April Fool's: Wis. DNR says it is not selling Elroy-Sparta Trail to Disney
Despite a report in an Ontario, Wis., newspaper, the Disney corporation is not buying the Elroy-Sparta State Trail from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The state agency issued a statement today "to assure the public" that the trail is not for sale and that the report, originally published by The County Line newspaper and "picked up by other news media," was an April Fools prank.
The County Line described the nightmarish Disnefication of the trail after Gov. Walker Admistration decides to privatize the first of the state's 30 state trails. It's complete with this terrifying fake quote from DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp:
“Times have changed” Stepp added. “People are no longer content with a quiet experience in nature. In truth, they probably never were. We want, even crave, endless noise and stimulation. By next year, they will have it on the Elroy-Sparta Trail, and we will have set an example to the nation of how to convert public land to cash and endless fun.”
Apparently the DNR has been the target of previous April Fools jokes published by the newspaper. According to the DNR's press release, The County Line has fabricated reports of a high speed rail line through the Elroy-Sparta State Trail and the DNR releasing cougars in a local park.