Dear Friends,

Confronting anti-scenic billboard bills, advocating saving monarch butterflies, and fighting unwanted billboards, we actively  engaged state legislators and the public.

Testimony against relocating billboards

Board member Vernie Smith testified on behalf of Scenic Wisconsin against bills intended to allow outdoor advertising signs  which need to be removed to make way for highway reconstruction to be transferred to a place elsewhere in the community.  The bills would allow relocation by the Department of Transportation even if the signs do not conform to local ordinances. They would undermine local community efforts at highway beautification.

The companion bills SB 497 and AB 502 were the subject of public hearings of the Senate Transportation Committee and
the Assembly Transportation Committee in the state capitol in Madison in November. An additional provision would require  that the DOT pay the cost of relocating a billboard whenever a public project affects the billboard’s visibility.

Testimony against cutting down trees for better views of billboards

Vernie also testified against a set of bills SB 525 and AB 521 that would eliminate supervision by the DOT of clear-cutting  trees and shrubs that reduce visibility of billboards along state and federal highways. The bills would allow billboard owners  to apply only once to clear-cut trees whenever they want into the future. The DOT uses and manages trees and shrubs for  highway safety, for example, as snow, wind and light screens, and to prevent soil erosion and flooding. The testimony also took place in November and was particularly effective because of Vernie’s use of an exhibit showing in three dimensions how  vegetation would be lost, and along with it scenic beauty.

Action to advance butterfly protection bills

Wildlife is a scenic asset, and Scenic Wisconsin has engaged in action to help protect the beautiful and endangered  monarch butterfly. Scenic Wisconsin president Gary Goyke hosted a press conference at the Butterfly Gardens in Appleton  to introduce bills that would make the monarch butterfly the official Wisconsin state butterfly. Making a strong case for the  butterfly was Butterfly Gardens founder Jack Voight. The bills are intended to bring needed public awareness and appreciation to the monarch, which is an endangered species that has lost 90% of its population since 1990. Monarch  butterflies contribute to Wisconsin’s scenic beauty, and they also help pollinate fruits and vegetables that are part of our food supply.

In September, board member Jason Haas spoke on behalf of Scenic Wisconsin in favor of the bill, AB 322, before the  Assembly Committee on the Environment. In October, the Committee approved the bill for a vote by the full Assembly.

Removal of unwanted billboards

The owner of a popular pizza restaurant, Cranky Pat’s in Neenah, bought an adjoining lot to expand his park-
ing area. What David Earle did not know was how hard it would be to remove the two billboards that stand on
the lot. David invited Gary to come to the site to fully understand the problem, which is that the billboards are on
a perpetual lease, no matter who owns the land they stand on. David came to a meeting of the Scenic Wiscon-
sin board in May to make a plan to get the billboards removed. In attendance was David’s state representative,
Dean Kaufert, former mayor of Neenah. Currently, indications are that we will not be able to change the law to
nullify perpetual leases of billboards

Help us Continue to Advocate for Wisconsin’s Scenic Beauty

It takes financial support to continue to defend scenery against the self-serving actions of the well-funded outdoor advertising  industry. Please contribute as much as you are willing and able to. Return the enclosed slip with your check in  the enclosed envelope.

Alternatively, you can contribute electronically. Go to the Scenic Wisconsin website scenicwisconsin.org and simply click on “membership” and follow the instructions.

Your past support has kept us going this far. Please help us keep fighting to make our mission statement a bigger part of Wisconsin’s future.

We wish our friends and supporters a very Happy and Successful New Year!

Garv Govke. President
Charlie Mitchell, Founder