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Bluff Land Coalition outlines regional bluff-protection plan, funding opportunities for Onalaska
Summary
The Bluff Land Coalition updated the council on a regional plan to protect bluff lands, described grant and county funding opportunities and asked municipalities to consider project partnerships; the coalition highlighted $193,000 currently available for projects and long-term funding needs.
Representatives of the Bluff Land Coalition briefed the Onalaska Common Council on their mission to create a contiguous network of protected bluff lands and recreation trails across the La Crosse–La Crescent region, and described funding and project opportunities for Onalaska.
Pat Wilson, president of the Bluff Land Coalition, said the coalition began after a 2016 study that mapped priority bluff areas and proposed regional conservation and recreation investments. “The bluff land coalition will establish an exceptional network of contiguous protected lands and recreation trails throughout the La Crosse La Crescent region,” Wilson said.
Marie Friedland, the county board representative, described funding that has been set aside by La Crosse County: $200,000 appropriated in a previous year and $100,000 approved last year, with roughly $193,000 currently available for allocation to local projects. Wilson said the coalition has completed or secured about 3,700 of the 7,000 acres envisioned in the plan through purchase, easements or other mechanisms and estimated the long-term cost to achieve the plan at $10 million to $15 million.
Wilson described typical project grants of around $10,000 used for trail connections, habitat restoration, reforestation and invasive species control, and said proposals require local municipal support—often a mix of staff time and 50% or more of local funding. The coalition invited Onalaska to apply for project funding and partner on regional trail and habitat projects; no council action was taken beyond receiving the report.
