Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee — Agenda Packet

1 Sawyer County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee Meeting Wednesday, July 8, 2026 @ 8:30 AM Sawyer County Board Room AGENDA 1. ZOOM LINK a. To view or participate in the virtual meeting from a computer, iPad, or Android device please go to https://zoom.us/j/99719807086. You can also use the dial in at 1-312-626- 6799 with the Webinar ID: 997 1980 7086. Use *9 to Raise/lower hand and *6 to Unmute/mute. If you are on a computer, click the "Raise Hand" button and wait to be recognized. If you are on a telephone, dial *9 and wait to be recognized. If additional assistance is needed please contact the County Clerk's Office at 715- 634-4866 prior to the meeting. This meeting will be recorded and will be available on our website at: https://sawyercountygov.org. 2. CALL TO ORDER 3. ROLL CALL 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 5. CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW 6. MEETING AGENDA 7. PUBLIC COMMENTS At this time, members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Committee. Please adhere to the following when addressing the Committee: • Comments will be limited to 3 minutes or less per individual. • Comments should be directed to the Committee as a whole and not directed to individual Committee members. • The Committee cannot respond to your comments during this time. • Please sign in and fill out a public comment sheet if you wish to speak and hand it to the County Clerk (please respect the signs and do not approach Board members at the table). 8. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING a. June 10, 2026 Draft Minutes 9. EVENTS (DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION) a. No Events Applications Received Page 1 of 15 2 10. REGISTER OF DEEDS REPORT a. Register of Deeds Report 11. LAND RECORDS AND COUNTY SURVEYOR REPORTS a. Real Property Lister Report b. County Surveyor Report 12. FORESTRY a. County Forestry Report b. Wisconsin DNR Report c. US Forest Service Report d. Recreational Trails Report 13. ZONING & CONSERVATION a. Conservation Report 14. BOARD APPOINTED COMMITTEE UPDATES 15. CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS FROM CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS 16. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 17. FINALIZATION OF BUSINESS 18. NEXT MEETING DATE /TIME: AUGUST 12, 2026 AT 8:30AM 19. ADJOURNMENT DISCLAIMER: A quorum of the County Board of Supervisors or of any of its committees may be present at this meeting to listen and observe. Neither the Board nor any of the committees have established attendance at this meeting as an official function of the Board or committee(s) or otherwise made a determination that attendance at the meeting is necessary to carry out the Board or committee’s function. The only purpose for other supervisors attending the meeting is to listen to the information presented. Neither the Board nor any committee (other than the committee providing this notice and agenda) will take any official action with respect to this noticed meeting. Page 2 of 15 3 Copy sent via email to: Committee Members, Associated Staff and News Media. Note: Any person wishing to attend whom, because of a disability, requires accommodation should call the Sawyer County Clerk’s Office (715.634.4866) at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting so appropriate arrangements can be made. Land, Water, and Forestry Resources Committee Mission Statement: "Develop, guide and implement policies that protect and ensure the sustainability of our biodiverse community." Page 3 of 15 Minutes of the June 10, 2026 Meeting of the Sawyer County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee of the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Board Room, Sawyer County Voting Committee Members (X) Present: Others Present: Steve Kariainen Mike Markgren Mike Martin Randy Neumann Liz Klein Tim Davison Kay Wilson Jay Kozlowski Craig Morris Marshal Savitski Greg Peterson Kimberly Peterson- Virtual Steve Longtine- Absent Brian DeVries TJ Barnes Allison Jonjak Daryl McNutt Call to Order – Chair Kariainen called the meeting to order at 8:30 am. Certification of Compliance with the open meeting law was met. Roll Call was taken; a quorum was met; the agenda was set. Public Comments – Linda Zillmer Minutes from the previous meeting dated: May 13, 2026 Motion to approve made by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Savitski Motion carried without negative vote. Events— An application for the Stubborn Mule Adventure Race was approved on a motion by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Savitski Motion carried without negative vote. Register of Deeds Update-- A written report for May was provided. The department hired a new Deputy ROD who started June 8. Land Records and County Surveyor Department Report – Land Records—A written RPL report was provided. Surveyor—A written surveyor report was provided. Forestry – County Forestry Report— Mr. Peterson reported that four sales were active in May. There is approximately $5M in sold-uncut timber on file at the time of the report. The County is currently in oak wilt restriction through July 15. Three ATV/UTV trail rehab projects are out for bid with a deadline of June 25th. A Sustainable Forestry Grant project in the Draper area is out on bid. Decked hardwood around the county is starting to move to mills, the pine pulp market is not currently moving. CAMBA Trail Reroute Development Proposal– Mr. TJ Barnes from the CAMBA organization presented a proposal for adding an additional portion of trail near the Seeley fire tower to relieve two-way traffic. The proposed trail would split traffic into one-way uphill and downhill trails in that location. Page 4 of 15 The CAMBA Trail Reroute was approved on a motion by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Ms. Wilson Motion carried without negative vote. DNR Report—Mr. Morris reported on May DNR activity, including a correction to his report on county timber work, which was at 108% of goal hours. Fire danger on the forest has decreased in June with the rain. USFS Report—Mr. Martin reported on staffing changes and indirect impact of the federal USFS reorganization. Local field operations are in full swing and timber sales are active. The USFS will start a state-funded brushing project on Dead Horse Trail. The West Zone Aspen and Fir Regeneration Project is advancing, covering a large part of the forest between Bayfield and Medford. Four large aquatic animal crossing culverts are being replaced including one on FR 164 (which will be closed most of the summer). The Venison Creek bridge is going out on bid and will impact traffic from the end of 2026 into 2027. The Castle Creek gravel pit in Clam Lake and the Little Cranberry pit off Hwy B will be expanding to supply the next five years of forestry harvest roads. Zoning/Conservation Department – Mr. Kozlowski reported that the Price Dam fence was repaired by Town of Winter. The department is checking water levels at dams, continuing non-metallic mining inspections, and working on the Deer Lake IOMP. LCO Conservation is borrowing the county’s tree planter. The AIS Coordinator has met with lake associations on controlling purple loosestrife and shoreline restoration projects, and LCC training is scheduled today, June 10 at 10am. Board Appointed Committee Updates – None Correspondence, Reports from Conferences and Meetings – None Future Agenda Items – None Adjournment – 8:54am Next Meeting: July 8, 2026 Time: 8:30am Location: Board Room Minutes recorded by Liz Klein, County Clerk Page 5 of 15 Rachel Thompson Sawyer County Register of Deeds ROD June Report: June 1 – June 29 Our office continues to feel the ebb and flow of heavy daily traffic at the courthouse. Real estate activity remains strong, with transactions steadily pouring in and transfer fees totaling just over $131,000 as of June 29, with one day still left in the month. We recorded 507 documents, including 78 sales, with the highest sale at $2.9 million and with 6 sales exceeding $1 million. We’ve also been busy assisting individuals pursuing dual Canadian citizenship. This often requires locating older birth, marriage, and death records that predate what’s available on the State Vital Records website. As a result, we’ve been spending extra time pulling index and volume books from the vault rather than retrieving records online. After eight weeks of managing the office on my own, my new deputy joined us on June 8. She has jumped right in, learned quickly, and has already made a noticeable difference. I’m grateful for the help, and together we’re making great progress catching up. Our office recently received a bit of a facelift with the enclosure of the County Clerk’s office next door. The improvement has benefited both offices—noise is now minimal, interruptions have decreased, and visitors are navigating the two offices with far less confusion. Once the project is fully completed, we’re looking forward to decorating our new wall space with more pictures of the history of Sawyer County. — Submitted by Rachel Thompson, Register of Deeds – June 29, 2026 10610 Main St., Suite 19 - Hayward, WI 54843 Phone 715-634-4867 - Toll Free 877-699-4110 Fax 715-634-6839 - Email rod@sawyercountygov.org Page 6 of 15 June 30, 2026 Real Property Lister Report Due to being down one employee currently and a major NG911 project deadline in June, we are running about one to two weeks behind schedule in processing document transfers. We have processed about 190 documents and 6 Certified Survey Maps, with approximately 85 documents and 5 Certified Survey Maps still left to process from the month of June. We are still waiting to hear when the final seven Boards of Review will be held for municipalities having revaluations this year. Statements of Assessment and Assessment Rolls in XML format have been submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue for 13 municipalities so far this year. Town of Lenroot will be holding their Board of Review in July and we will get their reports submitted soon afterwards as well. Respectfully submitted, Kimberly Peterson GIS Technician and Real Property Lister 715-638-3279 kimberly.peterson@sawyercounty.gov Sawyer County Land Records 10610 Main Street, Suite 54 Hayward, Wisconsin 54843-0248 Telephone 715-634-3564 Fax 715-634-3546 https://sawyercounty.gov Page 7 of 15 County Surveyor’s Report 7/8/26 Last month we performed maintenance on various PLSS corners in the Towns of Lenroot, Hayward, Edgewater, Ojibwa, Weirgor, and Draper. Certain components of our GPS equipment were sent in for maintenance and firmware updates. The equipment has been returned to service and is working well. I reviewed 12 Certified Survey Maps in June. Respectfully Submitted, Chris Gregory Sawyer County Surveyor Sawyer County Surveyor’s Department 10610 Main Street, Suite 54 Hayward, Wisconsin 54843-0248 Telephone 715-634-3564 Fax 715-634-3546 https://sawyercountygov.org/ Page 8 of 15 Sawyer County Forestry Report June 2026 Active Timber Sales Nine sales listed as active in the month of June Sale Date # of Sales Acres Bid Value Received Est. Remaining 11/1/22 0 0 $0 $0 $0 5/10/23 0 0 $0 $0 $0 11/3/23 0 0 $0 $0 $0 5/7/24 1 77 $158,891.00 $86,146.83 $72,744.17 10/29/24 1 49 $47,162.40 $11,790.00 $35,372.40 5/7/25 4 364 $431,738.30 $82,089.64 $349,648.66 11/13/25 3 210 $175,130.00 $16,733.78 $158,396.22 5/5/26 0 0 $0 $0 $0 Totals 9 700 $812,921.70 $196,760.25 $616,161.45 Inactive Sales Sale Date # of Sales Acres Bid Value Received Est. Remaining 11/1/22 4 479 $273,314.75 $141,517.89 $131,796.86 5/10/23 1 136 $99,177.50 $51,000.00 $48,177.50 11/3/23 9 914 $342,749.75 $0 $342,749.75 5/7/24 6 671 $384,302.50 $196,344.45 $199,681.50* 10/29/24 12 984 $652,212.35 $145,491.72 $506,720.63 5/7/25 16 1166 $1,051,207.90 $82,257.35 $968,950.55 11/13/25 16 1626 $984,706.13 $161,938.43 $822,767.70 5/5/26 21 1620 $1,351,689.90 $27,982.61 $1,323,707.29 Totals 85 7596 $5,139,360.78 $806,532.45 $4,344,551.78 * Sales having overruns ** Sales having underruns One sale with final close out in June Timber Sale Value (sold contracts-uncut) on file = $4,960,713.23 Page 9 of 15 Timber Revenue June YTD Timber Sales $211,117.36 $1,175,249.44 Christmas Trees/Boughs $0 $0 Performance Bonds Cashed $0 $0 Other Revenue Camping/Firewood/Access $20 $125 Park Reservations $250 $700 Budget Gross Timber Sale Revenue $ 1,175,249.44 $2,000,000 10% Payment to Towns $ 117,524.94 Net Timber Sale Revenue $ 1,057,724.50 Performance Bonds Drawn $ 0 Total Other Revenue $ 825.00 Timber Sale Revenue Billed Out $ 222,969.83 Timber Sale Volumes Harvested Pulpwood Volume (cords) Month YTD Aspen 1,836.00 13,259.21 Mixed Hardwood 949.78 9,658.41 Basswood 305.80 1,528.94 Red Oak 533.65 1,461.79 Red Pine 434.08 1,461.08 White Pine 0 242.69 White Spruce 96.38 96.38 Black Spruce 0 0 Tamarack 0 0 Black Ash 0 0 Balsam Fir 0 9.64 Total Cords 4,155.69 27,718.14 Sawlog Volume (MBF) Month YTD Mixed Hardwood 11.73 190.34 Basswood 4.24 109.13 Red Oak 18.15 275.96 Hard Maple 10.40 45.34 Total MBF 44.52 620.77 Page 10 of 15 Timber Sale Inspections # month YTD 36 173 Comments: Goal for timber sale inspections is one inspection per week while sale is actively being harvested, or wood is being hauled. Tract Establishment # sales month/ YTD acres month/YTD Goal 4/20 366/1675 3500 Comments: Recon Acres Updated June YTD Annual Goal 335 7590 6,000 acres Comments: Recon is the assessment of geographic, structure and compositional attributes of forest stands. Field information is stored in the Wisconsin Forest Inventory & Reporting System (WisFIRS). Basic resource information is collected, stored, and updated systematically and continuously. Database is used to analyze existing resources, evaluate management alternatives, and assist in the development and implementation of management plans. Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) Hours June FY27 Contract 28 110.5 Current Contract: FY27: Approximately 535 hours of timber sale establishment/admin. $42,955.30 Received reimbursement of $18,710.85 for FY26 contract. Comments: Under the federal Good Neighbor Authority, the USDA Forest Service is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with states to perform forest management activities on national forest lands. WDNR has entered a GNA agreement with the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF). WDNR is authorized to contract with counties to assist with forest management activities on national forest lands. The focus of the GNA program is to assist in the implementation of the CNNF Forest Plan, which will provide: • Forest products to the local economy • Collaboration between federal, state and county forest managers • Improved health and resiliency of forestlands and watersheds within Wisconsin Page 11 of 15 Oak Wilt: Currently in oak wilt restriction, no harvesting or road maintenance activities April 15th through July 15th. Mountain Bike Trails: Nothing new to report. Birkie Trail: Nothing new to report. ATV/UTV/Snowmobile Trails: Completed Trail 3 Sissabagama Rd to bridge rehab project, 1.32 miles. $28,747.50, grant funded. Received bids for trail projects. See attached results sheet. Received additional funding from DNR for Tuscobia trail $15,000 for hazard tree removal and $16,520 for culvert replacement. Parks: Hatchery Park: Park continues to receive increased use. Five reservations for pavilion in June. Nelson Lake Park: Nothing new to report. Carbon Credit Project: Nothing new to report. Page 12 of 15 Sawyer County Forestry Department Sawyer County Courthouse 10610 Main Street, Suite 100 Hayward, WI 54843 Phone: (715) 634-4846 Fax: (715) 638-3234 6/25/2026 2026 ATV Rehab Projects Bid Summary Trail 3 Rehab, Little Siss Road to Green Lake Road Grant Amount $50,870.00 *JD Excavating LLC $46,057.50 Northwoods Trucking LLC $47,450.00 Select Excavating Inc $51,570.00 STOUT Construction LLC $72,300.25 Trail 31 Rehab, Chip Trail to Mosquito Brook Grant Amount $96,450.00 *JD Excavating LLC $92,680.00 Northwoods Trucking LLC $98,500.00 Select Excavating Inc $106,704.00 STOUT Construction LLC $124,848.00 Trail 77 Rehab, Int. 37 to Rock Lake Fire Lane Grant Amount $49,410.33 JD Excavating LLC $56,681.00 Select Excavating Inc $60,764.75 STOUT Construction LLC $68,179.25 Northwoods Trucking LLC $76,500.00 Draper Road Project Rehab (Sustainable Forestry Grant) Grant Amount $39,490.00 Northwoods Trucking LLC $58,500.00 Select Excavating Inc $63,517.60 STOUT Construction LLC $77,958.70 JD Excavating LLC $78,400.00 *Acceptable Low Bid Page 13 of 15 Sawyer County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee Meeting DNR Forestry Report for July 2026 In June there was minimal DNR activity on the Sawyer County Forest, the activity there was focused timber sale preparation and recon. We completed over 108% of our time standards goal of 2217 hours for FY26. The state fiscal year rolls over on July 1st so the clock has reset and we’ve begun work on FY27 time standards, with the focus being on timber sale establishment. Oak Wilt restrictions are in place until July 15, we ask folks to please refrain from pruning or doing any activity that has potential to cause a wound to an oak tree until after then to prevent the spread of Oak Wilt. Report Submitted by Craig Morris, DNR Forester, on June 30 2026 Page 14 of 15 Zoning & Conservation Department Update June 2026 – July 2026 Prepared by Jay Kozlowski, Zoning & Conservation Administrator • Conservation staff have been busy with additional site visits including a larger amount of individuals that have been interested in native plant restoration projects. Staff have also been busy with Grading Permit reviews, NR 135 compliance checks, meeting with DATCP engineers for project designs, and meeting with lake associations for AIS plant identification training and presentations. • The Conservation Department has also done water collection samples for Lake Loretta and Barber Lake. These samples were then sent to the Stevens Point for analysis of the lake quality in conjunction with an approved grant project. • The Sawyer County AIS Coordinator had a booth at Musky Fest showcasing specific types of AIS we are seeing here and providing additional education to people to help prevent the spread of these species. • The Conservation Department is in early planning stages for a Land Conservation Committee Fall Tour. This tour would be for all LWFRC members to come on a guided tour with staff to showcase specific projects in the County. • The Conservation Administrator has been in contact with DNR staff relating to livestock siting regulations and CAFO operations. We are planning on having DNR staff present additional information to the Committee in the following months. Page 15 of 15