Judge halts tree clearing at Potawatomi State Park

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The citizens group that filed a lawsuit to stop a road-widening project in Potatwatomi State Park, which led to the loss of numerous trees and tree canopies in the park, is holding a public information session on the suit and the status of the park project. It comes in the aftermath of a June 19 hearing in which a temporary injunction was granted to stop the clearing of more trees.

The session is scheduled to run from 4 to 6 p.m. July 2 at Door County Granary on the west side waterfront in Sturgeon Bay. Brian H. Potts, a Madison-based attorney with national law firm Husch Blackwell LLP who is representing PATCH, the citizens group, will be on hand to give an update on the suit. The session also is meant to encourage community involvement in the issue.

The suit was filed June 12 in Door County Circuit Court by POTPARKPATCH, Inc., aka PATCH (Potawatomi Advocates for Trees, Conservation and Heritage), a Sturgeon Bay-based nonprofit whose stated purpose is “to preserve and protect the natural beauty, ecological integrity, and public trust of Potawatomi State Park,” according to its website. The defendants are the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and DNR secretary Karen Hyun.

In their complaint, the plaintiffs claim a project begun in early 2026 to significantly widen and straighten parts of South Norway Road and Shoreline Road in the park – and the resulting clearing of trees, loss of tree canopies throughout the work areas and destruction of habitats in a buffer zone for the Niagara Escarpment – is not included in the DNR’s own plan for the park, which the agency’s rules say must be followed. The lawsuit says the DNR’s 2024-25 Annual Property Implementation Plan for Potawatomi State Park listed the project as “Road Resurfacing” with no mention of widening roads or removing trees.

According to a news release from PATCH, a 10- to 30-foot swath of trees along both sides of Shoreline and South Norway roads has been cut, including thousands of trees taken down to straighten South Norway. Also gone are several red pines that for decades stood in the medians along South Norway Road.

In a hearing held June 19, Door County Judge Jennifer Moeller agreed to a temporary injunction to stop all tree clearing as part of the project but made no decision on stopping road work, which is continuing. A subsequent hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. July 14 although the two sides may try to resolve the issue before then, according to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access case record.