Is the economic gain from building a golf course worth the environmental impacts of filling in the wetland it would be built on?
Background
A wetland is a natural sponge that soaks up storm water, in which it contaminates and provides a rich wildlife habitat. These wetlands are important, because they help our environment by protecting and avoiding major floods to our communities. Wetlands help reduce flooding by 60% and help keep fish populations healthy. The Wisconsin legislature created laws to protect wetland filling because of the critical functions of wetlands, one being the purification of groundwater (which supplies 80% of our drinking water). In 2014, the Kohler Company decided they wanted to build a golf course in the wetland. Since the town of Wilson was against the project of building the golf course, the Kohler Company had sought the property’s annexation by the city of Sheboygan. This was accomplished in 2017.
The Status
Kohler Company is a luxury home appliance company, they began an expansion in 1873 in Sheboygan,Wisconsin. Next to the Kohler-Andrae Park, one of these wetlands can be spotted. This wetland provides rich nutrients to the environment and has a critical role by the black river. Former DNR staff previously told Wisconsin Watch they were pressured into approving the wetland permit “no matter what.” The latest ruling responded to the Friends’ challenge of the permit to fill wetlands. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Dec. 5 upheld decisions by an administrative law judge, and later the Sheboygan County Circuit Court, which found that Walker’s DNR erred in issuing the permit - in part because it lacked information to fully analyze adverse impacts to the environment, wetlands and water quality.
Solutions/Our Thoughts
Even though the permit has been revoked, there is always a possibility for the Kohler Company to petition for it to not be. Nonetheless, the permit should stay as revoked. The wetland is critical to the environment surrounding the black river in addition to the Kohler-Andrae Park. There is a reason why the court rejected the DNR permit, the court stated themselves that “whether the proposed project will result in ‘other significant adverse environmental consequences’ … beyond the physical footprint of directly impacted wetlands.”, meaning that there were bigger consequences on one side than the benefits of a golf course being implemented. Therefore, if this was already stated by the court, it makes sense to only keep the permit revoked.
The key to this issue being resolved will be disencouraging the Kohler Company from attempting to petition again. Although the wetland situation seems solved, there is always a potential of change, which could be more benefits of the golf course landsliding the consequences of draining a wetland. It has been informed that the Kohler Golf Course was going to produce large amounts of new tax revenue and provide multiple jobs. If the Kohler Company can somehow extend those benefits to a higher extent, then the wetland can be in danger if the court decides to give the company another chance if they present themselves with more significant evidence of their golf course plan being beneficial and not as effective to the environment around it. Either way, the Kohler company was deeply disappointed when their permit got revoked and decided that they would rather move on forward to other factors that can contribute to the company. The wetland stays safe for now, but the push for its importance should be exposed still, which can simply be done through making others aware of its benefits and how it personally affects people's daily lives and other organisms on earth.
References
COURT OF APPEALS OF WISCONSIN PUBLISHED OPINION. https://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=736819&fbclid=IwAR1ADqqEwTTd3qJj_GSVzDp9uIpvM_-GKicHExp75ZOtLoBld8QmJmwzkY4_aem_ATbW4WK35rRCbWjTF7Wb42FYipb2lmj21MJVby2yqK1GnGdZk_qkDjecEaYCKt5gk2iOK7X6iQvlWZij7r8g5y6o.
“Kohler Co. Golf Course Plans along Lake Michigan Dealt Another Setback.” PBS Wisconsin, https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/kohler-co-golf-course-plans-along-lake-michigan-dealt-another-setback/. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
Watch, Bennet Goldstein /. Wisconsin. “Kohler Co. Golf Course Plans along Lake Michigan Set Back Again.” Wisconsin Watch, 22 Dec. 2023, http://wisconsinwatch.org/2023/12/wisconsin-kohler-golf-course-lake-michigan-court-ruling/.
Special thanks to Mary Faydash from Friends of the Black River Forest for helping us go more into depth in this topic and giving us insight!
A wetland is a natural sponge that soaks up storm water, in which it contaminates and provides a rich wildlife habitat. These wetlands are important, because they help our environment by protecting and avoiding major floods to our communities. Wetlands help reduce flooding by 60% and help keep fish populations healthy. The Wisconsin legislature created laws to protect wetland filling because of the critical functions of wetlands, one being the purification of groundwater (which supplies 80% of our drinking water). In 2014, the Kohler Company decided they wanted to build a golf course in the wetland. Since the town of Wilson was against the project of building the golf course, the Kohler Company had sought the property’s annexation by the city of Sheboygan. This was accomplished in 2017.
The Status
Kohler Company is a luxury home appliance company, they began an expansion in 1873 in Sheboygan,Wisconsin. Next to the Kohler-Andrae Park, one of these wetlands can be spotted. This wetland provides rich nutrients to the environment and has a critical role by the black river. Former DNR staff previously told Wisconsin Watch they were pressured into approving the wetland permit “no matter what.” The latest ruling responded to the Friends’ challenge of the permit to fill wetlands. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Dec. 5 upheld decisions by an administrative law judge, and later the Sheboygan County Circuit Court, which found that Walker’s DNR erred in issuing the permit - in part because it lacked information to fully analyze adverse impacts to the environment, wetlands and water quality.
Solutions/Our Thoughts
Even though the permit has been revoked, there is always a possibility for the Kohler Company to petition for it to not be. Nonetheless, the permit should stay as revoked. The wetland is critical to the environment surrounding the black river in addition to the Kohler-Andrae Park. There is a reason why the court rejected the DNR permit, the court stated themselves that “whether the proposed project will result in ‘other significant adverse environmental consequences’ … beyond the physical footprint of directly impacted wetlands.”, meaning that there were bigger consequences on one side than the benefits of a golf course being implemented. Therefore, if this was already stated by the court, it makes sense to only keep the permit revoked.
The key to this issue being resolved will be disencouraging the Kohler Company from attempting to petition again. Although the wetland situation seems solved, there is always a potential of change, which could be more benefits of the golf course landsliding the consequences of draining a wetland. It has been informed that the Kohler Golf Course was going to produce large amounts of new tax revenue and provide multiple jobs. If the Kohler Company can somehow extend those benefits to a higher extent, then the wetland can be in danger if the court decides to give the company another chance if they present themselves with more significant evidence of their golf course plan being beneficial and not as effective to the environment around it. Either way, the Kohler company was deeply disappointed when their permit got revoked and decided that they would rather move on forward to other factors that can contribute to the company. The wetland stays safe for now, but the push for its importance should be exposed still, which can simply be done through making others aware of its benefits and how it personally affects people's daily lives and other organisms on earth.
References
COURT OF APPEALS OF WISCONSIN PUBLISHED OPINION. https://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=736819&fbclid=IwAR1ADqqEwTTd3qJj_GSVzDp9uIpvM_-GKicHExp75ZOtLoBld8QmJmwzkY4_aem_ATbW4WK35rRCbWjTF7Wb42FYipb2lmj21MJVby2yqK1GnGdZk_qkDjecEaYCKt5gk2iOK7X6iQvlWZij7r8g5y6o.
“Kohler Co. Golf Course Plans along Lake Michigan Dealt Another Setback.” PBS Wisconsin, https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/kohler-co-golf-course-plans-along-lake-michigan-dealt-another-setback/. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
Watch, Bennet Goldstein /. Wisconsin. “Kohler Co. Golf Course Plans along Lake Michigan Set Back Again.” Wisconsin Watch, 22 Dec. 2023, http://wisconsinwatch.org/2023/12/wisconsin-kohler-golf-course-lake-michigan-court-ruling/.
Special thanks to Mary Faydash from Friends of the Black River Forest for helping us go more into depth in this topic and giving us insight!