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The land, now an alfalfa field, eventually will be restored to sand prairie, with walking trails, a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman said.
Jim Nissen, manager of the the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge’s La Crosse district office, said the sale is another step toward moving the office into the refuge and out of commercial space near the Valley View Mall.
The Mathy land, which in 2003 became the focus of a heated debate over a proposed asphalt plant, is one of two parcels the FWS hopes to buy for the project, Nissen said.
The FWS appeared poised in 2006 to buy the Mathy land and 107.6 acres from Capitol Air Systems, but the loss of funding and other obstacles derailed the deal.
But the FWS, Mathy and other parties continued to work until they were able to complete the sale, Nissen said.
“We’re very appreciative of the Mathy family and Mathy Construction for their patience through this process,” Nissen said. “We’re still working on the other property and would like very much to complete that acquisition as well. But it remains to be seen if that comes together.”
Steve Mathy of Mathy Construction chose not to comment on the sale except to say the end result came about because of the ongoing relationship the company has with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Town officials had promoted the purchase, saying it would bring visitors to Brice Prairie and the open space would benefit groundwater quality, help control stormwater runoff, keep homes and roads from flooding and reduce sediment flow into Lake Onalaska and the Mississippi River.
While there are major goals for the land, planning — and finding the money to build — will delay much of the work, Nissen said.
“The first step will come this fall, when we put some prairie experts together to form a game plan,” he said. “Once that plan is developed, we’ll start implementing it. But it’s going to take some time. You won’t see prairie there next year by any stretch.”
Since the land will remain leased through January, no hunting or trapping will be allowed this fall. Future hunting and trapping on the land will be addressed in an environmental assessment later this year, Nissen said.
