WSC/SGE grew from the private efforts of a small group of activists who have been involved in efforts to protect Black Earth Creek, the Upper Sugar River Watershed, their tributaries, and other land and water resources, from environmental degradation generated by unsuitable and unsustainable large scale urban developments. At least three such development proposals have surfaced around the villages of Mazomanie, Mount Horeb and Cross Plains. Our initial organizational efforts began in December 2008, when we formed a Garfoot Creek Protection Committee (GCPC), and testified before various meetings under that name. Shortly afterward, we decided to expand the scope of our effort to the whole of Western Dane, and renamed our group accordingly.

Careful planning can preserve our natural resources and a healthy economic environment for generations to come.

WSG/SGE has no formal membership and we expect neither to have regular general meetings nor solicitations of payments of dues. Instead, we seek to reach people of like mind who are interested in action-oriented programs to promote good regional planning for land use, farmland preservation, multi-modal transportation including electrified commuter rail transit, and environmental protection of land and water resources. All these tasks can be accomplished through careful application of all aspects of smart growth comprehensive planning on a regional level. All we ask of our supporters is that we be permitted to use your names as backup for letters and other information we forward to various state, county and local governments, agencies and other stakeholders whose decisions affecting land use and related matters in Western Dane County are likely to impact our communities, our physical environment, and our lives. In addition, we especially welcome supporters who can occasionally support our efforts with testimony at public hearings and general discussion at public meetings.