The Western Kenosha County portion of the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. (See link below for larger map of full study area.)
The Fish and Wildlife Service will host two open houses this week in Wisconsin regarding the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.
The open houses will be:
- Wednesday, Oct. 20, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Bristol Municipal Building, 19801 83rd St., Bristol.
- Thursday, Oct. 21, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lake Geneva City Hall, 626 Geneva St., Lake Geneva.
From the Fish and Wildlie Service website:
An Environmental Assessment will be prepared as part of the evaluation of the Refuge proposal, and public comment is an important part of that process. Fish and Wildlife Service planners want to hear what you think of the proposal to establish a new national wildlife refuge in southeast Wisconsin and northeast Illinois. For example:
- Are there natural resources that you believe need to be conserved?
- What are the threats to conservation?
- What are the best means to conserve the resources of the area?
- Are there specific issues that should be addressed in planning?”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in April that it would conduct a study to determine if the establishment of a national wildlife refuge in several counties along the Wisconsin and Illinois border between Milwaukee and Chicago would be appropriate. The area authorized for consideration includes 10,000 to 30,000 acres within the Illinois counties of Lake and McHenry and the Wisconsin counties of Kenosha, Racine and Walworth.
Here is a map of the study area. The Kenosha County portion of the proposed refuge lies basically west of Highway 83/75 and includes all or portions of Salem, Brighton, Wheatland, Randall, Paddock Lake and Twin Lakes.
Here is the preliminary project proposal.
Here is a list of frequently answered questions about the proposed refuge provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service that says in part:
- Lands that are acquired are protected from development.
- Lands are typically acquired only from willing sellers.
- Use of privately owned land not in the refuge is not restricted (other than by local laws).
