Milwaukee, Wisconsin Council of Churches, Indigenous Environmental Network, Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, and the Madison Audubon Society. Dear Ms. Smith, Senator Feingold, Senator Kohl, and Mr. Nelson, Through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Ho-Chunk Nation has made a formal request to GSA that approximately 3050 acres of property at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant be transferred in trust for the benefit of the Nation. The BAAP land has very important historic and cultural significance to the Ho-Chunk people. The preservation of the history of the Ho-Chunk Nation and successor communities of the great Sauk Prairie Land is fundamentally important. It preserves the past while preparing the future.
Land is permanent and stable, a source of spiritual origins and sustaining belief.
Land is an important social institution, one intimately connected to the environment, resource management, heritage preservation and economic development. Through community operation and integrated land use planning, it is possible to preserve, conserve and protect the Natural Resources of this State. It is possible through a collaborative effort, joint support and mutual assistance to restore the Sauk Prairie. With the efforts of community, farmers, environmentalists, sports-persons, conservation groups, historians and local and tribal government, the restoration, remediation and protection of the environment, history, and cultural resources can be achieved. The Ho-Chunk Nation s goals and objectives are consistent with the uses envisioned at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant.