Historic Lake Park has been the number one Milwaukee destination for players of the popular mobile game Pokémon Go, but that may soon change.
Milwaukee County Parks is reportedly attempting to temporarily shut down all Poké Stops, Poké Gyms and anything else Poké-related until a proper permit has been submitted according to a report from Milwaukee Record, which was further reported on by WISN.
In a letter to Niantic, Inc. (Pokémon Go’s parent company) CEO John Hanke, director of parks John Dargle Jr. writes:
“The Pokémon phenomenon has introduced hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals to our park system and doubtless has resulted in many new positive recreation experiences. The Milwaukee County Parks, Recreation and Culture Department applauds those outcomes. However, there have been other unanticipated and negative consequences from Pokémon-related activities which have caused significant disruption both within Lake Park and in adjacent neighborhoods.”
These disruptions, as anyone who has recently driven past Lake Park likely already knows, include, “daily traffic congestion, parking issues, littering, compacted and damaged turf, risks to sensitive flora and fauna habitats and noncompliance with park system operational hours.”
The letter also tells Niantic that until the proper permits are approved, “Niantic, Inc. must deactivate and remove all Pokémon Go sites,” in Milwaukee County parks.
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While this will most likely not be the end of Pokémon Go in Milwaukee’s parks, it will be a setback for those in Milwaukee trying to catch ‘em all.
