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Germantown amends code to allow hunting in Wilderness Park to accommodate DNR/MMSD grant terms
Summary
The Village Board approved an ordinance amendment allowing hunting in Wilderness Park so the municipality can meet grant-related hunting requirements on a parcel purchased with stewardship funds while preserving future control of hunting locations, officials said.
The Germantown Village Board voted March 3 to amend municipal code section 9.02 to allow hunting in Wilderness Park, following staff advice that the change would satisfy conditions attached to a stewardship grant used for another parcel and give the village flexibility if land use changes in the future.
Staff explained the background: the Golden Dale Creek parcel was purchased by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) with Knowles-Nelson stewardship grant funds that impose certain land-use restrictions, including making hunting allowable there. Village staff and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommended transferring the hunting requirement to Wilderness Park, a larger, more remote parcel with fewer users, to reduce conflicts as the Goldendale area develops.
“This parcel was purchased using stewardship grant funds and those grant funds place some restrictions on the use of the land,” the staff memo summarized; staff recommended the transfer to Wilderness Park as a safer long-term arrangement. Trustees and staff discussed safety, existing MMSD hunting maps and the fact that Wilderness Park is largely wetlands and sparsely populated. Trustee Terry Kaminski noted that the planned change would create a more contiguous area for safe hunting use with adjacent MMSD lands.
Trustee Jan Miller raised concerns about introducing hunting on any village land and asked whether the Goldendale property is currently a park. Staff clarified that Goldendale had been acquired and that hunting had been allowed because of the grant terms; the proposed code change would let the village maintain hunting access on the stewardship-funded parcel but shift the primary hunting location to Wilderness Park. DNR and MMSD staff had advised that the swap would be acceptable.
Trustees approved the ordinance amendment by voice vote; the meeting record shows a majority in favor and one opposition. Staff said the change preserves the village’s future authority to prohibit hunting at Goldendale Creek if surrounding development later makes hunting unsafe, while aligning village rules with neighboring MMSD properties that already permit hunting in appropriate areas.
No changes to licensing, seasons, safety requirements or required hunter permissions were proposed in the ordinance amendment; staff said existing state hunting regulations and MMSD permit procedures would continue to apply to lands where hunting is allowed.
