REGULATORY:

Public Hearing on Shalom Wildlife Zoo

Tuesday, December 10 | 7:00 PM | Farmington Town Hall (9422 State Hwy 144, Kewaskum, WI 53040)

The Farmington Town Board is holding an in-person public hearing to consider amending Shalom Wildlife Zoo’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow:

1. Additional land parcels (current permit from March only covers 11 of 100 acres);
2. Allow construction of a new facility that would allow the expansion of activities including animal education/encounters, seminars, weddings, and corporate/private events.

Why Should We Care?

Despite operating for 30 years, Shalom Wildlife Zoo did not have a permit to operate from the Town of Farmington prior to March 2024, and the current permit excludes most of the zoo property.

Community members reached out to Milwaukee Riverkeeper to investigate potential environmental concerns that increased use / activities could cause. To date, there has been little information provided about the project. Concerns include:

• Water Withdrawals – How is water withdrawn to provide for animal/zoo needs? And are these withdrawals impacting Wallace Creek and adjacent wells?
• Runoff and Manure Management – How is animal waste and stormwater runoff managed?
• Transparency – Will information on potential environment / community impacts be studied by the town and shared publicly?

TAKE ACTION:

Join us TOMORROW at 7:00PM at Farmington Town Hall (9422 State Hwy 144, Kewaskum, WI 53040), as we ask for a delay in decision until more information is made available to residents about potential impacts to the environment and the community.

Please share this information with friends and neighbors. Milwaukee Riverkeeper will continue to share information as it becomes available.

REGULATORY:

Public Hearing on Rob-N-Cin Factory Farm

Monday, December 16 | 10:00 – 1:00 PM | VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING

The Wisconsin DNR is holding a virtual public hearing on Rob-N-Cin Farms’ application to become a permitted Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). This factory farm has been operating as a CAFO for at least 2 years without a permit, and plans to grow by nearly double the livestock, reaching 2,500 animal units by 2028. This farm is located in the Town of Trenton, which does not currently have a zoning class that allows for CAFOs.

As of 2024, the farm has at least 2,788 acres for spreading of manure, with 455 acres owned by the farm, and 2,323 acres that are leased. These fields are located across eastern Washington County and western Ozaukee County, and runoff would likely impact additional streams within the Milwaukee River Watershed, most of which are already impaired by phosphorus and bacteria pollution.

Rob-N-Cin Farms is seeking a permit to allow discharges into unnamed tributaries within the Cedar Creek Watershed, Lake Michigan drainage areas, and groundwaters of the state.

CAFOs produce massive amounts of manure, which if not managed properly, can lead to contamination of both drinking water and surface water. If approved, this CAFO will spread nearly 17 million gallons of manure and other wastewater to watersheds already impacted by high levels of nutrients and bacteria.

YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED NOW:

1. Attend the DNR’s virtual public hearing and voice your concerns. REGISTER HERE.
2. Submit comments until 12/23: Email comment’s and concerns to the Permit Drafter, James Salscheider, at James.Salscheider@wisconsin.gov and CC the Town of Trenton at townadmin@townoftrenton.wi.gov
3. Spread the word! Share this alert and talk to your neighbors.

You can also mail in comments to:

James Salscheider, DNR,
2984 Shawano Ave
Green Bay, WI 54313

You can read the full summary for the hearing and how you can get involved here.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper will be providing written comments with the goal of improving permit conditions and offering solutions to protect local waterways and wells.

Community Voices Matter

Emily, a concerned community member, shares:
“The growth of this farm has brought increased truck traffic, noise, poor air quality, and a heightened risk of water contamination near wells. This expansion will turn our community from rural living to industrial farming, destroying our quality of life.”