HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 11/14/2022
BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
COMMITTEE MEETING
November 14, 2022
County Board Room
Members Present: Fred Strand, Chairperson; Jeffrey Silbert; Larry Fickbohm; Charly Ray; Steve Sandstrom
Staff in Attendance: Jason Bodine, Administrator; Steve Probst, Assistant Administrator; Cassie Taylor,
Office Manager
Others in Attendance: Joseph Lebouton, WI DNR; Bill Bailey, Cheq Bay Renewables
1. Call to Order of Forestry and Parks Committee Meeting.
This meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM.
2. Public Comment:
a) Bill Bailey: Comments on forest carbon credits and offset fund. Offers assistance to committee/county to
establish criteria for use of funds and to track energy use and spending. Letter to committee attached.
3. Approval of the October 10th Meeting Minutes.
MOTION: (Fickbohm, Sandstrom) Approve and place on file. All: Yes. Carried.
4. Monthly Reports.
a) Forestry (all updates): Bodine presents close to average stumpage revenue for October at just under
$400k. Timber sale revenues are just over $4.3 million to date. Total stumpage revenue should
approach $4.5 million this year, or roughly $1.3 million over budget. Expenses are still on target,
but with a significantly larger town revenue sharing payment due to increase in stumpage returns.
a. Carbon Project. Still in process of addressing verification audit questions. Once completed, the
project will be released to ACR for final review. Bodine anticipates we are still three to four months
out and still in line for a first payment in Q1 2023.
b. Land Acquisition Project(s). The large NOAA grant application was submitted late October
and selections are likely to be made by the end of November. Also closing in on deadline for
the 160-acre Lost Creek Falls property (Dec. 16) but have not been awarded the $60k WI
Coastal grant yet. Landmark is working with DNR on Stewardship grant that will be used
towards this project. Bodine is confident about moving forward with this acquisition. More
information to come at December’s meeting.
c. Trespass in Town of Hughes. Corp Counsel is working on final purchase agreement; land has
been assessed at $1,600/ac, which is typically doubled to arrive at purchase price. Will be
ready to present at December meeting.
b) Campgrounds and Day Use Parks (update). Official camping season is now over. Total camping
revenues ended up just under $145k, shattering previous record of $135k established last year. A total
of 20 seasonal sites will be available at Twin Bear and 17 at Delta in 2023. Five seasonal campers
had to be removed late this past season, primarily due to repeated loud and unacceptable behavior.
None of these seasonal campers will return in 2023.
c) Trails and Recreation. Rec Specialist Jen Bratsch has accepted a similar position with the Forest
Service in Washburn; her last day is Nov. 16. Bodine will let the vacancy settle and revisit next
spring, allowing time to reassess program needs. In the meantime, Rec Specialist Lindley Mattson
will assume all rec responsibilities.
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November 14, 2022 Meeting Minutes
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a. Motorized Trails: Completed some minor snowmobile trail improvement projects, including
section of trail to casino in Red Cliff. Clubs are becoming active getting trails ready for the
season.
b. Non-Motorized Trails: Recently working with Highway and local trails club to complete a
new roughly 1-mile loop off the field at Siskiwit. Engaging with another club regarding
grooming that trail for cross-country skiing this winter. Fall burn in the old field didn’t
happen this year. Will likely target a spring 2023 burn, then proceed with seeding of native
prairie species.
c. Yurts. Current occupancy rates presented by Bodine.
d. Events. Iron River Chamber of Commerce requested to host 4th annual Northern Pines Sled
Dog Race on Feb 18, 2023. Event was approved.
d) Delta Landfill Update. Landfill project is done! There was a fairly substantial cost overrun (roughly
25%) which is common for a large project with a three-year-old budget. Recent heavy rains have
created some erosion channels which will require repair, likely next spring. Grant will remain open.
MOTION: (Silbert, Ray) Receive reports as presented and place on file. All: Yes. Carried.
5. Fall Timber Sale Offering. After today’s bid opening, five sales remain unsold and will be posted
as direct sales. A total of 93 bids were submitted and 65 were rejected. Total bid value for this
offering is $1,694,647.43, bringing this year’s sales to roughly $3.8 million.
MOTION: (Fickbohm, Ray) Accept timber sale high bids as presented. All: Yes. Carried.
6. Forest Carbon Offset Reserve Fund (FCOR). Executive summary is presented, including a second
section providing greater level of detail on proposed allocations to each FCOR program. Discussion is
had regarding gathering public input. Silbert inquires if it might be too late to generate online survey to
collect input and Ray suggests that public input is gathered at the County Board level, rather than
committee. The emphasis on non-motorized and low-impact rec allocations is discussed, and whether
proceeds should be reinvested in “green” projects. Discussion of purchasing electric vehicles for future
fleet replacements is had; Bodine states one of three vehicle purchases next year will hopefully be EV.
Silbert proposes department offerings to the public to sequester carbon such as the DNR’s seedling
program.
MOTION: (Fickbohm, Ray) Reopen public comment. All: Yes. Carried.
Bill Bailey states carbon credits are designed to offset/sequester carbon emissions and that funds should
be reinvested to offset, to align with original intent. EV trucks would make a great investment, installing
EV charger at Lost Creek Falls, solar panels to charge EV chargers, etc. Ray questions how running
infrastructure to these areas might neutralize the intended carbon offset. Bailey agrees that analysis
would need to be conducted.
Public Comment Closed.
Ray suggests that half of carbon revenue is designated to forestry and the other half to county general.
Bodine responds that the original draft allocation was around 60% to forestry, but that the number has
come down after other considerations and discussions with administration. Discussion is had regarding
common good projects (human services, addiction/rehabilitation, school funding, etc.) to generate top
dollar carbon credits within the marketplace. Bodine reiterates that the FCOR summary is a dynamic
document, not all-inclusive, and is intended to capture the spirit of proposed initiatives. Noteworthy
changes since the summary was presented last month include: 1) the proposed rec grant was reduced
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from 10 years to 5. The annual target is the same ($250k/year), but Bodine felt it was more prudent to
focus on a shorter time frame and then consider extending for another five years if successful. As a
result, the total amount of funds assigned to the rec grant would be reduced from $2.5 million to $1.25
million; 2) the percentage of total annual total carbon revenue directed to the FCOR was reduced and
spread out over more years. This draft proposes a distribution rate of 27% from the first three carbon
payments (payments received in 2023 and 2024) and then 20% from the payments received in 2025 and
2026. Over the first 5 years, an average of roughly 24% would be directed to the FCOR, with the rest
going to either the CCOR or other county identified priorities; and 3) caps or maximum funding
amounts were placed on each program category.
MOTION: (Ray, Silbert) Approve Bodine’s executive summary and forward to executive
committee. All: Yes. Carried.
7. Pigeon Lake Field Station. Discussion regarding feasibility of county ownership. BCPL is moving
forward with the sale of this property; should the county consider purchasing it? There are risks,
including aging buildings, recent flooding, and old utilities, as well as a fairly high price tag. Hydrology
on site is tenuous, might be very expensive to repurpose and maintain. Rich history and good potential
for future public rec opportunities. Investing in a site condition report and rec feasibility study would
provide information to help determine if public ownership is feasible. Last opportunity to explore this
potential before it’s sold. Consensus to proceed with investigating site potential.
This was a discussion only item, so no formal action was taken. But there was consensus from
the Committee to work with administration on a feasibility study and/or site condition report.
8. Access Permit Request - Pete Witt. Request to access property in Town of Port Wing.
MOTION: (Sandstrom, Ray) Approve access permit request. All: Yes. Carried.
9. Committee Members Discussion. Brief firewood permit discussion regarding berm installed by private
landowner prohibiting access to county land on Wally Polk Trail.
10. Joseph Lebouton: No comments.
The next Forestry and Parks Committee meeting has been scheduled for Monday, December 12th at 6:00
P.M.
Meeting adjourned at 7:37 PM.
Submitted by,
Cassie Taylor