Page 529

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: INTERSTATE AGENCIES
529
   Agency Responsibility: The commission represents a joint effort by Wisconsin
and Minnesota
to conduct studies, develop recommendations, and coordinate government actions
related to
present and future protection, use, and development of the lands, river valleys,
and waters that
form the boundary between the 2 states. The commission provides field services
and advisory
recommendations to its sponsor states and serves as the management coordinator
for the Upper
and Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverways, which are segments of the
National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System.
  Organization: Wisconsin's commission members serve staggered 5-year terms.
Two commit-
tees, a Legislative Advisory Committee composed of legislators and a Technical
Advisory Com-
mittee, assist the commission.
  History: The Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission was created by
Chapter 274,
Laws of 1965, to constitute Wisconsin's representation on the joint Minnesota-Wisconsin
Boundary Area Commission. This legislation also ratified a boundary area
compact between the
2 states.
              MISSISSIPPI RIVER PARKWAY COMMISSION
 Wisconsin Commission: EVAN ZANTOW (La Crosse County), chairperson; DONNA
KREBSBACH
 (Buffalo County); ROBERT VALLEY (Crawford County); FRANCIS BUSH, vacancy
(Grant
 County); COLLEEN HENNES (La Crosse County); GLEN MOLINE (Pepin County);
Roy FINLEY
 (Pierce County); ROBERT RYDE (Trempealeau County); KEN BECK (Vernon County).
 Commission Secretary: RONALD R. FIEDLER (appointed by governor), 266-1113.
 Executive Secretary: THOMAS WALKER (designated by commission secretary),
266-1113.
 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7910, Madison 53707-7910.
 Location: Room 120B, Hill Farms State Transportation Building, 4802 Sheboygan
Avenue.
 Telephone: (608) 266-1113.
 Statutory Reference: Section 14.85.
 Agency Responsibility: The Mississippi River Parkway Commission coordinates
development
 of the Wisconsin portion of the Great River Road corridor along the Mississippi
River in co-
 operation with similar commissions in other Mississippi River states and
the Province of Onta-
 rio. It assists and advises state and local agencies about maintaining and
enhancing the scenic,
 historic, economic, and recreational assets within the corridor.
 Organization: The commission consists of 10 members appointed by the county
boards of the
 8 Wisconsin counties that border the Mississippi River. The commission selects
its chairperson.
 Wisconsin's voting representative at meetings of the interstate commission
is the commission
 secretary or the secretary's designee. The commission secretary is appointed
by the governor and
 is responsible for liaison with the governor, the legislature, and the state
and interstate parkway
 commissions.
 History: The Wisconsin commission, part of the interstate Mississippi River
Parkway Com-
 mission, was given statutory recognition by Chapter 482, Laws of 1961. It
dates back to 1939
 when Wisconsin Governor Julius P. Heil appointed a 10-member committee to
cooperate with
 agencies from other Mississippi River states in planning the Great River
Road. When com-
 pleted, this scenic route will extend from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi
River's headwa-
 ters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota. North of Lake Itasca, the route connects
with the Trans-Canada
 Highway.
 The Federal Aid Highway Acts of 1973, 1976, and 1978 provided Wisconsin
approximately
 $21 million in categorical Great River Road funding. Although this federal
funding is no longer
 available, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is continuing to improve
the Great
 River Road. In addition, the U.S. Congress in 1989 enacted legislation requiring
the governor of
each of the 10 Mississippi River states to appoint a member of their respective
Mississippi River
parkway commissions to a commission that will recommend enhancement of the
Mississippi
River Road corridor and assess the feasibility of creating a Mississippi
River National Heritage
Corridor.