Groups At Odds Over Activities At Former Badger Ammo Plant

Conservationists Oppose Talk Of Shooting, Rocketry And Motercycles At New Sauk Prairie Recreation Area

By
Bunny & Norm Lenburg (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Groups are competing over what recreational activities should be allowed on the grounds of the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant near Baraboo.

The state Department of Natural Resources has been collecting comments on its draft master plan for what’s now called the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area.

Madison attorney Brian Potts represents the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance. He said the DNR is considering allowing what he called illegal high impact uses like rocketry, dog training with hunters carrying firearms, and motorcycling.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“It’s our opinion the DNR doesn’t have that authority, because this property was given to them for specific purposes by the National Park Service, and those uses are not within that grant from the National Park Services,” said Potts.

Meanwhile, a state branch of the National Rifle Association is trying to get the DNR to revive the idea of allowing a shooting range on the site. The comment period on the draft master plan closed Friday.