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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLand Conservation Committee - Minutes - 9/19/2008 BAYFIELD COUNTY LAND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES September 19, 2008 Present: David Good, Jim Beeksma, Marco Bichanich, Bucky Jardine, Peter Tetzner (9:07-10:50) Absent: Loretta Skaj Advisors: Gary Haughn, Fred Strand Staff: Butch Lobermeier, Ben Dufford, Stefania Strzalkowska, Dave Schultz and Jennifer Schierman Attendance: Jim Brakken, Jane Anklan, Bob Mika, Chuck Campbell 1) Call to Order by David Good, Chairman at 9:00 am 2) Minutes from June 27, 2008 LCC meeting were accepted with no changes. Motion to approve June 27, 2008 minutes by Bichanich / Beeksma - carried. 3) Public Comment – no public attended. 4) Agency Staff / Partners Reports: a) Sign Operational Agreement with NRCS: Gary Haughn – LCC can sign agreement and it won’t need to go before the County Board. Motion for LCC to sign agreement Jardine / Beeksma - carried. b) Reports & Updates Bob Mika, Grazing Specialist – Reported that WI is losing revenue to outside states in regard to agriculture. Bob talks with farmers and does site visits. MB – What is biggest concern? Bob – People have to want to be a part of the process. People are not “held” to plans and they don’t have to continue. Partnership with NRCS comes into play here for cost-sharing. Fred Strand – Reported on bear & deer population within WI. Deer population is mainly healthy. CWD & bovine TB is generally confined to lower part of the state. Northern 18 counties will be sampling (approx. 500) from car crashes or nuisance animals. Bayfield County has already met its goal of 250 heads collected. There is a moratorium on feeding/baiting. Bear Mgmt: There are 4 zones in WI, sub-zone A1 is now zone “D”. Survey being done by feeding tetracycline shows discoloration in the bones once the bear is harvested. We’ve found that our density is more populated than originally believed. Also reported that there are turkeys all over and the wolf population is doing well. They are removed from the endangered list. Mike Mylaryek – Primarily involved with Whittelsey Creek Refuge work along with private landowners. Mike is willing to assist in writing grants to be submitted by county. Very appreciative of working relationship with county. Brook trout restoration began in 2003 and has gone very well. Program stocking will end next year. Two different genetics (phases) are introduced. Army Corp is studying flowage & sediment change from Whittelsey Creek to Lake Superior. Working toward BMP with other agencies. There is a need to put wood back into the system for better habitats. 11) Technician Report: Ben Dufford – on file. He passed around photos of recent projects, including Gilbaugh pond installation. 5) Wildlife Damage Program: a) 2009 Budget – Dave Schultz presented the 2009 WDA budget. It is also on file for review. Motion to approve 2009 WDA & Claims Program budget as presented by Beeksma / Bichanich - carried. b) Specialist Report – Crop damage in 2008 was down due to lots of green vegetation in the forests. Motion to set deadline at 90% on claims by Beeksma / Jardine - carried. SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 MINUTES – continued: 6) Status Report: Lake Superior CREP: a) Contract Extension Amendment – $100,000 grant is good for 18 months (approx. July 2010). Deadline for agreement was September 1, 2008. *Job Description: pilot project required by grant to report what work and what doesn’t. Motion to approve proposed job description as presented by Beeksma / Bichanich - carried. * If successful, grant can be re-issued to go again. b) Chuck Ledin Retirement 7) Wisconsin Land Trust Partnership: a) Opportunity to protect Bark River Coaster Brook Trout – Jane Anklan: There is a piece of property for sale (Bark River Rd – Herbster) adjacent to Bayfield County land. Property owners are interested in stewardship & coastal grants. They need assistance from government to pursue these grants that help with the coaster brook habitat. Chuck Campbell, Ducks Unlimited is very interested in the potential project and would like to support the efforts. 8) Updating of the Land and Water Resource Management Plan: Butch – The plan will be downsized a bit. It could be done “in house” if budget remains at $6,000. More staffing time may be necessary – cannot use a consultant. Plan doesn’t have to be as detailed, just needs to include Bayfield County. A better end product can be obtained. 9) 2009 Budget: Presented by Butch – Reports/Graph/Proposed ‘09 budget are on file. We’re building a BIG program with a modest budget. Working toward grants and have fees for some of the services we provide. Motion to approve 2009 budget as presented 09/19/08 by Jardine / Beeksma - carried. Discussion: Some suggestions to increase $$$ are attempting to obtain funds from grants for administrative fees; increase elective service fees. LWCD has received several grants which require resolutions that amend the 2008 budget. The grants don’t affect the bottom line of the budget. Motion recommend resolutions (seven) to amend 2008 budget be presented to County board for approval by Beeksma / Bichanich - carried. a) Reimbursement of Expenses for Conservation Congress Delegates: Jim Brakken – reported that each county has 5 elected delegates to congress (360 total). Delegates are required to attend an annual conference which out-of-pocket expenses are incurred. Can the County reimburse for these out-of-pocket expenses which are approximately $500/ea.? Should LCC budget for this or go to the full county board? The amount requested is $1,800 which can be reflected in the 2009 budget. Motion adopt amendment to include additional $1,800 to LCC 2009 budget or another department budget line which would cover cost of Conservation Congress Delegate expense from Bayfield County by Beeksma / Bichanich - carried. b) Vehicle Status: Butch – There is a Taurus that can be assigned to our department, other departments could use as well. The 2000 Ford pick-up is a fleet vehicle. There are recommended repairs of approx. $600.00. The repairs should be made and paid for out of the fleet budget. 10) Conservationist Report: Butch – provided a hand-out of his daily schedule and is on file. Butch noted that Farmland Preservation continues – “we have approx. 5 to re-sign”. Currently, the LCC signs the agreement then goes to county board. This means waiting for quarterly meetings to move forward. Can Committee authorize LCC Chair or Vice-Chair to sign? Motion to authorize LCC Chair or Vice-Chair to sign Farmland Preservation contracts or renewal agreements to move on to full county board by Beeksma / Bichanich - carried. 12) AIS Coordinator Report: On file 13) Other business as authorized by law: Stefania recommended changing the logo currently used. Stefania and Jennifer will work on coming up with logo designs for next LCC meeting. 14) Next meeting date: Third Friday of the month – December 19, 2008 @ 9:00 a.m. (E.O.C. Room) 15) Adjourn: Motion to adjourn Jardine / Beeksma - carried, 12:28 pm.