DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — Dozens of neighbors joined together at Door County Justice Center Tuesday afternoon in support of what was lost for an expanded road project inside the park.
"We're asking you to follow the law," Brian Potts of Husch Blackwell, who is representing Potawatomi Advocates for Trees, Conservation and Heritage (PATCH) said to DNR.
The hearing came after Door County Branch 1 judge Jennifer Moeller issued an injunction, halting tree removal after the initial lawsuit in June.
Dave Allen, president of PATCH has been holding meetings about DNR's impact, and is looking for answers.
"I'm sorry, we blew it," Allen said when asked about what he hopes to hear from DNR. "We should have involved the public. We should have followed the master plan. That's what I want to hear."
Instead, Gabe Johnson-Karp, who represents DNR, argued that neighbors should have challenged it sooner, and noted the project's small impact on the area.
"This is not the type of overall change to the park," Johnson-Karp said. "This is all within regulatory authorizations."
Potts argued for proposed roads to remain as gravel.
Moeller decided to extend the temporary injunction, which grows PATCH's support for change.
"We have to be vigilant," Allen said. "It's in the long haul. People have to be aware that without them watching over these state agencies, these state agencies will do whatever they want, regardless of law."
Potts and Johnson-Karp will look to create a stipulation on DNR's future with this case.
