Page 20 - Park and Open Space Plan

EXISTING PARK AND RECREATION PROVIDERS

A comprehensive inventory and mapping of all known existing or proposed public and private parks and
recreation and open space sites in Waukesha County was completed in September 2008. This information
provides a baseline of existing park and recreation facilities that, when compared to the park and recreation
needs, will indicate the adequacy of park, recreation and open space lands in the county. In 2017, Waukesha
County requested information from communities in order to confirm and update existing mapping. Feedback
received from these communities is included within this update (See Exhibit A-1).

Waukesha County has three primary providers of public parks and recreation. They are the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, Waukesha County and local municipalities. There are also several other
community partners and stakeholders that provide a variety of opportunities for recreation in the county. This
section presents a discussion of their roles in the provision of park and recreation services.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
By definition, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) provides space for outdoor recreation
and nature and conservation education. State parks aim to preserve, protect, interpret and enhance the scenic
and cultural resources of the state. The size of a state park typically varies between 500 to 3000 acres, but can
be smaller than 20 acres or larger than 10,000 acres. The service area of state parks is generally 100 miles. The
WDNR park sites offer a diverse range of outdoor resource-oriented land and water-based recreation activities
including camping, hunting, fishing, canoeing, hiking, cross-county skiing, bird watching, horseback riding and
boating.

The WDNR has acquired large areas of park and open space lands in Waukesha County. These sites were
generally acquired for natural resource preservation purposes. Major sites owned by the Department include
the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Vernon Marsh, Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area, Lapham Peak Unit of the Kettle
Moraine State Forest, the Ottawa Lake Recreation Area and the Pine Woods Campground, both of which are
located within the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The Department also owns one special
regional recreational site, Old World Wisconsin, which is also located within the Southern Unit of the Kettle
Moraine State Forest. In 2008, the WDNR acquired the former Rainbow Springs property that includes significant
Mukwonago River frontage, a lake and a golf course for which detailed plans have not been prepared as of this
plan update. The area is expected to become a major recreational amenity and includes a total of 971 acres of
both Waukesha and Walworth Counties. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources management area
consists of 28 sites totaling 20,068 acres or 5.4 percent of the County area.

Local Municipalities and School Districts
In addition to meeting resource-oriented outdoor recreation needs, a park plan must seek to provide sites and
facilities for non-nature-based activities, such as baseball, soccer, skateboarding, tennis and playground
activities. Sites and facilities for non-nature-based active recreation rely less heavily on natural resource
amenities, generally meet neighborhood and community needs and have a relatively small service radius. For
these reasons, responsibility for providing such sites and facilities generally rests with local units of
governments. Local municipality park classifications and standards will vary based upon the municipality’s
adopted park and open space plan. Local municipalities and private and public school districts own 17,270 acres
or 4.6 percent of the total area of the County.

Private Preservation and Recreation Providers
There are numerous private providers of outdoor recreation. These include non-profit organizations and
businesses operated for profit. They can provide a full range of outdoor recreation opportunities including golf,
water parks, horseback riding, camping, tennis, health clubs and youth camps. They often provide specialized

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