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HomeMy WebLinkAboutForestry & Parks Committee - Minutes - 9/8/2025 BAYFIELD COUNTY FORESTRY AND PARKS DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE MEETING September 8, 2025 County Board Room Members Present: Fred Strand; Steve Sandstrom; Larry Fickbohm; Jeff Olsen Members Absent: Charly Ray Staff in Attendance: Jason Bodine, Administrator; Deanna Regan, Office Manager 1. Call to Order of Forestry and Parks Committee Meeting. This meeting was called to order at 6:05 PM. 2. Public Comment: None. Public comment closed at 6:05 PM. 3. Approval of the August 11th Meeting Minutes. MOTION: (Fickbohm, Sandstrom) Approve minutes and place on file. All: Yes. Carried. 4. Resolution: 2025 Budget Amendment. The resolution addresses the two long-standing land acquisition projects that are still in motion: 1) Picard/Siskiwit River (125.41 acres) and 2) Jauquet/Whittlesey Creek/Landmark Conservancy (160 acres). The WI Coastal program just formally awarded a $94,628 grant contract for the Siskiwit River acquisition. The difference, a little over $140k, would come from the NL land acquisition account. For the Whittlesey project, we have been awarded a separate WI Coastal grant in the amount of $94,285. Landmark has also secured a Stewardship grant for $91,500. After all funds are in place, Landmark still needs $28k to complete the transaction. The amendment addresses completing both acquisition projects, including receiving and spending the two Coastal grants, contributing the additional $28k on the Whittlesey project and covering some of the closing costs. The amount allocated from the land acquisition account needed to complete both projects is $170,426, resulting in zero net impact on the 2025 budget. Once completed, the remaining unobligated balance of the NL land acquisition account is estimated to be roughly $740,000. Bodine recommends moving forward with both projects. MOTION: (Sandstrom, Olsen) Forward proposed amendment with change to county board. All: Yes. Carried. 5. Park and Campground RFP Results. We received 6 proposals for planning and design work at Big Rock campground, Fire Hill and Topside Lake. Bids ranged from $23,975 to $55,430. A scoring/ranking summary of each proposal was completed. Based on that, we recommend proceeding with SAS, who was also the low bidder. The bid won’t require an amendment. MOTION: (Fickbohm, Olsen) Approve contract for SAS. All: Yes. Carried. 6. Iron River Community Forest Management Plan. Upon completion of this 860 acre acquisition project, one of the last remaining tasks was the development of a management plan, due 120 days after close-out. The same process was completed as part of the recent Sand River acquisition, and the formats are very similar. Bodine recommends approval. MOTION: (Olsen, Sandstrom) Approve Management Plan and forward to county board. All: Yes. Carried. 7. Recreational Use Agreement. Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA). The 10- year rec use agreement with CAMBA has been updated but we’re still working on an updated map that will be attached. CAMBA has already reviewed and has approved. CAMBA continues to be one of our most important rec partners. Bodine recommends approval. Bayfield County Forestry & Parks Committee September 8, 2025 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 3 MOTION: (Olsen, Fickbohm) Approve agreement with changes to date. All: Yes. Carried. 8. Future Land Acquisition Project. Still working on packaging up the second round of outreach for another land acquisition project. We’ve highlighted a few dozen properties from the initial round and have added a few more properties. The goal is similar to the first round, which involved a basic outreach letter, as well as a map of the property, and asking the landowner to reach out to the department if interested in having the discussion. Additionally, we may connect directly with a few landowners that either have already reached out during the first round or are already known locally. Committee agrees Bodine should move forward with this project. 9. Monthly Reports. a) Forestry. a. 2025 Budget. Stumpage returns in August were a little above average at nearly $454k. Total stumpage returns are nearly $2.77 million; however, they are over $1.0 million less than this time last year, but on pace to meet or slightly exceed the budget. Expenses are on target. b. 2026 Budget. A few modifications have been made to the 2026 budget. Some of the more noteworthy include: Operating budget: 1) timber sale revenue was increased by roughly $190k to about $3.66 million. We have already increased the timber revenue budget to a level that nearly matches the value of new sales. At $3.66 million there is a much higher risk of underperforming; 2) by increasing the timber revenue budget by over $190k, the 10% expense to the town will increase by roughly $19k; 3) funding for the Rec Coordinator position was shifted back to 50% from the carbon account; 4) a decrease of $5,000 in the professional services account which would be used to pay for the services of a professional surveyor. Changes to the operating budget resulted in a net deposit increase of about $190,000. Capital budget: $10,000 each was shaved off the Lost Creek Falls project, Topside Lake project (the $10k was added to the carbon account budget), and Big Rock campground project, while $5,000 was removed from the Delta Lake/Twin Bear campground project. In total, the capital request was reduced by $35k. c. Carbon Project. The carbon tour started today. We are hosting prospective clients, as well as a small team from ANEW today and Tuesday. The department has assembled an impressive tour of the property effectively showcasing who we are and what we do. Very proud of this team, we’re all looking forward to it. d. UWSP Forest Products Week Tour. WCFA has a long-standing relationship with UW Stevens Point. This year, to celebrate forest products week, WCFA reached out to member counties asking if any would have interest in hosting a tour, looking for one tour in each major region. The team is putting together another nice half-day tour of the property showcasing management and recreation. e. Other Land Acquisition Projects. The house demolition and well were addressed by the previous landowner on the recent Maki acquisition. We’ll be working with Highway on a similar demolition project on one of the recently acquired Stewardship properties later this fall. Highlights of other land acquisition projects below: i. Knowles-Nelson Stewardship. The request for reimbursement was submitted a few weeks ago. The last remaining 40 acre parcel will be purchased in 2026. Paperwork for entry into CFL will be submitted shortly. ii. Potential Land Trade. At the request of CAMBA, we are exploring potential trade opportunities/scenarios with a private landowner in Cable, in part to resolve a potential issue/concern with well-established and popular rec trails currently located on the private parcel. As with any trade involving county forest land, there needs to be a clear and demonstrated benefit/advantage to the public. Very early stages, but worth reporting that the conversation is happening. f. WCFA Board Member Update. WCFA is not raising fees. License plate sale is going well. Continues to be financially stable and politically active. Fall Board Meeting on Sept. 24th. b) Parks and Recreation. Below is a summary from Sara and Lindley on the various parks and rec Bayfield County Forestry & Parks Committee September 8, 2025 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 3 projects currently in motion. a. 2026 Seasonal Camping. The 2026 seasonal camping selection process is slated to occur on September 27. More information can be found on our website: https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/237/Parks-Campgrounds b. Bayfield Area Trails (BATs) along with the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program through the National Park Service (RTCP-NPS) held various field reconnaissance days and a planning meeting in Cornucopia, Washburn, and Bayfield the week of September 11. RTCP, BATs and Staff visited Lost Creek Falls, Glacial Kettles, and Siskiwit, reviewing existing trails and/or discussing new/additional trails. c. The Department has decided to participate in UWSP Forest Products Week by hosting a Forestry tour on Oct 21 from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm. The tour will focus on Forest Management and Outdoor Recreation. The department will be working with BART to visit sites off Star Route Rd and Siskiwit Falls. The tour is limited to 25 people and is free for community members (board members are welcome to join). d. Department staff met with a CAMBA staff and a Cable landowner to discuss a land swap for the purpose of securing recreation trails. e. We have been busy completing summaries and reference checks from the Concept Planning and Design Proposals. f. Completed a site visit at Big Rock Park/Campground with USFWS, Land and Water Department Staff and Trout Unlimited Staff to discuss a Headwaters to Coast Grant proposal to improve viewing access of the Sioux River fish refuge, implement streambank stabilization measures, reduce erosion from angler trails, and other resiliency measures. This project would coincide with the campground rehabilitation project. g. We’ve worked out an arrangement with the Town of Bell to clean the Lost Creek Falls and Siskiwit Falls bathrooms 2 days/week until October and then 1 day/week or as needed during the offseason. h. Motorized trails - all 3 of our grants (trestle bridge repair, Pagac's ATV trail, and Ounce River bridge) were approved last week by the ATV and Snowmobile Councils. Lots of work to come on each of those, especially the trestle bridge project. 2025-26 maintenance grants for ATV, Winter ATV and Snowmobile started July 1. i. Siskiwit Falls - the native wildflower garden has been completed. This was a great collaboration with many different groups; Wild Ones, Wildflower Woods, Cornucopia Trails Club, Bayfield Area Trails, Siskowit Farmhouse, and the Town of Bell. There is an online signup for watering now through the end of September. If interested in signing up click here - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0548A8A722A0FDC16-57741376-siskiwit j. Jolly connector trail - Bayfield Area trails and county staff worked on a section of trail that was lost over the years. Trail was cleared, new trail tread was created and some steps installed. We will work on signing the trail and mapping this fall/winter. k. Yurts - occupancy has increased in August, especially for Cable. l. Events - nothing new to report. Committee acknowledges that reports are received and placed on file. 10. Committee Members Discussion. None. 11. Joseph LeBouton, DNR Representative, Comments: None. The next Forestry and Parks Committee meeting has been scheduled for Monday, October 13th, at 6:00 PM in the County Board Room. Meeting adjourned at 7:03 PM. Submitted by, Deanna Regan