AMENDING THE 2020 LAND RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT BUDGET AND AUTHORIZING THE USE OF BADGER ARMY AMMUNITION CARRYFORWARD FUNDS

The Badger Reuse Plan called for approximately 7,500 acres of land within the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP) to be managed as a whole.  The plan also called for the creation of a Badger Oversight and Management Commission (BOMC) to include representatives from the Department of Natural Resources, the Ho-Chunk Nation, Sauk County, the Town of Merrimac, and the Town of Sumpter.  The Commission was to facilitate, promote, and monitor the implementation of the Badger Reuse Plan.  Funds from the Ho-Chunk Intergovernmental Agreement were placed within the former Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Budget were to accommodate for any administration, operational, or staff related expenses associated with the mission of the BOMC Commission. 

Over time, the Commission stopped meeting.  The last agenda posted for a BOMC meeting was August 4, 2015.  The land was divided amongst four property owners and there has been no interest expressed by those property owners to continue the efforts of the BOMC.  The funds now located within the Land Resources and Environment Department budget continue to be carried forward from year to year.  The options for the funds are to continue to carry those funds forward or identify potential projects that may utilize the funds in a manner consistent with their original intent providing that the use is not a prohibited use that diminishes the Nation’s intergovernmental jurisdiction or has an adverse financial impact on the Nation. 

The Friends of the Great Sauk State Trail led an initiative to place interpretative panels within Phase 2 of the Great Sauk State Trail.  This segment of the trail passes through the former Badger Army Ammunition property.  The intent of the signs was to share with those utilizing the trail a glimpse at the area’s unique history, ecology, and the ongoing changes to the area’s landscape as restoration of the area continues.  

In the absence of BOMC, the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance has been engaged in the efforts to bring the current landowners at Badger together on issues of importance, and forge consensus related to land management, public education, research, and habitat restoration. The Land Resources and Environment Committee, in concert with the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance, have identified several projects, which utilize the funds in a manner that the Committee views as consistent with their original intent and would be allowable under the existing Intergovernmental Agreement.  These projects consist of:

Ecological Restoration – Create a Restoration Plan for the GSST Prairie Corridor and revitalize a Restoration Advisory Team once implemented to do site preparation, seed collection, and sowing to create a native prairie corridor along the GSST.
Public Education – Develop a Badger Tour Guide Training Manual, conduct workshops, create and conduct a schedule of public tours of Badger, and plan and coordinate monthly volunteer workdays at Badger to further engage the citizens.
Research – Develop a research plan for the combined Badger Lands, which brings together landowners and academics.

In order to move forward with those projects in 2020, a resolution by the County Board authorizing their use for a different purpose and a budget amendment for the identified projects is necessary.