111

consultation 

and coordination

Public Involvement

P

l a n n i n g f o r t h e future of the Ice Age Complex 

began in fall 2007 with a workshop to develop a set of 

desired future conditions for the site. This workshop involved 

representatives of the NPS Ice Age National Scenic Trail office, 

as well as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Ice Age Trail Alliance 

(then called the Ice Age Trail Foundation). Shortly after that 

workshop, the decision was made to move beyond a set of 

desired future conditions to a full general management plan for 

the complex as a joint NPS/WDNR plan.

Chapter Five

Meetings were held first with 

local officials in summer 2008 

and then with the general 

public to announce the 

beginning of the planning 

process for the general 

management plan. The 

National Park Service solicited 

public comments on the 

scope of the plan by mailing 

newsletters to an extensive 

mailing list maintained by 

the Ice Age Trail offices, as 

well as a list maintained by 

the Department of Natural 

Resources. Notices were 

published in local newspapers 

to announce the beginning of 

the planning process. A project 

website was made available 

through the NPS “Planning, 

Environment, and Public 

Comment” (PEPC) website 

(http://parkplanning.nps.

gov/). Two public meetings, 

one in Cross Plains, Wisconsin, 

and the other in Middleton, 

Wisconsin, were well-attended. 

The public entered comments 

directly into the PEPC website 

and sent comments through 

the mail. Comments were 

also recorded on flipcharts at 

meetings. Public input yielded 

a total of 275 comments. 

History of the 

planning process 

through today.

FINAL GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
112 ICE AGE COMPLEX AT CROSS PLAINS

CHAPTER FIVE CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION

The planning team took public comments 

into account as it crafted the preliminary 

alternatives. The preliminary alternatives 

were then presented for public review in 

September 2009. The National Park Service 

prepared a second newsletter that presented 

the preliminary alternatives and announced 

public meetings. The newsletter was sent to 

members of the mailing list and uploaded 

to the NPS PEPC website, and notices were 

again published in local media to announce 

the meetings. The Ice Age National Scenic 

Trail staff and members of the local planning 

team offered tours of the complex to members 

of the community so they could get to know 

the site and be able to visualize how the 

management alternatives might change it. 

Local officials were briefed on the alternatives 

in advance of the general public. This second 

public input process yielded a total of 428 

comments. The proposal to limit access to Old 

Sauk Pass prompted questions and concerns 

on the part of those living in the area of the 

complex, so a separate meeting was held with 

those neighbors and with representatives of 

the town of Cross Plains (which has authority 

over that road) to discuss the concerns. One 

result of this discussion was the town of Cross 

Plains’ resolution included in this document as 

appendix B. 

The planning team reviewed public comments 

on the preliminary alternatives and took those 

comments into account as it analyzed, in detail, 

the costs, advantages, and environmental 

impacts of the alternatives. That process also 

contributed to the creation of a new alternative 

(“Alternative 5: Preferred Alternative”) that 

could potentially yield the highest advantage 

and best value. This general management plan / 

environmental impact statement was then 

written, reviewed internally, and distributed 

for public review and comment.

Tribal Consultation

The following tribes were contacted in May 

2008 (at the beginning of the planning process) 

to inquire of their interest in participating in 

the process:

Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma

Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri 

in Kansas and Nebraska

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe 

of Chippewa

Oneida Tribe of Indians in Wisconsin

Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

Forest County Potawatomi Community 

of Wisconsin

Sokaogon Chippewa Community, 

Mole Lake Band

Lac du Flambeau Band 

of Lake Superior Chippewa

Lac Courte Oreilles Band 

of Lake Superior Chippewa 

Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi 

in Iowa

Stockbridge Munsee Community 

of Wisconsin

Ho-Chunk Nation

Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

None of these tribes responded to the 

invitational letters, but they were included 

on the mailing list and sent copies 

of the newsletters as the planning 

process progressed. 
FINAL GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 113

Chapter Five Consultation and Coordination

Federal Agencies 

Consultation

The following agencies were contacted in 

May 2008 (at the beginning of the planning 

process) to let them know the process had 

been initiated and to inquire of their interest 

in it:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Green Bay Field Office 

U.S. Natural Resources 

Conservation Service

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

U.S. Federal Highway Administration

U.S. Geological Service

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Forest Service

Wisconsin State 

Historic Preservation 

Office Consultation

The Wisconsin Historical Society is 

the federally designated State Historic 

Preservation Office. The society was consulted 

before actions were proposed that could affect 

cultural resources at the Ice Age Complex. 

The structures at the core of the property 

that had belonged to the Wilkie family (and 

before them, the Lowe family) had not been 

formally evaluated for historic significance 

prior to initiation of the planning process. The 

National Park Service evaluated the structures 

and the landscape surrounding them and 

discussed their potential eligibility for listing in 

the National Register of Historic Places with 

the Wisconsin Historical Society. The society 

concluded that the Lowe-Wilkie farm is not 

eligible in the area of architecture or for its 

association with the area of settlement. The 

letter expressing the society’s conclusion is 

included in this chapter.

The State Historic 

Preservation Office 

received a copy of 

the notification letter 

indicating the National 

Park Service and the 

Wisconsin Department 

of Natural Resources 

were initiating a General 

Management Plan for the Ice

Age Complex at Cross Plains. 

The National Park Service 

sent the letter to the State 

Historic Preservation Office, 

along with federal agencies, at 

the beginning of the General 

Management Plan process. Two 

examples of the notification 

letter are included in this chapter.

Wisconsin State

Historic Preservation

Office
114 ICE AGE COMPLEX AT CROSS PLAINS

CHAPTER FIVE CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION

Consultation Letters and Responses
FINAL GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 115

Chapter Five Consultation and Coordination

RECEIVED
116 ICE AGE COMPLEX AT CROSS PLAINS

CHAPTER FIVE CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION
FINAL GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 117

Chapter Five Consultation and Coordination
118 ICE AGE COMPLEX AT CROSS PLAINS

CHAPTER FIVE CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION