Fighting for views and livelihoods in the Driftless Area
Updated
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Andy Hatch, an award-winning cheesemaker and owner of Uplands Cheese Co., surveys the unencumbered view of his home from his pasture where his herd of dairy cows graze. A proposed high-powered transmission line with towers up to 175 feet tall could be part of this view under a proposal by three utility companies if the preferred route along Highway 18-151 is not selected.
BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL
Paul Gaynor in the barn he restored for his White Oak Savanna event business along Highway 23 near the entrance to Governor Dodge State Park. Gaynor has owned property in the Driftless Area since the middle 1990s and believes both proposed routes for transmission lines and towers would harm a region known for its tourism, locally made products and scenic views.
BARRY ADAMS, STATE JOURNAL
Murray Grey cattle graze in the background as Mike Dolan, a seventh-generation farmer, talks about his family's farm and the possible harm from the planned high-powered transmission project.
A grain wagon supports a sign along Highway 18-151 near Ridgeway. Signs against the proposed 345-kilovolt Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line are prolific along both routes proposed by American Transmission Co. of Pewaukee, ITC Midwest of Cedar Rapaids, Iowa, and Dairyland Power Cooperative of La Crosse.
Lea Dolan-Stroncek, president of Driftless Defenders, one of several organized opposition groups to a proposed high-powered transmission line, also raises organic chickens on Seven Seeds Farm. One of the two proposed routes for the line and towers would run right past her farm.
Bumper stickers, like this one on the tailgate of cheesemaker Andy Hatch's pickup truck, are prolific in the Driftless Area along with other signage opposed to a proposed high-powered transmission line. A decision from the state Public Service Commission on the project could come in 2019.
A sow looks over a group of rambunctious piglets on Seven Seeds Farm, which was founded in 1872. Pork, beef and poultry from the certified organic farm are sold at the farm's store and are on the menu at restaurants in Madison.
Mike Dolan reaches over an electric fence to greet his 3-year-old boar at his Seven Seeds Farm along Highway Z between Dodgeville and Spring Green. Dolan, 25, is the seventh generation to farm his family's farm, which was established in 1872 and is now certified organic.
The Driftless Area can offer up stunning views, rolling farmland and herds of cows and cattle. Part of the charm of the region includes the Pleasant Ridge Store northeast of Governor Dodge State Park.
Ten-pound wheels of Pleasant Ridge Reserve age in a storage facility at Uplands Cheese Co. The cheese, made between May and October and only from cows in its own herd, is one of the most celebrated cheeses in the country.
Paul Gaynor, from left, owner of White Oak Savanna, Andy Hatch, a cheesemaker, and Mike Dolan, an organic beef and pig farmer, chat outside Gaynor's event barn north of Dodgeville.
The view through the barn window at White Oak Savanna north of Dodgeville shows off the restored prairie that holds white oak trees which sprouted prior to the Civil War.
Andy Hatch, an award-winning cheesemaker and owner of Uplands Cheese Co., surveys the unencumbered view of his home from his pasture where his herd of dairy cows graze. A proposed high-powered transmission line with towers up to 175 feet tall could be part of this view under a proposal by three utility companies if the preferred route along Highway 18-151 is not selected.
A grain wagon supports a sign along Highway 18-151 near Ridgeway. Signs against the proposed 345-kilovolt Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line are prolific along both routes proposed by American Transmission Co. of Pewaukee, ITC Midwest of Cedar Rapaids, Iowa, and Dairyland Power Cooperative of La Crosse.
Paul Gaynor in the barn he restored for his White Oak Savanna event business along Highway 23 near the entrance to Governor Dodge State Park. Gaynor has owned property in the Driftless Area since the middle 1990s and believes both proposed routes for transmission lines and towers would harm a region known for its tourism, locally made products and scenic views.
Mike Dolan reaches over an electric fence to greet his 3-year-old boar at his Seven Seeds Farm along Highway Z between Dodgeville and Spring Green. Dolan, 25, is the seventh generation to farm his family's farm, which was established in 1872 and is now certified organic.
Lea Dolan-Stroncek, president of Driftless Defenders, one of several organized opposition groups to a proposed high-powered transmission line, also raises organic chickens on Seven Seeds Farm. One of the two proposed routes for the line and towers would run right past her farm.
Bumper stickers, like this one on the tailgate of cheesemaker Andy Hatch's pickup truck, are prolific in the Driftless Area along with other signage opposed to a proposed high-powered transmission line. A decision from the state Public Service Commission on the project could come in 2019.
The Driftless Area can offer up stunning views, rolling farmland and herds of cows and cattle. Part of the charm of the region includes the Pleasant Ridge Store northeast of Governor Dodge State Park.
Ten-pound wheels of Pleasant Ridge Reserve age in a storage facility at Uplands Cheese Co. The cheese, made between May and October and only from cows in its own herd, is one of the most celebrated cheeses in the country.
The view through the barn window at White Oak Savanna north of Dodgeville shows off the restored prairie that holds white oak trees which sprouted prior to the Civil War.
Paul Gaynor, from left, owner of White Oak Savanna, Andy Hatch, a cheesemaker, and Mike Dolan, an organic beef and pig farmer, chat outside Gaynor's event barn north of Dodgeville.
A sow looks over a group of rambunctious piglets on Seven Seeds Farm, which was founded in 1872. Pork, beef and poultry from the certified organic farm are sold at the farm's store and are on the menu at restaurants in Madison.
Murray Grey cattle graze in the background as Mike Dolan, a seventh-generation farmer, talks about his family's farm and the possible harm from the planned high-powered transmission project.
