The Waubesa Wetlands, located at the southwestern edge of Lake Waubesa, are home to a plethora of plant and animal species. As a source of ecological and aesthetic importance, the Wetlands are one of the area’s prized locations, named one of the state’s “100 Wetland Gems” by the Wisconsin Wetland Association. But this rich and beautiful area is currently threatened by a proposed plan to develop the 924-acre Northeast Neighborhood of Fitchburg, which lies near the wetlands. Despite testimony from several experts, the Capitol Area Regional Planning Commission (CARPC) may be pushing forward to do just that, with potentially disastrous results.
Right now, the Northeast Neighborhood mostly consists of farmland and forest, and these drain into Swan Lake, which then runs into the wetlands and Lake Waubesa. The wetlands serve as a source of pure water to the southern end of Waubesa, without which this part of the lake would receive too much runoff and stagnant water. These wetlands also serve as an important biological nursery, housing young Pike and protecting them from predators, and a seasonal home to Sandhill Cranes. Were development to occur in this area, pollutants would threaten these and many other species, plant and animal.
Furthermore, the development of the Northeast Neighborhood isn’t at all necessary at the moment to accommodate any influx of new residents to Fitchburg. There are already over 1000 acres of developable land in the Urban Service Area, much of it owned by developers or ready to be sold by landowners.
A development around the wetlands would not only be a bad solution to the problem, it would be a bad solution to a problem that doesn’t even exist! New residents in this area would face dangers of unhealthy water supply as the municipal water systems struggle to provide fresh water to homes in an outlying area, as well as danger of flooding in the southeast part of the Northeast Neighborhood and possible inadequate fire protection, all due to a project that was never needed in the first place.
Regardless of all this, and against the advice of wetland and ecology experts, the Fitchburg Common Council has already approved the first part of development in this area, and CARPC will vote on the rest of it on Thursday, November 13. There is still time to act, to exercise our right to speak on the matter, and to urge CARPC to reject further harmful developments in this neighborhood, protecting the Waubesa Wetlands and preserving our natural resources for future generations.
We can show our support by attending the meeting on the 13th at the City Council Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Room 351. This meeting is open to the public, so make it if you can - stand up for the Waubesa Wetlands!
Nicholas is a senior and an intern for Progressive Dane focusing on local environmental issues. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
