Monday, February 22, 2010

Last Stand For The County Grounds

From Milwaukee County First:

We have received an urgent call to action from the Friends of the Monarch Trail and the Riverkeepers:

Our last line of participation in preserving the butterfly habitat is being “fast-tracked” through Wauwatosa .

We need as many people to attend this Economic Development meeting at

Wauwatosa City Hall ,

this Tuesday 23rd! 8 pm.

76th and North Ave.

Everyone please come and support us with your presence!

We will ask questions about the planning process on this land and our watchful eyes will impact their decisions.

Q Why is the habitat plan is being separated from the UWM Proposal-are we being shut out of future discussions?

Q. If this habitat plan is approved by Wauwatosa will we still be able to improve and enhance these concepts as promised by the County Board Supervisors?

The Monarch Habitat is more important than ever. Their numbers are at an all-time-low, there is devastating flooding in their overwintering sites, and the continued loss of habitat will be the demise of this once common butterfly.

See you there!

In what could be perceived as a violation of due process rights due to such short notice, the Wauwatosa Common Council will be having a committee meeting and vote on the fate of the county grounds.

Besides the very short notice and the fact that they have separated the Monarch habitat issue from the rest of the equation is only the beginning of the stink from these maneuvers.

For example, we have learned today that the planned area of development expanded from the original 850,000 square feet to 1,192,200 square feet. That is a 40% higher amount of land that they want to develop than previously stated! Does anybody really think that won’t have an effect on the habitat?

Furthermore, besides lying that they have the money for the development, UWM is also lying about the plan saying it was approved for the entire habitat to be moved eastward, and that “the butterflies will just follow along.” What a load of rubbish!

The Monarch butterflies already have had their numbers severely diminished due to the excessive logging that has occurred in their winter nesting grounds. But to make matter much, much worse, the colony was devastated by a freak winter storm that killed tens of millions of them.

Experts are concerned if they will be able to withstand another devastating blow without getting some help. Destroying one of their major migratory stops in order to build yet another hotel or strip mall is not going to give them the help they desperately need.

Please show up and let the Tosa Common Council know that their decision could have long-lasting and serious implications felt around the world, and that they should not make it in a hurry on a plan that they haven’t had a chance to do more than skim over.

2 comments:

  1. Just a question, why does the Tosa Common Council have a say about the County grounds?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The county grounds are within Tosa's borders. Anything that would happen there would have to be approved by the County and by Tosa.

    ReplyDelete