Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has put the final touches on the largest conservation deal in state history with an agreement that takes steps to address concerns that were raised when GOP lawmakers ejected state money for it nine months ago.
Last spring, the GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines to reject a Department of Natural Resources request for $4 million in state stewardship funds to pay for the easement in the Pelican River Forest.
At the time, Republicans were incensed that the agency had failed to tell the Natural Resources Board that Sugar Camp and the Town of Monico, two communities in the project area, had voted to oppose it before the board signed off on seeking state money for the project.
State Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk, also had concerns over how much land in her northern Wisconsin district the state was gobbling up. She told the committee the state had 5.9 million acres that it either owns or has an easement on to preserve the property. The three counties along the Pelican River Project — Oneida, Forest and Langlade — accounted for 1.9 million of that. She said for northern Wisconsin to be economically viable, it has to have opportunities to grow, including people being able to buy land and build homes.