HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 11/13/2023
BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
COMMITTEE MEETING
November 13, 2023
County Board Room
Members Present: Fred Strand; Jeffrey Silbert; Steve Sandstrom; Larry Fickbohm; Charly Ray
Staff in Attendance: Jason Bodine, Administrator; Steve Probst, Assistant Administrator; Deanna Regan,
Office Manager
Others in Attendance: Joseph LeBouton, WI DNR; Michael Radtke
1. Call to Order of Forestry and Parks Committee Meeting.
This meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM.
2. Public Comment: Public Comment opens at 6:00 PM. Michael Radtke is present to speak requesting a
change in the wording of the draft 2023-24 Comprehensive Plan. Would like the word “primarily”
removed from the language. Public Comment closes at 6:02 PM.
3. Approval of the October 9th Meeting Minutes.
MOTION: (Fickbohm, Sandstrom) Approve minutes and place on file. All: Yes. Carried.
4. Fall Timber Sale Offering. A total of 33 timber sales (25 new and 8 re-offered), covering 2,387 acres
(1,766 acres new and 621 acres re-offered) were part of the fall offering. A strong showing on most red
pine sales as well as sales with sand ground aspen was expected. The success of sales with a significant
frozen ground requirement, combined with heavy hardwood pulp volumes (which defines most of the
re-offered sales currently on this offering) was hard to predict. Results were above expectations with 25
parcels sold with bids totaling over $2.065 million. 2023 was our best annual offering since 2016 with
nearly $4.2 million in new sales.
MOTION: (Silbert, Ray) Accept bid results as presented. All: Yes. Carried.
5. Recreational Use Agreement Request. Bayfield Nordic had a special one-year rec use agreement to
groom cross-county ski trails in the Siskiwit Falls property outside of Cornucopia last year. We have
expanded the system this year to include a trail through the orchard. Bayfield Nordic would like to
continue providing grooming services. Bodine recommends increasing the term to five years and
approval.
MOTION: (Sandstrom, Fickbohm) Approve recreational use agreement request. All: Yes.
Carried.
6. Monthly Reports.
a) Forestry (all updates). The Department was awarded an $8,000 Wisconsin Important Bird Area
Grant that would be used towards the purchase of the roller chopper (for barrens habitat
maintenance). The WI Sharp-tailed Grouse Society has also committed $8,000 towards the
purchase. The unit is expected to cost around $75k. We are currently asking for $50,000 from
the Enbridge grant. There will be a presentation to the grant selection committee later this
month and there will be strong competition for funding from that grant, including one from
Land Conservation. If awarded (or awarded a significant portion), that should provide enough
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November 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes
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flexibility in this budget to move forward with a purchase before the end of this year. Kudos to
Mike Amman for spearheading this project.
a. 2023 Budget. Stumpage revenue in October was a little above the three-year average for the
month at nearly $393k. Total stumpage revenue to date is just over $3.075 million. With
nearly two months remaining this year, we are still trending towards the budget for stumpage
revenue and will likely finish with a small surplus. Expenses are still on target.
b. 2024 Annual Work Plan. Work has started on the plan for the upcoming year. While not
anticipating any big changes next year, a decrease in sustainable harvest goals, primarily in
the aspen type is still anticipated. The work plan is usually presented during the January
meeting, typically because the Board doesn’t meet in December and they have to approve the
plan as well, but if a rough draft is ready in time for the Committee meeting in December,
it’ll be presented then.
c. Carbon Project. We’ve sold or are in the process of selling our first 1,000 credits.
Unfortunately, there are no details on that sale. These next three months have traditionally
been the strongest for carbon sales, so we should have a much better read on the market by
early winter.
d. Land Acquisition Projects. Erika Lang will present the two previously discussed Landmark
acquisition projects (160 acres near Whittlesey Creek and roughly 900 acres near the Iron
River) during the December meeting. A WI Coastal grant is being pursued as part of the
Whittlesey project. The deadline for that application was last Friday. We submitted that
application on behalf of Landmark since non-profits are not eligible to own land purchased
with these funds. Landmark has done all the heavy lifting with regards to the application
(very similar to our arrangement with Landmark on the Siskiwit, Lost Creek and Fire Hill
projects). This will eventually require Committee and Board approval, but the application
was submitted ahead of time due to hard deadlines. We are also currently in discussions with
Landmark, Gathering Waters, TPL and the Nature Conservancy regarding their process for
identifying and prioritizing future acquisition projects.
e. DNR ARPA Grant. We finally got all the necessary signatures on the new ARPA agreement
with the DNR and the grant has officially been awarded. The total value of the grant is $1.3
million. Currently, the grant is written to cover the recent Bark River purchase, which was
just under $1.028 million. The remaining balance will be available for use on a similar future
land acquisition project. Before we can request reimbursement for Bark River, we have to get
an appraisal, as well as gap coverage for the title insurance, both of which have been ordered.
The appraisal will cost $4,500 (reimbursable from the grant). When combining the current
land acquisition balance with this ARPA grant, we will have roughly $1.7 million available
for future acquisition projects. If carbon credit sales pick up, the amount available for future
land purchases could quickly double or more than triple if we successfully leverage some of
these funds. The deadline to utilize the ARPA funds is December 31, 2024.
f. Sand River Headwaters Community Forest Management Plan. As part of the roughly $320k
Community Forest grant, we are required to submit a management plan for the purchased
properties. We’ve already been granted one extension. The deadline for the plan is the end of
November. We’re still working on the individual stand maps for each parcel. I plan to submit
a draft to the Forest Service soon and then make any adjustments, if needed, based on their
feedback.
b) Campgrounds and Day Use Parks. The campgrounds are now closed, but we were able to
complete some targeted projects late last month. The first round of retaining walls were repaired
at Twin Bear. Highway completed the tear down of the old walls and installation of the new ones.
There are still a number of walls to repair at Twin Bear. Phase 2 will happen in 2024.
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November 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes
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c) Trails and Recreation.
a. Motorized Trails. There has been a flurry of activity on various snowmobile trail projects
which is typical for the month before the snowmobile season officially starts. Projects
include repairs, reroutes, grading and brushing. A potential issue with an old railroad trestle
bridge outside of Grand View was discovered. We met with the bridge inspector that
Highway uses to inspect DOT bridges, and the recommendation was to close this section of
the trail, which we did. What do we do with large, old railroad trestle bridges that we don’t
own (and will likely be extremely expensive to repair)? We’re currently exploring various
options. Developing a regular inspection process on all rec trail bridges will be a high priority
for 2024.
b. Non-Motorized Trails. Putting some finishing, end of season touches on the Lost Creek,
Siskiwit and Jolly trails and shifting trail counters around to better capture winter use.
c. Yurts. Rentals continue to be relatively steady this fall as we head into what has traditionally
been our quiet season (November).
d. Events. Nothing new to report.
MOTION: (Silbert, Fickbohm) Receive reports as presented and place on file. All: Yes.
Carried.
7. Resolution: Authorizing Participation in the Outdoor Motorized Recreation Trail Aids,
Stewardship Local Assistance Grant Programs and Federal Recreation Trails Act. This amended
resolution basically just involves changing the effective dates to cover the next 5-year period. Bodine
recommends approval.
MOTION: (Fickbohm, Ray) Forward amendment to County Board with recommendation for
approval. All: Yes. Carried.
8. Committee Members Discussion. Discussion regarding Radtke’s suggestion to remove “primarily”
from the Comprehensive Plan.
9. Joseph LeBouton, DNR Representative, Comments: None
The next Forestry and Parks Committee meeting has been scheduled for Monday, December 11th, at 6:00
PM in the County Board Room.
Meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM.
Submitted by,
Deanna Regan