Land Conservation

Land Conservation Committee December 5, 2023 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Joe Tomandl, Tim Hansen, Sara Matyka Members Absent: Catherine Lemke Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Pamela Holz, Conservation Assistant; Jenevieve Hartung, USDA-APHIS Approve Minutes: Hansen moved to approve the minutes of the October 3 , 2023, meeting; Seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 8 items; seconded by Hansen. Motion carried. Review and approve 9/26/23 to 11/27/23 bills and September-October 2023 budget analysis. Hansen moved to approve the bills; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Jenevieve Hartung reported. Hartung submitted the most recent Wildlife Damage Claim, reporting bear damage was the main concern this year. Hartung added all damage was lower this year, theorizing it was the result of the recent mast (highly abundant) nut and berry crop. However, 15-20 bears were trapped and relocated north from one area alone. Further details were given on kill permits to abate further bear damage. Golden Sands RC&D – The November 16, 2023 meeting minutes were provided. The RC&D had hired a new director. Tomandl and Tessmer reported on three main concerns from the meeting they both attended. While PFAs are considered a serious concern in drinking wells, direction had not yet been received on how to proceed with the problem. Barriers to a solution included: each of the 12 different PFAs had different thresholds for toxicity and no removal solution from water was available yet to the general public. Another issue, wake boats disturbing the lake floor and the consequences, were debated and considered not a major concern in Taylor County. Lastly, Tessmer expressed the need for more grazing planning in the area. Natural Resource Conservation Service – No representative present and no report given. Farm Service Agency – Written reports were given on the last two months’ activities. Matyka reported primary focus has been the Livestock Forage Disaster Program. The COC election would be counted the following week. The C ED is retiring and there will be another shuffling of duties/locations as a result. The harvest status on different crops was given as was the contingencies if there would be a government shutdown. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – Tessmer reported the next upcoming meeting was January 26. LCD Staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported the next Nutrient Management class in Medford will be held January 5, 12 and 19 with other classes offered in the region. In 2023, DATCP NMP covered 29,582 acres, only 20 more acres than the previous year. However, Tessmer believed there will be more interest in the coming year. All the LCD funds were allocated provided the landowners followed through. The no-till drills had typical usage despite the shortened time frame, covering 794 acres. Tessmer gave detailed information on usage and reported some maintenance was required on the older drill. Stream sampling was finished on October 9 -10 with most streams at near normal flow levels. Tessmer will provide a full report on the project data at the next LCC meeting. Tessmer also attended the regional meeting on Invasives as he is the contact person. Soper added he and Tessmer had, prior to the meeting, attended the Land & Water Conservation Board for Taylor County’s 5 -year review and that Tessmer handled the reporting really well. Review was passed. Tessmer added the report for the Drinking Water Program was included in the Committee’s packets. Klayton Kree : Kree reported most of his time has been spent on the Feddick project, which should be completed by spring. Main work still in progress included backfilling and piping. Kree explained the adaptations to certain barriers such as cold pouring concrete and increased construction costs over the span of the 4 -year project. Other projects included: approving a permit for a pre -stacking facility, a quick spillway and fencing project, completing a fencing project converting farmland to pasture, MDV funding, a four -series pond design, and a meeting with Tessmer and a landowner over run-off concerns. In the office, Klayton has been working on fence plans and a waste storage closure for next year. Pamela Holz: Holz introduced herself as the new Conservation Assistant and provided some brief background information. Holz informed the LCC she had spent much of her time familiarizing herself with the agency. Her main activities have included handling the LCD finances and working on the Tree Sale. The Tree Sale was observed to be behind in sales at this time in previous years, which Holz attributed to the month -plus late start in the program. Around 30 orders have added over $4000 to the Tree Account with 20% of trees sold. Red pine and white spruce were the top sellers, due to one large order, with swamp white oak, white pine and tamarack being other favorites. Holz posted twice to Facebook and had made contacts regarding the poster contest. Future Meetings and Events: a. Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, February 6; 9:00 a.m. b. Golden Sands RC&D, Wisconsin Rapids - Thursday, January 18; 10:15 a.m. c. WI Land & Water Annual Conference; KI Convention Center, Green Bay - March 6-8, 2024 • Information will be provided via email on early registration when it becomes available. Motion by Tomandl, seconded by Hansen, to adjourn at 10:44 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee October 3, 2023 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Catherine Lemke, Joe Tomandl, Tim Hansen, Sara Matyka Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Jodi Chapek, Resource Conservationist; Jenevieve Hartung, USDA-APHIS; Liz Usborne, DNR. Approve Minutes: Tomandl moved to approve the minutes of the August 1 , 2023, meeting; Seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Hansen moved to approve the agenda with 12 items; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Review and approve 7/26 to 9/25/23 bills and July -August 2023 budget analysis. Lemke moved to approve the bills; seconded by Hansen. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Jenevieve Hartung reported. Hartung reported that the 5-year contract renewal has come up, the 2024 budget amounts are similar, and the deer donation program has 2 processors. Golden Sands RC&D – Tomandl and Tessmer attended the September meeting in Wisconsin Rapids. GS RC&D completed the point intercept survey of Rib Lake. Results were distributed to committee members. It is very abundant in native aquatic vegetation. Other notes from the meeting include that water levels are low throughout WI. Also, they are looking for a new Executive Director and AIS position as the prior ones have moved on. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Chapek reported. The 2023 fiscal year ended in September. EQIP accounted for $160,000 in Taylor County with 16 total contracts, cropland $75,000, and forest $85,000. RCPP alder/aspen shearing with 13 applications and got funded for $62,014 in Taylor. 5 CSP contracts totaling $260,052. EQIP signup is Nov 3, 2023 , for 2024. So far 39 applications for Taylor. Currently working on CSP renewals (3). The estimated CSP application deadline is Feb 9th, 2024. 45 contracts for CSP payments due Nov 30. Farm Service Agency – Matyka reported that Taylor and Price counties are considered under drought now. The milk loss program ends Oct. 16. Noted payments for livestock forage in Taylor County with drought conditions for total grazed land. Matyka reported that a designated person would process payments for a few hours in case a government shutdown was to occur. The lead person is retiring in December, they are reevaluating the position. Beans are small, not as many per pod. Northwest Land Conservation Association, Representative – Tessmer reported that there is nothing scheduled. Discuss/approve Wildlife Damage Program 2023 crop prices and damage assessment deadline -Hartung presented the prices which were distributed to committee members. Tomandl moved to approve the crop prices; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Hartung presented the damage assessment deadline as December 21, the first day of winter, to be the last day to claim damage. Hansen moved to approve the deadline; Matyka seconded. Motion carried. Discuss/approve 2024-2028 Cooperative Service Agreement for Wildlife Damage Program – Hartung presented the agreement. Matyka moved to approve the contract; Tomandl seconded. Motion carried. Discuss/approve 2024 budget for Wildlife Damage Program -Hartung presented the budget noting that it is all refunded by the state, $70,912.38. Tomandl moved to approve the budget; Matyka seconded. Motion carried. Discuss/approve 2023 & 2024 participation in the Wisconsin Deer Donation Program - Hartung presented that there are two processors in Taylor County that participate. Hansen moved to approve participating in the donation program; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. LCD Staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported that when crops come off, he will begin helping with soil sampling for data input for nutrient management plans. On Oct 27, the 5 -county group will get together to plan for the next NMP training dates. Tessmer attended an August 28 NM update meeting with DATCP where they are almost ready to roll out a web -based program rather than file based. Tessmer believes this will make it much easier for farmers to access. Tessmer has sprayed 19 invasive sites with only a few spots left to spray. Tessmer will be going to a buckthorn day at the Concrete Park in Phillips to help. Tessmer conducted the stream sampling on Sept 7 and 8, reported that water flow was low to normal at most sites. Next week he is planning on taking samples again and will do metals at the Bend site. Tessmer reported that so far there have been 709 acres planted using the no -till drill with more planned yet this year. Tessmer reported that the drinking water program went well this fall. He said there were 100 total p articipants, including 98 homeowner’s tests and 56 metals tests. Tessmer has trees ordered for the tree sale and will set final prices, create brochures, and update the tree sale online store soon. Tessmer reported that a new Conservation assistant was hired and will begin October 16. Her name is Pamela Holz and has many years of experience with conservation. Klayton Kree: Kree reported he attended septic mound inspections with Kyle to get experience. Kree took a well water sample and inspected a holding tank in Jump River. He completed a construction plan for a fence which should be beginning construction after the beans are harvested. Kree created grazing maps and completed an as built for a fence that was constructed. He is waiting for the invoice for the project from the landowner. He also attended an as built for a fence the NRCS designed with Cody O and th e new NRCS tech. Kree helped Brent with the drinking water program which went smoothly, making sure one of them was always in the office. Kree reported that he was on-site with Stacy D during a lane construction to help/see the culverts being placed properly. They also reviewed a permit application for a stacking pad, which was approved on Oct 2. Kree has spent a lot of time working on the Feddick construction. Multiple pours have happened with the walls planned to be poured later today. So far there haven’t been any major issues. Future Meetings and Events: a. Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, December 5, 10 a.m. b. DATCP 5-year LWRM Plan Review, Remote - Tuesday, December 5, 9 a.m. c. Golden Sands RC&D, Wisconsin Rapids - Thursday, November 16, 10:15 a.m. Motion by Lemke, seconded by Hansen, to adjourn at 9:44 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee August 1, 2023 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Catherine Lemke, Sara Matyka, Joe Tomandl, Tim Hansen Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant; Jenevieve Hartung, USDA-APHIS; Liz Usborne, DNR. Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the June 13 , 20 23 meeting; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 11 items; seconded by Hansen. Motion carried. Review and approve 6/6-7/25/23 bills and May-June 2023 budget analysis. Lemke moved to approve the bills; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program –Jenevieve Hartung reported. Hartung reported Taylor County currently has 1 9 enrollees for the year for deer, bear , and turkey damage ; bear trapping will begin in the next few weeks as corn matures. Golden Sands RC&D – Tomandl and Tessmer attended the May meeting; minutes were provided to committee members. Tomandl said Golden Sands planned an aquatic plant point intercept survey for Rib Lake. Natural Resource Conservation Service – No report. Farm Service Agency – A written report for August was distributed to committee members. Matyka reported milk prices are low, but commo dities are also weak . Matyka said they are monitoring drought conditions and she expects they will look at hail damage reports at their next meeting. Northwest Land Conservat ion Association, representative – Tessmer reported no meetings are scheduled. He introduced Liz Usborne, the DNR non -point source coordinator assigned to Taylor County. Usbo rne discussed programs and work in the Eau Claire River Watershed and grant opportunities through Wisconsin DNR programs. Discuss/approve filling the Conservation Assistant position. Eckert has accepted another job opportunity and resigned effective Aug. 18, 2023. Lemke moved to approve filling the Conservation Assistant position; Hansen seconded. Motion carried. Discuss/approve the updated Conservation Assistant job description. Tessmer presented the updated job description which was reformatted and edited to clarify the position’s duties with the tree sale and drinking water testing programs. Hansen moved to approve the Conservation Assistant job description; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Discuss/approve 2024 Department Budget. Tessmer presented the proposed budget for 2024 along with an analysis of the department’s budget from 2017 to present. The LCD applied for and was approved to receive $65,000 in SEG funding for nutrient management and cover crops, an increase from $40,000. The staffing grant increased by $2,580 over 2023. Bond funding for landowner projects dropped by $10,241 to $55,000. Tessmer also proposed edits to the operating budget that resulted in a net 0% increase. Lemke moved to approve the 2024 Land Conservation Department budget as presented; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported he will be reporting the county’s Nutrient Management Plan acres soon and the 2023 cost -share dollars are mostly allocated. In invasive species, Tessmer treated known wild parsnip sites on county roadsides. He reported he found individual plants at some new sites, but no new sites with large populations. Beetles for biocontrol of purple loosestrife were released at three sites in the county. Tessmer will begin spraying Japanese knotweed toward the end of August. Stream sampling was completed in June and July; he reported some smaller streams were very low to dry when he sampled in July. The no -till drills have been used on 614 acres so far in 2023. Tessmer responded to a manure spill on Lekie Drive in the Town of Deer Creek; a tractor pulling a manure tanker had gone off the road and struck a culvert. The spill was quickly contained and manure was cleaned from the ditch. Klayton Kree: Kree reported he met with landowners on two potential projects: a manure push-off into a pit to be designed this fall/winter and constructed in 2024, and a future project for siting cattle to remove them from a high -use, highly erodible hill. Kree assisted with the purple loosestrife biocontrol project and was a counselor at the Middle School conservation camp. Kree completed a manure pit closure with a short turnaround; plans, construction, as built, and final payment approv al have all been completed since the June meeting. Kree is working with several landowners on projects for later 2023 and 2024. He and DATCP engineer Stacy Dehne surveyed a site on River Road in the Town of Greenwood where the stream is causing erosion to the road and construction is needed to stabilize it. Kree has a few fencing projects and one was completed and approved for payment. Kree met with a farmer to discuss a lane and future projects for a dairy grazing system. Kree has had several visits to the Feddick project site where construction is moving forward on a waste storage stacking pad. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported she assisted with the Middle School conservation camp in June; one youth from Taylor County attended the statewide camp. Eckert has been preparing posters, postcards, and advertising for the Drinking Water Testing program in September. She will work with Tessmer on ordering stock for the 2024 tree and shrub sale and organize files for transition before her last day on Aug. 18. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, October 3, 9 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, location TBA - Thursday, September 21, 10:15 a.m. Motion by Lemke, seconded by Tomandl, to adjourn at 10:11 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee June 13, 2023 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Catherine Lemke, Sara Matyka, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: Greg Knight Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant; Chad Alberg and Jenevieve Hartung, USDA-APHIS; Amanda Kasparek, USDA-NRCS. Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the April 4, 2 023 meeting; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 10 items; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Review and approve 3/28-6/5/23 bills and March-April 2023 budget analysis . Lemke moved the approve the bills; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Chad Alberg introduced t echnician Jenevieve Hartung who is taking over Taylor County’s workload for Seth Zesiger and is based in Ladysmith. Hartung reported she currently has 13 enrollees for the year; recent calls have been for deer and bear damage. Golden Sands RC&D – Tomandl and Tessmer attended the May meeting; minutes were provided to committee members. Tomandl said Golden Sands planned an aquatic plant point intercept survey for Rib Lake. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Kasparek introduced herself as the new soil conservationist working in the Medford NRCS office, filling the position held by Jodi Chapek who was promoted to resource conservationist. A new technician has been hired and started in late May. Kasparek reported 13 more EQIP contracts were finalized for $120,000 and one other late application is in the works. The office received 17 CSP applications. RCPP has 11 contracts for $59,000, mostly tag-alder shearing. Farm Service Agency – Written reports for May and June were distributed to committee members. Matyka reported the next county committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 15. Northwest Land Conservat ion Association, representative – No meetings a re currently scheduled. Discuss/take action on 202 3 Golden Sands RC&D Aquatic Invasive Species contracted services. Golden Sands proposed a contract for an aquatic plant point intercept survey on Rib Lake at a cost of up to $5,558, Committee members received a copy of the contract and project budget which includes labor, equipment, mobilization , and direct costs . Tomandl moved to accept and approve the contract; Matyka seconded. Motion carried 3-1 with Tomandl, Matyka , and Lemke voting yes and Soper voting no. Discuss/take action on 2023 Drinking Water Testing Program rates . Eckert presented options of $35, $40 , and $45 per package with estimated budget impacts, assuming the participation of 100 homeowners’ packages, 70 metals packages, and 15 bacteria retests. Matyka moved to set the cost at $40 per package for Taylor County participants; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported he will send letters to farmers who had not yet sent in their nutrient management plan checklist. About $5,000 remains for NMP cost -share and cover crops from this year’s allocation. Tessmer responded to a manure spill complaint on Hwy 64 east of Medford where a manur e pipeline burst ; the spill was about 1,000 feet from the nearest stream and Tessmer made sure it was cleaned up properly. He also educated them on reporting to the manure spill hotline. The no -till drills have made a total of 25 stops and used on a little over 500 acres so far this year. Tessmer and Kree dug purple loosestrife roots on May 11; beetles will go on the plants later this week. Tessmer pulled garlic mustard at a site and assisted Price County in treating a site of leafy spurge near the Taylor/P rice line; the weed is tough to kill so they will revisit it in September. Buckthorn Bash was held in May along the Riverwalk in Medford City Park. Tessmer will begin treating wild parsnip sites in the next week or two. Stream samples were taken in May, including metals samples near the Bend site; June samples will be done later this week. Tessmer and Lemke attended a meeting on PFAs in Wausau and shared handouts from the meeting. Klayton Kree: Kree reported he helped with the tree sale and Maple Fest, Clean Sweep, a rainfall simulator demonstration at the 4 th-grade COWS program, and Buckthorn Bash in the classroom training and cutting. Kree and Eckert visited a third-grade classroom in Stetsonville to share a lesson on the plant life cycle and help plant wildflower seeds. Kree will visit the current project sites this afternoon with the DATCP area engineer. He has 4 -5 projects that carried over from last year. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported the tree sale was held the last week of April. Extra trees brought in $1,682 during pick-up days and at Maple Fest. Preliminary numbers show revenue of about $25,000 and expenses of about $21,000 for a profit of $4,000. Eckert helped with Buckthorn Bash and Clean Sweep and attended the statewide youth education committee meeting in Stevens Point in May. She is helping with the middle school conservation camp later this week which has 51 campers signed up. The drinking water testing program has bottle distribution scheduled for Sept. 11-15 with a bottle collection on Monday, Sept. 18. Eckert will begin promoting the program since rates have been set. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, August 1, 9 a.m. Summer County Conservation Meeting, Stevens Point – July 13-14 Golden Sands RC&D, location TBA - Thursday, July 20, 10:15 a.m. Motion by Lemke, seconded by Tomandl, to adjourn at 10:11 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee April 4, 2023 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Catherine Lemke called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Gregory Knight, Catherine Lemke, Sara Matyka, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: Ray Soper Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant ; Nicholas Besasie, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist. Approve Minutes: Tomandl moved to approve the mi nutes of the February 7, 2023 meeting; seconded by Knight. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 11 items; seconded by Knight. Motion carried. Review and approve 2/1-3/27/23 bills and January-February 2023 budget analysis . Knight moved the approve the bills; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – USDA-APHIS technician Jenevieve Hartung provided a written report. There are 9 enrollees in the wildlife damage program so far in 2023. Golden San ds RC&D – Tomandl and Tessmer attended the March meeting; minutes were provided to committee members. Tessmer also shared a written update from AIS technician Colton Wolosek on aquatic invasive species work in Taylor County. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Besasie introduced himself as the new district conservationist and reviewed staff changes in the Medford NRCS office. He also shared changes in the local workgroup that now includes Medford, Ladysmith, and Ashland offices. He reported in 2022, the office had 10 approved EQIP applications; in 2023, it is 25 . The office also received 19 CSP applications. Besasie reported the Inflation Reduction Act is increasing spending on conservation programs. Farm Service Agency – Matyka reported on updates to the Dairy Margin Coverage, Emergency Relief P rogram, and Pandemic Assistant Revenue Program. July 15 is the deadline for crop reporting. CED Deb Marg is retiring and the FSA committee will be involved in hiring a new CED. Northwest Land Conservation Association, representative – A short area meeting was held during the Wisconsin Land+Water Annual Conference. Kree attended the annual meeting on behalf of the LCD. Discuss/take action on 2024 Staffing Grant . Tessmer reviewed the county’ s 2024 staffing grant application. Motion by Tomandl to approve the 2024 staffing grant application; seconded by Knight. Motion carried. Discuss/take action on 2023 Annual Work Plan . Tessmer reviewed the county’s annual work plan for 2023. Motion by Knigh t to approve the 2023 ann ual work plan; seconded by Matyka. Motion carried. Discuss/take action on World Migratory Bird Day resolution. Motion by Tomandl to approve World Migratory Bird Day resolution; seconded by Knight. Motion carried. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported on the Nutrient Management program. Taylor County will take its turn as the fiscal agent for the 2024 farmer education program. New tires have been ordered for one of the drills at a cost of abou t $1200 installed. He also will repla ce the jack and jack mount on the older dri ll with a newer version that does not need wood blocks. Buckthorn Bash will take place again in May with Medford fifth graders; a date will be set later this month or early May . The department will also raise beetles for biocontrol of purple loosestrife ag ain this year. Klayton Kree: Kree was unable to attend due to a training meeting; Tessmer shared a report on his behalf. Kree had a meeting on the Nolt manure storage project; due to the estimated cost, the farmer had decided not to move forward for now. Kree attended sessions on engineering and wetland on the annual conference and found them worth attending. Kree attended a meeting with the Brost family and NRCS staff to discuss possibly closing a manure pit; after discussions, they decided to keep the pit and begin planning for a feedlot and waste push-off into the pit. Kree attended a technicians’ meeting in Chippewa Falls and AutoCAD training in Appleton. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported about 3,000 seedlings remai ned available in the tree & shrub sale and the pick-up dates were scheduled for April 27-28. Eckert plans to place a shopper ad to promote the seedlings and the remaining would be sold during pick-up and at Maple Fest on April 29. Eckert, Tessmer, and Kree hosted a mini -course group from Medford Ar ea Middle School on Feb. 17; Ecker t did a groundwater and watershed activity with half the group while Kree and Tessmer led a scavenger hunt in the Campus Woods with the other half. Eckert was the moderator for the high school division of the state speaking contest and participated in a Zoom meeting for middle school conservation camp planning. The department was asked to participate in the COWS program for 4 th graders on May 5 again this year and plans to demonstrate soil erosion and runoff. The drinking w ater program was rescheduled to Se pt. 11- 18 due to scheduling conflicts. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting…………………………………………………………………………...Tuesday, June 6, 9 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Wisconsin Rapids…………………………….. Thursday, May 18, 10:15 a.m. Motion by Tomandl, seconded by Knight, to adjourn at 10:06 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee February 7, 2023 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Gregory Knight, Catherine Lemke, Sara Matyka, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant; Seth Zesiger, USDA-APHIS; Colton Wolosek, Golden Sands RC&D (Zoom). Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to appr ove the minutes of the December 6, 2022 meeting; seconded by Knight. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Knight moved to approve the agenda with 8 items; Tomandl seconded. Motion carried. Review and approve 11/30-1/31/23 bills. Tomandl moved the approve the bills; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Zesiger gave a brief overview of the Wildlife Damage Program for the committee. Taylor County received two claims for 2022: damage to hay by geese at the Gary Beadles farm for $323. 20 and damage to corn by bear at the Jeff Keepers farm for $1,177.82. Zesiger reported there wer e 34 total enrollees in 2022 and participation has been growing rapidly. Due to Zesiger’s workload, Taylor County will be reassig ned to a different technician 10 months out of the year starting this spring. Golden Sands RC& D – Tomandl and Tessmer attended the January meeting which was held virtually due to weather ; minutes were provid ed to committee members. Wolosek reported on the Aquatic Invasive Species program and plans for 2023. A point intercept survey is planned at Rib Lake; the last full survey was in 1996 -97. He said they are also looking at a few other lakes for possible surveys. Natural Resource Conservation Service – No report. Farm Service Agency – Matyka was elected to the FSA committee in December and had her first meeting in January. Northwest Land Conservation Association, representative – Tessmer and Eckert attended the Northwest Area meeting on Friday, Feb. 3. The group approved the 2023 budget a nd renewed the MOU with Iron County for the area coordinator. Revisions to the resolution process were also discussed and the area poster and speaking contests were held. Stets onville Elementary student Ivy Beidel received first place in the grades 2 -3 contest and will move on to the state contest. Medford Area Middle School’s Gabriela Nowak received second in grades 7-9. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported the Nutrient Management Farmer Education class at NTC in Medford had 8 participants with 3 Taylor County farmers, which is on par with past years. Tessmer also assisted at the Spencer class for one session. He is currently working with farmers to update th eir Nutrient Management Plans (NMPs) which are due at the end of March . He received an inquiry from a landowner just over the line in Price County about a leafy spurge infestation and was seeking informa tion on control with beetles; this type of control has b een done successfully in Minnesota but is not currently used in Wis consin and would require a DATCP permit. Tessmer will assist Price County staff in chemical treatment later this year. Tessmer presented the 2022 stream monitoring report compi led from sample data he collected from May through October. Tessmer noted the im paired streams are primarily in agricultural areas; the LCD has been monitoring streams in the county since 2015. Klayton Kree: Kree reported he visited the Tomandl farm in December to view where they would like to construct a raised animal trail and fenc e for grazing in 2023; they discussed potential areas for fill and the need for a culvert for drainage . Kree assisted Eckert at Stetsonville Elementary for a watershed activity as part of the poste r contest and joined the staff at Holy Rosary to hear conse rvation speeches. He attended training on stream crossings in Woodruff and had discussions on engineering for culverts and ford -style crossings. Kree participated in webinar o n how Oneida County uses software to collect data on culvert health and make decisions on replacement. He attended technicians meeting for the northwest area and staff shared projects from 2022. Kree completed an as built on the Steinman well closure; he i s waiting on the well abandonment form from the DNR to complete the project. Oth er projects being designed include a waste storage facility for the Nolt farm and the Tomandl project. All bond money left over from 2022 was signed to contracts to carryover f or funding and construction in 2023. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported about 12,000 trees have been sold and 4,400 remain as of the previous day; orders continue to come in through the website and paper forms. Red Pine, White Cedar, Ninebark, Red Osier Dogwoo d and Red Oak are now sold out. She has worked with several landowners participa ting in NRCS programs to order trees ne eded for their plans through inventory in our sale or special orders from nurseries. Two Holy Rosary students participated in the county conservation speaking contest; they are not available to speak at the area contest due to a school activity that day. Eckert received about 20 posters for the “One Water”-themed poster contest. She led a “build your own watershed” activity with Stetsonvill e third graders in December and will be teaching a forestry activity at Perkinst own for Gilman students on Feb. 8 and 9 . Eckert attended webinar for grazing technical service providers (TSPs) on Jan. 26 and is working toward certification to write grazing plans. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting -Tuesday, April 4, 9 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Wisconsin Rapids - Thursday, March 16, 10:15 a.m. WI Land+Water Annual Conference, Chula Vista, Wisconsin Dells - March 1-3, 2023 Motion by Lemke, seconded by Knight, to adjourn at 10:25 a.m. Motion carried.