HomeMy WebLinkAboutAquatic Invasive Species Committee - Minutes - 10/15/2014Bayfield County
Aquatic Invasive Species
Committee
K:\AIS\Admin\Meetings\Committee\Minutes\2013
Present: Mike Defoe, Jim Krueger, Nan Olson, John Kudlas and Bucky Jardine,
Staff: Jeremy Bates – AIS Project Coordinator
Others: Ben Dufford, Anne Leafblad, Mark Abeles-Allison
Minutes
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at 1:00 PM
1. Call to Order: Nan Olson called the meeting to order at 1:02 PM
2. Public Comment: None
3. Approval of minutes from 5-15-14: Bucky Jardine motioned to approve, Seconded by Jim Krueger.
4. Introduction of new Land and Water Conservation Department Staff Anne Leafblad was welcomed
as a new staff member of LWCD. She is replacing Jen Schierman as the Clerk I.
5. Funding Overview and further grants Jeremy Bates provided a summary of each grant. He is
awaiting final confirmation that the final reimbursements have been made for AIS Grant #56203, and will
confirm this at the next AIS committee meeting. The AIS grant #56205 will most likely have remaining
funds after December 2015 to be carried over into May/June 2016. The deadline to re-apply for
additional grant funding is December 10, 2015—Jeremy recommended that we re-apply for the CBCW
grants #56131 and #56113 so these programs can continue; however concerns were raised about
expanding programs due to capacity. Jeremy has looked into seeking grant funding for restoration for
lakes/rivers instead of just mitigation, but right now there are no programs being done for this.
Discussion on whether or not efforts to reduce lake pollutants have been effective.
6. Discussion/Possible action on AIS Committee structure and filling vacated positions: The AIS
committee is currently made up of 7 members, and has a vacant seat to fill Tom Thorton’s position, who
is a town board representative. Jeremy has a couple of people in mind who might be interested in this
spot—he plans to contact them soon. Jeremy plans to publicize this vacant position on the Bayfield
County website, which will then be posted to social media outlets.
7. Discussion/possible action on AIS coordinator position and interview panel: Jeremy has
accepted a new position with the WI DNR as the Lake Superior Basin AIS Early Detection and Rapid
Response Coordinator, and he will be leaving his position at Bayfield County tentatively November 21,
2014. The job description for the AIS Project Coordinator position was reviewed, and it has been
updated to include more of a project-management focus. The position can be funded through
December 2015, and possibly longer. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 24, and as of date there
have been 7 applicants. The interview panel will consist of Jeremy Bates, Ben Dufford, Mark Abeles-
Allison, a Geminicares representative via phone, and tentatively John Kudlas.
8. Review exit work plan: Report of exit plan and coordinator transition report reviewed and on-file.
Jeremy has requested there be another AIS meeting before he leaves. He wants the transition of the
new coordinator to be as smooth as possible. It was recommended that Jeremy draft an updated
strategic plan before the new AIS Project Coordinator starts.
9. Summer monitoring and CBCW report: Jeremy provided a summary of the CBCW program—the
report of watercraft inspection results was reviewed and on-file. The results show that there was no
detection of any new AIS in 7 lakes—good report. There has also been more partnership on the
Phragmites problem, working with city officials of public works in Washburn and Bayfield—waiting on
recommendations from the DNR. The Japanese Knotweed program has also had success through
better tracking and organizing of new sites by the NCWMA.
10. AIS Coordinators Report: AIS Coordinator report reviewed and on file. Jeremy.
11. Partner/department Reports: None
12. Set Dates for 2014-2015 AIS Committee meetings: Nan requested to set dates for the remainder of
2014, and for 2015. The next meeting is set for Thursday, November 20 at 9:00 AM. The 2015 dates
have been tentatively set for 1:00 PM on the following dates: February 18, May 20, August 19, and
November 18, and on an as-needed basis.
13. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 2:14 PM