The Purpose of this Report

This is the fourth in a series of reports discussing Governor Thompson's political control over Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  The Governor has now appointed all seven of the citizen members of the Natural Resources Board, which sets policy for the DNR.  In the 1995 state Biennial Budget decision, the Governor also made the DNR Secretary a political appointment of the Governor, making the Department the subject of serious political influence.

In the same Budget, the Governor eliminated the Wisconsin Public Intervenor Office which advocated for public rights in natural resources and served as watchdog over the DNR and other government agencies.  Subsequent to the Governor gaining this control in 1995, many negative changes have occurred in the DNR.  Each report in this series will explore a specific example of these negative changes.
 

Citizens for a Better Environment
Clean Water Action Council
ECCOLA (Environmentally Concerned Citizens of the Lakeland Area)
Sierra Club - John Muir Chapter
Citizens for an Independent DNR
Wisconsin Bass Federation
Wisconsin Wetlands Association

Research Report #4 --- Written by Phil Wiseley 

Summary

The cranberry industry in Wisconsin has led the nation in production for four consecutive years and has long been an important part of Wisconsin's economy. This economic success has come at some environmental cost due to the industry's need for large quantities of surface water and desire to utilize natural wetlands to site new and expanding operations.  Cranberry operations have accounted for more natural wetland losses than any other activity in the state.

The cranberry industry has used its considerable political influence and campaign contributions to preserve special treatment under state environmental laws and pursue additional exemptions.  Cranberry industry campaign contributions between January of 1991 and August of 1998 have totaled at least $113,169.  Nearly 75 % ($84,183), of this total has been contributed to Governor Thompson.

This research report examines how Governor Thompson's appointed DNR Board recently granted the cranberry industry additional special treatment under wetland protection laws in the face of overwhelming public opposition, and how that treatment can be linked to campaign contributions from the industry.

Contents

Introduction
Environmental Impact of the Cranberry Industry
Cranberry Operation Water Use
Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards
Political Influence
Special Treatment
Public Intervenor Opposed Rule Changes
Additional Water Quality Exemptions
DNR Staff Shortage
Conclusion
Recommendations
Methods
References
Accountability Project Members

Tables

Total Money From Cranberry Growers
Top 10 Political Contributors
Top 10 Recipients

Introduction

Cranberries are Wisconsin's largest fruit crop, ranking Wisconsin #1 nationally in cranberry production in each of the past four years.  There is no question that the cranberry industry has become an important part of Wisconsin's economy and a success story in that regard.

However, for a variety of reasons explained below, the cranberry industry also has had a very significant impact on Wisconsin's natural resources, and as the industry grows, those impacts are a growing source of concern.  Cranberries require great quantities of water in their production - more than 100,000 acres of Wisconsin land are annually flooded to meet the need for water.  Water is also needed to maintain the existence of the remaining Wisconsin wetlands which have been diminished by 50% from their original acreage.

In the last decade, cranberry bogs have destroyed more wetlands than all other uses combined under the federal permit process.(1)   In addition, the cranberry industry has received special treatment from Wisconsin's elected officials in environmental protection matters. Since 1991 the cranberry industry has contributed at least $113,169 to many of these officials' political campaigns.
 

Water is an essential ingredient in the production of  Wisconsin's cranberry crop.  It is this need for water that clashes with ecosystems which also require water to sustain them.  Most of the cranberry industry's environmental conflicts focus on a clean, plentiful water supply, and the loss of diverse wetland habitat.

Most Wisconsin cranberries are grown in central Wisconsin, west of Wisconsin Rapids in Wood County.  This region is also home to the state's largest tract of wetlands.  Large volumes of water are needed for frost protection and to flood the fields during harvest. Wetlands, rivers and lakes serve as convenient sources for much of this water.

Healthy, functioning wetlands are an important component of a healthy ecosystem.  In fact, the state of Wisconsin recognizes the importance of wetlands and spends much time, effort and money to protect them.  However, much of that effort is suppressed for the cranberry industry because of legislative and executive hurdles erected by the state's elected decision-makers.

Cranberry fields are not natural wetlands.  To create cranberry beds, land must be cleared of vegetation, scalped and leveled.  A four to six inch layer of sand is laid to create the acidic sandy surface optimum for vine growth.  Sand is periodically added to maintain the beds.  The vines are established from cuttings which root in the sand, forming a monoculture which takes 3 to 5 years to produce commercial quantities of fruit.

Wetlands, particularly peat marshes covered with natural mixtures of short shrubs and moss, are most often used as the sites of new cranberry-growing beds.

Water to irrigate and flood cranberry beds often comes from additional wetlands (off to the side of the actual cranberry beds) that have been flooded to create reservoirs.  The flooding can eliminate native bog plants and reduces plant diversity, and reduces the wetland's ability to absorb natural floodwaters or filter polluted run-off water.  Consequently, the flooded wetlands do not adequately protect ground water or nearby streams and lakes from fertilizers and pesticides.

The DNR says the side reservoir marshes often convert natural wetlands, the home of a variety of plant species, to shallow reservoirs dominated by a single plant, usually cattails.  This can eliminate threatened or endangered species.  Water in these shallow reservoirs is also readily heated by the sun to temperatures that stress trout and other lifeforms in streams into which the reservoirs empty.

Dams constructed by cranberry growers slow stream velocity.  This can elevate water temperatures, stressing fish and other aquatic life. According to the DNR, diverting water for cranberry operations has destroyed  trout populations in numerous Wisconsin streams.  Clear Creek and Belts Creek in Jackson County, for example, are Class I trout streams above cranberry operations, and have few, if any, trout below the operations.(2)  Dams often impede fish migrations which are essential to the health of fish populations.  Dams for cranberry production are exempt from state license requirements.

Nearly 5,000 natural wetland acres in Wisconsin were lost to cranberry operations from 1982 to 1987, more than were lost to all other causes combined. A total of 15,000 acres of natural wetlands have been converted to cranberry production in Wisconsin.  According to the Wisconsin Cranberry Association, cranberry operations in Wisconsin are growing at 4 per cent to 6 per cent a year.  Clearly, the current and future destruction of wetlands due to cranberry production is an environmental concern.

Another environmental concern is the release of pesticides, nutrients and other agricultural chemicals into nearby lakes and rivers. The application of these chemicals raises concerns about their environmental impact.  Phosphorus and other nutrients in fertilizers used in cranberry growing can result in nuisance algae blooms and unwanted weeds in downstream rivers and lakes.  Scientists have identified some of the chemicals used by cranberry growers, such as the pesticides carbaryl and parathion, as harmful.

In a 1987 study of pesticide practices, the DNR and U.S. Geological Survey found four popular pesticides downstream from each of four cranberry marsh discharge sites at levels threatening to insects and other aquatic life but not to humans.

In the recent Wisconsin State Journal series "Cranberries and the Environment" by Ron Seely, Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association Director Tom Lochner stated that despite criticism of the industry's environmental record, the majority of growers are responsible and work hard to keep their operation from hurting the environment.  He estimated integrated pest management, a method of reducing pesticide use, was used on 95 % of the cranberry acreage in the state.(3)

The following sections of this report discuss key details:

  Water Use, Wetlands, Politics, and Special Treatment
  Special Exemptions, Public Intervenor Objects, DNR Staff Shortages, Conclusions and Recommendations
  Methodology and References
  Campaign Contributions, Contributors and Recipients