Land Conservation

Land Conservation Committee December 2, 2025 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room 2, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Tim Hansen called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. Members Present: Tim Hansen, Karen Cummings, Joe Tomandl, Sara Matyka Members Absent: Catherine Lemke Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Pamela Holz, Conservation Program Specialist; Amanda Peters, NRCS Approve Minutes: Cummings moved to approve the minutes of the October 7, 2025 meeting; Seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 9 items; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Review and approve 9/30/25 to 11/21/25 bills and September-October 2025 budget analysis. Cummings moved to approve the bills; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Holz relayed an email from Wildlife Specialist Nicole Louma. Louma reported she was working on crop appraisals for Taylor County enrollees in the Wildlife Damage and Abatement Program. In October-November, they did field assessments of damage and will use that information and crop prices to determine overall loss. She will bring this information to the February LCC meeting for approval. Golden Sands RC&D – Tessmer observed the LCC had the latest meeting minutes in their meeting packets. He added they had reviewed the RC&D’s finance for 2024 and had looked good. There was a short delay on $500,000 short term federal grant and they were trying to diversify their funding sources to be more fiscally sound. Holz added a new AIS report had just been added to their packet. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Amanda Peters, interim District Conservationist, introduced herself. She updated the LCC on the current staffing situation and that she would be based out of Ladysmith but cover Taylor County. For Taylor County contracts, she reported 12 in CSP, 13 in EQIP, and 4 in CCP for a total of $1.3 million for 2025. EQIP sign up deadlines were during the shutdown and she believed that sign up had been extended as a result. Farm Service Agency – Written report provided. Matyka added the fall crop report was still unknown. However, the FSA schedule set before the shutdown between Medford and Clark Counties seems to be going well. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – Tessmer reported on the upcoming meeting in January at Shell Lake. Discuss/Take Action on in-kind support of Golden Sands RC&D application for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Healthy American’ Forests Initiative grant : Tessmer informed the LCC on the project, scope and timeline of the portion of the grant affecting Taylor County, which will primarily focus on the Ice Age Trail. Sponsors of the grant are Golden Sands RC&D and Stevens Point and are focusing on the Ice Age Trail as it is a major tourist spot, has only a small group of volunteers to maintain it and is in need of some major maintenance. Potential also exists to include improvements to habitat and to the campground. The plan is to hire interns to do the work and house them at the campground. Tessmer proposed using Tree Sale funds to purchase seedlings as the LCC’s portion of in -kind. The LCC offered several additional suggestions to Tessmer of potential sources of in-kind support for the grant. Tomandl moved to have the LCC support the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant and provide $5,000 in seedlings to the project. Seconded by Matyka. Motion carried. LCD Staffing and program update: Klayton Kree: Kree reported on his recent projects and activities. After purchasing proper stakes in Stanley, Kree staked out a CREP easement. He investigated and filled out manure spill reports. He completed the grass waterway project. Next year’s follow up project of a stream crossing actually also was completed with the waterway, so Kree received job approval from the DATCP engineer specialist and completed an As Built. As soon as he receives the final invoices, he will be able to do the final payment on those projects. Kree reported on a full schedule of POWTS inspections during Zoning’s vacation. He attended a Northern Area meeting with DATCP regarding the assignment of engineering oversight. He assisted with the DWEP public educational program and obtained a dug well closure as a result. He is keeping up with his POWTS webinars. Kree has also met several times with the new DATCP engineering specialist regarding current and upcoming projects, job approval, and efficient use of AutoCAD. He is also planning on 3-5 manure pit closures with the coming year. Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported on his activities. The Nutrient Management classes for Taylor County are now set for January 9, 16, and 23. In 2025, Taylor County had a slight increase in nutrient management acreage for a total of 31,801 acres. He is currently working on cost -share contracts and ensuring they are all signed properly . The no -till drills are put away for the year. Total no-till acreage use was 436, down from previous years but not unexpected due to the wet spring weather. Each drill had 14 stops each, but with small acreages. Tessmer reported he finished his last stream sampling of the year on October 9-10, which included also metals testing of the Bends sight. He should have final information for the season at the February meeting. Pamela Holz: Holz began her report by detailing the results of the Drinking Water Education Program and the attached map result handouts. She briefed the LCC on the main relevant data, including 14 positive bacteria tests, no positive e-coli, 4 high arsenic, 10 high manganese (one of which also was listed as high arsenic), and only 1 high nitrate (which is below average for the state and gave suspected reasons why this is the case: including agricultural use, local geology, and watershed location). She info rmed the LCC of her follow -up actions, including three contacts for the incentive, letters, and updating their web page. Holz also updated the LCC on the current status of the Tree Sale, of which roughly 25% of trees have been sold. Further publicity will be out shortly with the upcoming ending of the early order discount and temporary ceasing of the seed sales. Other activities included her first manure spill inspection, school forest programs, Outreach meetings, and webinars. Future Meetings and Events: a. Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, February 3; 9:00 a.m. b. Golden Sands RC&D, Steven’s Point - Thursday, January 15; 10:15 a.m. c. Northwest Area Association Meeting, Shell Lake - Thursday, January 22; 9:00 a.m. d. WI Land + Water Conference, Chula Vista, WI Dells - March 4-6, 2026 Motion by Cummings, seconded by Tomandl, to adjourn at 9:49 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee October 7, 2025 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room 2, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Tim Hansen called the meeting to order at 8:59 a.m. Members Present: Tim Hansen, Catherine Lemke, Karen Cummings, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: Sara Matyka Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Pamela Holz, Conservation Program Specialist; Jeremy Irish and Nicole Luoma, USDA APHIS; Star News Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the August 5, 2025 meeting; Seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 13 items; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Review and approve 7/26/25 to 9/29/25 bills and July -August 2025 budget analysis. Cummings moved to approve the bills; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program –Jeremy Irish introduced Nicole Luoma who would be handling Taylor County claims. Luoma stated they had removed roughly 350 bears within the region due to crop predation. She stated the bears were primarily corn concerns and not actual risks; thus, they were not relocated long distances. Golden Sands RC&D – Tomandl reported the most recent meeting was held at the Custer Renewable Energy Center. The RC&D are wrapping up summer projects. The meeting had some excellent speakers, including a developer for the Vista Solar Project. He informed the LCC that the energy needs for the new data centers being built are equal to the sum total of all household needs currently in Wisconsin and solar energy will be needed to supplement what is existing, not replace current sources. They had a tour of the grounds and the education and training projects still being done there. Tessmer added that Chris Hamerl had submitted his monthly Aquatic Invasives reports. Natural Resource Conservation Service – it was reported that Amanda Peters will be replacing Nick Besasie as acting District Conservationist. Farm Service Agency – Written reports provided. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – Tessmer reported no news. Discuss/Approve Wildlife Damage 2025 crop prices and damage assessment deadline: On behalf of USDA -APHIS, Irish made the recommendation of $4.16 per bushel for corn, based upon market value from five different sources. Tomandl motioned to approve the price, seconded by Lemke. Motion passed. Irish also recommended a damage assessment deadline of December 20, per usual protocol. Tomandl motioned to approve the deadline, seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Discuss/Approve 2026 budget for Wildlife Damage Program: Irish submitted the USDA - APHIS Wildlife Damage budget for Taylor County and reviewed it for the LCC. Lemke motioned to approve the budget, seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Discuss/Approve 2026 participation in the Wisconsin Deer Donation Program: Cummings motioned to continue to participate in the program, seconded by Tomandl. Motioned carried. Discuss/Take Action on replacing stream monitoring meter or data transfer cord: Tessmer reported the cord to download stream monitoring data on a USB drive had failed. He added the current stream monitor is ten years old. Replacing the cord would cost $240 and the life span of the current monitor is unknown. Upgrading the monitor would cost $1251 and he would be able to download directly to his computer. Tessmer reported the equipment line item had sufficient funds for either option. Cummings motioned to upgrade to a new monitor; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Discuss/Take Action on installing GPS in Land Conservation truck: The LCC was in consensus to take no action or discussion on installing GPS. LCD Staffing and program update: Klayton Kree : Kree reported on his recent projects. He had one waste storage facility almost completed and was waiting on rain to establish the seeding to give final approval. His wetland scrape project ended in some minor improvements before being finalized. Klayton added since the wetland was kept under one-acre DNR stormwater permits were not needed. He was also in the midst of a grass waterway project near Jump River, which will lead to a second project of a stream crossing later. With his fencing project finalized, he had just sent out request for reimbursement. He was also working on a rain garden for Zoning and a waste storage closure. In professional development, he was in Tomahawk learning how to support wetlands with stream crossings on logging areas. He also assisted with the Drinking Water Education Program. Klayton also announced DATCP had finally hired an engineering specialist for the region to assist and oversee LCD engineering techs and he was looking forward to a return to this smoother process for job approval. Brent Tessmer : Tessmer reported on his activities. On Nutrient Management: he attended a DATCP meeting in September: NRCS and partners were updating their standards, and the UW were updating application guidelines. Version 3 of Snap+ is operational and is the preferred option. Tessmer will soon be meeting with regional LCD partners to schedule NMP training and he expects the schedule to be similar to previous years. He is now following up with Taylor County farmers who took the class the previous year. He h as also been working on cost/share contracts, especially for cover crops. For invasive species, Tessmer sprayed Japanese knotweed at 17 sites and checked out 12 more previously treated sites and found no presence of the invasive. Stream sampling for September was completed with October being done later this week. The No-Till Drill had some interest, with the jack now replaced. Tessmer also made a full report of a manure spill he discovered while stream sampling at Trappers Creek in the Town of Maplehurst. He has not yet received the full report from the DNR yet, but in his review, it appeared between 20-30,000 gallons spilled on and off over a period of four hours and he had discovered it three days after the fact. Pamela Holz: Holz reported on the Drinking Water program to date. 103 people participated in the program this year (same as the previous year); 50% had not tested in the past five years. Of those, 98 were homeowners and 84 were metals tests. This represented an increase of metal testing up 40% from the previous year. While full results were not expected until the beginning of November, Holz reported bacteria tests have already been completed, with only 14 positives and no e -coli, a slight dip from the previous year. She also passed out the final rough draft of the Taylor County Well Owner brochure. For the Tree Sale, Holz reported on details of the sale with it opening the previous Friday with the first order coming in minutes after. She reported having to upcoming school forest programs that week, participated in Outreach Zoom calls, and attended several professional webinars and a very informative agroforestry workshop in Illinois. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting ................................................................ Tuesday, December 2; 9:00 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Steven’s Point ..................... Thursday, November 20; 10:15 a.m. Motion by Tomandl, seconded by Lemke, to adjourn at 10:01 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee August 5, 2025 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room 2, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Tim Hansen called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Tim Hansen, Catherine Lemke, Karen Cummings, Sara Matyka Members Absent: Joe Tomandl Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Pamela Holz, Conservation Program Specialist; Nick Besasie, NCRS Approve Minutes: Cummings moved to approve the minutes of the June 3, 2025 meeting; Seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Lemke moved to approve the agenda with 10 items; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Review and approval of 5/24/25 to 7/25/25 bills and May -June 2025 budget analysis. Lemke moved to approve the bills; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Holz reported Jeremy Irish was not attending and had no report. Golden Sands RC&D – Meeting minutes and aquatic invasive species reports were provided. Also provided were several aquatic invasives lake surveys. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Besasie reported funding projects for Taylor County were still in progress and he would have final numbers for the next LCC meeting. He also stated NRCS had received for Fiscal Year 2026 a high number of funding requests from county landowners. However, he also acknowledged NRCS only had budget approval through September 30 and the Farm Bill was also set to expire at that time. Nevertheless, the recent federal budget bill had increased the amount of direct assistance to farmers. Besasie updated the LCC on current staffing changes, including his upcoming relocation to another field office. Farm Service Agency – Written report provided. Matyka added final crop reporting was extended due to excess moisture this growing season. She explained the current staffing shortage and that the shared duties between Taylor and Clark Counties was due to having a shared management. Similar to other short -staffed rural offices, the Medford FSA office would only be open on Thursdays and Fridays with both counties’ staff present. Both Matyka and Besasie emphasized this should be a temporary measure until the USDA hiring freeze ends in October. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – Tessmer reported a meeting should be scheduled soon. Discuss/Approve 2026 Department Budget: Tessmer provided three sets of budgets sheets: budget history, general operating budget, and operating budget plus state grants. He reviewed the changes made for the upcoming Fiscal Year, which included an increase in cell phone and computer outlays (per Finance guidelines) and an increase in the amount received from the state for salaries (per recent state biennial budget passage). Lemke motioned to approve the budget; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Discuss/Take action on groundwater lessons for schools: Committee and staff weighed the pros and cons of paying Golden Sands RC&D to lead groundwater lessons in area schools as recently offered versus in house. Committee supported Holz in contacting the schools and offering programs tailored to the teacher’s requirements and Taylor County’s hydrogeology. LCD Staffing and program update: Klayton Kree : Kree reported on his recent activities, including assisting with the loosestrife biocontrol project and attending NRCS Local Working Group meeting, reporting the latter chose to keep their focus the same as the previous year. He had approved a wastewater ordinance with Tessmer and inspected several holding tanks for the Zoning Department. For professional development and tech support: Klayton attended a tech meeting in Park Falls and presented at the Northwestern Technician meeting in Eau Claire. He updated the LCC on the current DATCP support staff status – instead of a full engineer, DATCP was in the process of hiring a specialist to oversee area LCD technical projects. In response, area LCD technicians chose to gain more experience by observing each other’s projects and learning from them. As a result, Klayton had recently visited a big culvert installation in Iron County which he found to be very informative. For projects: the grass waterway was in a revision stage. His wetland scrape was nearing completion. Lastly, he had several plans he was waiting for approval and four construction projects ready to go. Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported the new web -based SNAP 3 was live for fall and winter NMPs though it required some adjustment to the changes. Half of SEG cost -share had been allocated, with most going for cover crops. For invasive species: he had again raised beetles for biocontrol of loosestrife, with help from staff. He released them in three locations where they had been previously released several years prior. He was happy to state those locations had indications of small beetle populations, demonstrating a longer -term success rate for the project. He would start spraying Japanese knotweed at the end of the month. Initiated by the Forestry Department, he assisted in an Invasive Species booth at the county fair, including bringing in specimens for identification. Other projects: Stream sampling for July was completed with August’s sampling coming up. One no till drill was currently being used. He added usage of the drills was low this year due to weather. He also had approved a waste ordinance permit. Pamela Holz: Holz reported she had attended a series of webinars on Adult Learners and another one on sustainable agriculture. She had attended an Outreach meeting via Zoom with another at the end of the week. She reported an increase in sales of Planskydd due to concerns regarding higher deer predation this summer. She also had IT create a generic email address (lcd@co.taylor.wi.us) for general usages and publications with the messages coming directly to her inbox. Projects: Holz reported on prepping for the Invasive Species display for the fair and manning it for an afternoon. In regard to the Drinking Water Education Program’s expansion, Holz reported researching and creating new educational materials, which she submitted in final or draft form to the LCC for their perusal. For the annual Tree Sale, Holz reported tree purchases were completed with the nurseries and she had begun work on marketing materials. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, October 7; 9:00 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Steven’s Point - Thursday, September 18; 10:15 a.m. Motion by Lemke, seconded by Cummings, to adjourn at 9:57 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee June 3, 2025 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room 2, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Catherine Lemke called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Catherine Lemke, Karen Cummings, Joe Tomandl, Sara Matyka; Tim Hansen attended via Zoom Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Pamela Holz, Conservation Assistant; Jeremy Irish, USDA Wildlife Damage Supervisor; Nicole Hager, Human Resources Approve Minutes: Cummings moved to approve the minutes of the April 1, 2025 meeting; Seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 10 items; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Review and approve 3/25/25 to 5/23/25 bills and March -April 2025 budget analysis. Tomandl moved to approve the bills; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Jeremy Irish introduced himself as the program’s supervisor and currently in charge until a replacement could be hired. He reported Taylor County had approximately nine enrollees, primarily bear and deer damage, with the bear damage focused on apiaries. He notified the LCC due to traveling distance, he would only attend meetings if he had a report. Irish then left the meeting. Golden Sands RC&D – AIS reports and surveys were provided as written. Tomandl reported that the meeting minutes packet provided contained the most recent organizational information. He added the agency’s funding, at this time, appears satisfactory and is faring better than some other RC&Ds. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Tessmer provided a report from Nick Besasie. The report included staffing and program status updates. Projects funded were reportedly diverse in nature and Taylor County remained at record high levels of participation. Tessmer informed the LCC of the upcoming Local Working Group online meeting to establish state program priorities and that one of the LCD staff would be attending. Farm Service Agency – Written report provided. Matyka added staffing was down to two with a shared lead with other counties. Work currently was primarily crop reporting and adjusting. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – Tessmer reported a meeting was to be scheduled for July or August. Discuss/Take action on 2025 Drinking Water Testing Program: Holz reviewed the drinking water program with the LCC and requested expansion of the current program. Holz provided supporting data of the extent of naturally occurring arsenic and manganese in Taylor County groundwater and their potential health effects. She proposed, in addition to the current program, to reconnect via letter to previous program participants (2000 -2019) who have not tested in the last five years (per recommended metal testing timeframe) and who had a previous Arsenic or Manganese test above health advisories. In addition, she proposed to provide a cost incentive for those who test high in Arsenic and/or Manganese to install an appropriate water treatment device. During the ensuing discussion, the LCC also emphasized Holz should contact agencies/groups connected to mothers with infants due to the health concern of high manganese levels with infant formula. Matyka moved to set the price for the drinking water testing program at $40/package; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Cummings motioned to provide an incentive, up to $250 per well owner, for installation of water treatment devices for those who water tests above health levels for Arsenic and Manganese, with the stipulation that the total budget for the entire program does not exceed the 2025 drinking water budget plus the drinking water program carryover. Seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Discuss/Take action on LCC meeting quarterly versus bimonthly: Committee deemed the current schedule was working well and no action was taken. LCD Staffing and program update: Klayton Kree: Kree reported on his recent activities which included preparing for a busy summer with projects, including an upcoming pit closure, a stream crossing with NRCS, and a wetland scrape (which included soil borings). He had inspected last year’s riprap project and reported he had observed no evidence the stream had overtopped the road as occurred prior to the project and that the rocks were holding well. Kree reported performing inspections via aerial imagery on the county’s manure pits, mapping each out, and recording those which may have structural concerns. He then completed an in -person roadside inspection of those he deemed highest concern and created a priority list of landowners to contact for offering cost -share on closing those pits. In addition to projects, Klayton attended POWTS trainings, tech meeting in Park Falls, and a soils training. He also assisted with the Tree Sale and Maplefest, preparing purple loosestrife plants for the biocontrol program, COWS erosion simulator presentation, Buckthorn Bash, and Clean Sweep. Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported most of the Nutrient Management Plans were submitted with just a few needing updates this summer. He had also taken soil samples for some plans. He reported a good interest in the cover crop cost -share program and that the LCD was no longer limited on how much of its funds could be spent on this program. Tessmer reported that the no- till drills’ usage was below average, not having much use early in the spring due to weather constraints. To date, the drills had been used on 15 farms and roughly 200 acres. Tessmer had also been working on invasive species removal, including spraying garlic mustard and organizing Buckthorn Bash on the edges of Campus Woods. In addition, he had dug up purple loosestrife for the biocontrol project and announced they would soon be gathering the beetles for the project. Coming up, he would also be spraying wild parsnip and leafy spurge. Tessmer also reported completing the first set of stream testing for the season, which included the regular phosphorus test sites and the metals tests at the Bend near where the mine is proposed. Pamela Holz: Holz submitted her final report on the 2025 Tree Sale. She reported on the main highlights of this year’s program, including a complete sell -out of all trees and a lower cash - carry sale amount due to less tree inventory at the end of the sale. She also indicated plans for the next sale. As per the earlier discussion, Holz reported analyzing the LCD’s drinking water database, attending relevant webinars, researching, and connecting with experts in regard to the drinking water program. Holz reported attending other webinars on grazing and invasive species and assisting with Buckthorn Bash and Clean Sweep. She led an introductory program in-school for Buckthorn Bash and a Stetsonville K program at the school forest. She met with a representative of the Kuse Reserve Board in regard to potential educational programming. Minor projects included updating bulletin boards, researching LCD county conservationist history, and other office related details. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, August 5; 9:00 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Boston School Forest, Plover - Thursday, July 17; 10:15 a.m. Motion by Cummings, seconded by Tomandl, to adjourn at 10:05 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee April 1, 2025 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room 2, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Tim Hansen called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. Members Present: Tm Hansen, Catherine Lemke, Karen Cummings, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: Sara Matyka Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Pamela Holz, Conservation Assistant; Liz Usborne, DNR; Nick Besasie, NRCS Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the February 4, 2025 meeting; Seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 14 items; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Review and approve 1/25/25 to 3/24/25 bills and January -February 2025 budget analysis. Lemke moved to approve the bills; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – No report. Golden Sands RC&D – AIS report was provided as written. Tessmer reported on the most recent meeting, noting federal funding, while delayed, has not been cancelled. Besasie clarified the RC&D has a “financial agreement” with NRCS which is currently secure and differs from “contracts” which have been discontinued. Tessmer added the meeting also highlighted US Fish & Wildlife Service projects. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Besasie updated the LCC on the local NRCS staffing conditions. He emphasized the county had seen a very aggressive sign up for programs (EQIP and CSP) this year. While new contracts are under review, Besasie noted all existing contracts are being honored. Farm Service Agency – Written report provided. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – Tessmer reported no meeting, no updates. Discuss/Take action on 2026 SWRM (Soil & Water Resource Management) Grant: Tessmer reviewed the grant for the LCC. Discuss/Take action on 2025 annual work plan: Tessmer reviewed the plan with the LCC. Tomandl motioned to approve both the grant and the work plan; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Discuss/Take action on NRCS memorandum of understanding (MOU): Besasie provided the background for having a MOU. He then explained the three key points the MOU covered. 1. Information sharing, particularly protections of privileged information. 2. Civil rights and complaint procedures. 3. Formalizes the local working group process. In regard to the third point, Besasie detailed how the LCD’s input on local natural resource concerns affected how the NRCS would reward contracts. Besasie added this MOU did not cover the swapping of anything of value (e.g. use of work vehicles) or other matters but that further agreements could be made later with an existing MOU in place. Cummings motioned to approve allowing Tessmer to sign the MOU on behalf of the agency; seconded by Lemke. Discuss Land Conservation carryover accounts: Tessmer reviewed each of the LCD carryover accounts, the source of the funds and what the funds were designated for. Discuss/Take action on 2025 Golden Sands RC&D contracted land surveys: Tomandl made a motion to approve the contract; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Discuss/Take action on installing GPS in Land Conservation truck: Staff updated the LCC on their procedure and use of the agency truck. No action was taken. LCD Staffing and program update: Klayton Kree: Kree reported on his recent activities which unfortunately included a full week out sick. He reported he was maintaining his POWTS certification through weekly trainings. Via Usborne, he was able to contact and set up a regional meeting with the DNR for the Healthy Watershed Tool but was unable to attend himself due to illness. Kree reported attending the WI Land+Water Conference and found it productive. He inspected his riprap project afterwards, after a heavy, wet snowfall, and observed it was achieving its goal. He assisted the Forestry Department in creating a proposal for a snowmobile bridge. He also created rough drafts for a wetland scrape and an animal trail walking. Kree reported his current project was inspections via aerial photographs of known manure pits and prioritizing those of high concern to contact the landowners about cost-sharing closures. Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported the Nutrient Management Plan deadline was the day before and he was finalizing plans. He remarked on an increase in interest in cover crops and no -till cost-shares. He reported the no -till drills were out, with the new one already at a farm. The old one still required some maintenance and most likely would last a few more years before needing to be replaced. He was waiting on nicer weather to progress on invasive species work including loosestrife biocontrol and Buckthorn Bash with the Medford 5 th graders. He reviewed the 2024 stream monitoring report with the LCC and agreed to give copies of the report to the other supervisors. Pamela Holz: Holz’s recent activities included a program for Gilman Elementary and attending a mining informational meeting and the WI Land+Water Conference. She had created brochures on the LCD and switched the display board to their drinking water program. She had also begun work on materials for an invasive species booth for the county fair. She updated the bulletin board outside the office and the LCD website. Holz reported most of her work recently was on the annual tree sale, of which they were in the final stretch. That work included marketing and organizing for the pickup. She gave a brief review of current finances, informing the LCC expenses would be higher this year due to more supplies were bought. She also gave the current status of the sale itself. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, June 3; 9:00 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Stevens Point - Thursday, May 15; 10:15 a.m. Motion by Lemke, seconded by Cummings, to adjourn at 10:24 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee February 4, 2025 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room 2, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Tim Hansen called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Tm Hansen, Catherine Lemke, Karen Cummings, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: Sara Matyka Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Pamela Holz, Conservation Assistant; Liz Usborne, DNR; Jodi Chapek, NRCS Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the December 3, 2024 meeting; Seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 10 items; seconded by Cummings. Motion carried. Review and approve 11/23/24 to 1/24/25 bills and November -December 2024 budget analysis. Tomandl moved to approve the bills; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Holz reported she had received notification from Jenevieve Hartung’s supervisor that Hartung was laid off through March and there was nothing to report. Golden Sands RC&D – Tomandl noted the last meeting was held in Stevens Point as the RC&D had expanded offices there. Tomandl listed highlights of the last meeting, which included: a request for another representative from the LCC, an increased demand for services on lakes, the discovery of marsh pennywort in Green Lake County, and a featured speaker on large scale solar projects. Tomandl listed key points from the presentation. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Chapek introduced herself. She reported 59 providers had applied for EQIP with final funding decisions being made in the near future. She added February 7 is the deadline for CSP sign up and that NRCS had already received roughly 20 local applications. She clarified that demand exceeded funding for these programs and they were awarded through a ranking system. Chapek included staffing updates to the local office, including a partnership with the Ruffed Grouse Society. Upon request, Chapek agreed to invite the new Ruffed Grouse staff person to the next LCC meeting. Farm Service Agency – Written report provided. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – No report given as staff had been unable to attend recent meeting. Select additional Golden Sands RC&D representative: Tessmer reported the agency requested an elected official to also serve, as Tomandl, being an “at large” representative on the LCC, did not qualify. Hansen agreed to serve as additional representation via consensus. Discuss/Take action on no -till drill rental rates: Tessmer reported the LCD rates have not changed since their inception in 2013 and replacement parts were becoming more expensive. Tessmer listed the current rates for nearby counties, all of which had comparable fees to each other. Cummings motioned to raise the yearly farm rate to $75 and the per acre rate to $8; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. LCD Staffing and program update: Klayton Kree: Kree reported on his recent activities. Continuing education: Klayton was attending a recurring virtual POWTS chat on soils this winter; he was continuing to meet monthly in Park Falls for area tech meetings, the last of which he presented on two recent projects; and he attended the county’s harassment training. Projects: ongoing projects included a cattle lane, rain garden mitigation, wetland scrape, two waste storage permit applications, and providing draft plans for a gun range for grant purposes. Klayton informed the LCC that the DATCP engineer who oversaw and approved his projects had moved on to another position. Klayton explained the barriers this current void created as he had not yet been given any job approvals and, with the help of Usborne, detailed the structure in Wisconsin of job approvals for engineering projects. Klayton added his current projects were not yet at the stage for this oversight. Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported the Nutrient Management Plan program was in full swing. The NMP classes at Medford had gone well and he had been working with area farmers to update their nutrient management plans. He informed the LCC February 15 is the deadline for the SWRM grant reimbursements, which includes staffing, cover crops, and other cost -share projects. The Wildlife Damage reimbursement request was waiting on the invoice for venison processing to be submitted. Two manure storage permits had been approved with payment still waiting on the second. Pamela Holz: Holz provided highlights of her recent activities, including an in -person Outreach meeting, trainings on hydrology and harassment with the upcoming Land & Water Conference, an education program with the RVAP and an upcoming one with Gilman Elementary, and attending a meeting with Tessmer regarding plans and potential for the Kuse property. She updated the LCC on the progress of the Tree Sale, observed seed sales were up this year, and several tree species have already been sold out. Holz reported on her findings and compilation of the entire LCD DWP data from 1985 to today and potential uses for that data. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, April 2; 9:00 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Stevens Point - Thursday, March 20; 10:15 a.m. WI Land & Water Annual Conference; KI Convention Center, Green Bay - March 5-7 Motion by Lemke, seconded by Cummings, to adjourn at 9:55 a.m. Motion carried.