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Great Lakes
Article:
Wisconsin governor approves six land
purchases
Associated Press
Published November 8th, 2004
WAUNAKEE, Wis. - Gov. Jim Doyle signed off Monday on
using more than $3 million from the state's stewardship
fund to buy 1,100 acres of land for conservation efforts.
Doyle's action Monday puts six separate land parcels
under state ownership.
"We are able to preserve our precious rivers, lakes,
forests, and lands for future generations to enjoy,"
Doyle said in a written statement.
Doyle signed documents approving the purchases during
an event at Gov. Nelson State Park.
The purchases will help complete the Ice Age Trail, which
follows the path of the last glacier that cut its way
through Wisconsin thousands of years ago. The land buys
also will provide opportunities for fishing and hunting,
preserve fish and wildlife habitat and protect water quality
in the Milwaukee and Wisconsin rivers, Doyle said.
The state's stewardship fund sets aside $60 million in
bonds each year to protect state land from development,
with Wisconsin spending about $5 million annually to pay
off the long-term bonds.
The purchases were:
_200 acres for the Ice Age Trail in Polk County. When
completed, the Ice Age Trail will run through much of
Wisconsin from Door County south through the Kettle Moraine
State Forest to Janesville, and then north through Devil's
Lake State Park to northwestern Wisconsin.
_266 acres including the North Branch Milwaukee River
Wildlife and Farming Heritage Area in Sheboygan County,
to protect farmland from development, manage the area
for wildlife populations and protect water quality.
_238 acres to expand the Clam Lake Wildlife Area in Burnett
County. Two bald eagles nest within a half-mile of the
parcel.
_227 acres in the Lulu Lake State Natural Area in Walworth
County.
_87 acres in the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Walworth
County to help restore plant communities.
_103 acres along the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Land
in Crawford County, to provide land for public recreation,
scenic protection and wildlife habitat management.
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