, Supervisor West decided to support the resolution because she wanted to see the next step-What will this become?...
· First, a restoration plan must be drawn up that includes the needs of the Butterflies.

· This plan must include the input from; A UWM affiliate, Parks dept, Friends of the Monarch Trail, and the Milw public Museum’s Sue Borkin.

· This restoration plan needs to be approved by all parties and then goes on to the Board Parks Committee.
These steps will be meticulously thought out and drawn up and we will need input from people of all environmental perspectives. I will also request that in addition to the trust from MMSD, funding be made available from UWM to help implement the plan, This will assure they are sincere. We also hope they will consider placing a Field Station on-site to further protect and restore the habitat.

I am beginning to understand the meaning of a Long Journey, but the Monarchs have come back to the Grounds (May 19th) and if they can do it, so can we. Thanks, for taking time to write, and speak, and learn. In order to save the environment we must get involved in the political process that makes the decisions that will forever impact our world.

Butterflybarb

2 comments:

  1. I still do not understand your view on this issue. This is good for Milwaukee, good for UWM, good for the bio-tech industry, good for Wisconsin, and good for the butterflies when the area is protected.

    I am glad Sen. Sullivan pushed so hard for this project that will be an anchor for bio-tech industry for many years to come.

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  2. Milwaukee citizens wanted it downtown.

    UWM staff wanted it downtown.

    The bio-tech is a front for the developers that will build their hotels, restaurants and boutiques and then flip them for a large profit when the zoo interchange is done.

    And the disruption from the construction will ruin the ecological balance, destroying the trail.

    Hell, I normally vote Democratic, but if I lived in Tosa and found out Sullivan helped this happen, I would vote for Genghis Khan first.

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