Land Conservation

Land Conservation Committee December 6, 2022 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, Allen Kasparek, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant; Chris Hamerla, Golden Sands RC&D (Zoom). Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to approve the minutes of the October 4, 20 22 meeting; seconded by Kasparek. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 8 items; Knight seconded. Motion carried. Review and approve 9/28-11/29/22 bills. Kasparek moved the approve the bills; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Zesiger was unable to attend and provide d a brief update by email that he is compiling data for 2022 wildlife damage claims and the Zuleger permanent deer fence was completed in October. Golden Sands RC& D – Tomandl and Tessmer attended the November meeting; minutes were provided to committee members. Tomandl reported the budget was a topic of discussion and Golden Sands received a gold star rating for transparency from GuideStar. Tessmer reported on the a griculture and forestry committee which is working on some larger grants. They are working on a partnership with GrassWorks to hire a regenerative ag specialist. Hamerla reported on the Aquatic Invasive Species program 2022 wrap-up. Natural Resource Conservation Service – District Conservationist Nick Besasie was not able to attend but provided an email update on CSP payments and renewals, EQIP applications , and RCPP applications. Farm Service Agency – Kasparek reported on the CRP program, Dairy MPP payments, and pandemic assistance programs. Kasparek also reported this would be his last meeting as the FSA representative since he had reached his term limit. A new representative will be appointed after the FSA election. Northwest Land Conservat ion Asso ciation, representative – Tessmer reported the next meeting is set for February 3 in Hayward. The meeting will be in the morning and the conservation speaking contest will follow in the afternoon. Poster contest judging will also occur that day. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported the Nutrient Management Farmer Education program is being planned at NTC; Medford’s class is scheduled in January. Taylor County has some SEG funds remaining, although the cover crop cost -share program is helping to use them. The cover crop program pays $25 per acre. Tessmer collected soil samples at three farms in November that are participating in nutrient management planning. The no -till drills have been used on 777 acres total in 2022 with 10 stops for th e newer drill and 16 for the older drill. The county has billed $5768 in rental fees in 2022. The drills are put away for winter at the Bauer property. Tessmer completed stream sampling in October and distributed results for metals testing near the proposed Bend mine site. Borings are scheduled to start this winter; Knight shared his experience that the process is similar to drilling a water well and the cuttings and materials are not considered hazardous. Tessmer reported he completed two annua l inspection s for the Northcentral Conservancy Trust. Klayton Kree: Kree reported he and Eckert provided a station on stream invertebrates at the Rib Lake School Forest in October. He attended the Drinking Water Testing Program education meeting and is working with a participant to close an unused well. Kree attended a grazing field day at the Tomandl farm; a fencing project was also completed at the farm. A fencing project at the Voda farm will be carried over to next year . Kree is waiting to receive the a s-built for the Martin manure storage structure. Four projects scheduled in 202 2 were finalized and paid, while a few others were postponed to 2023. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported about 5,000 trees have been sold and 11,000 are remaining. All species are available an d sales are on pace with past years. Eckert attended WLWCA Youth Education Committee meeting in Stevens Point in October and a Zoom planning meeting for the middle school conservation camp in November. Eckert is leading an activity on watersheds for Stetsonville Elementary classes on Dec. 16 and 19; the students are also working on posters for the county contest. Gilman schools have invited Eckert to lead lessons at Perki nstown Winter Sports Area again this year. Two Holy Rosary students are preparing speec hes for the speaking contest; a date will be set in January for the contest. Eckert reported the drinking water presentation with Kevin Masarik from UWSP was well received. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, February 7, 9 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, Wisconsin Rapids - Thursday, Jan. 19, 10:15 a.m. Motion by Lemke, seconded by Knight, to adjourn at 10:01 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee October 4, 2022 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Gregory Knight, Catherine Lemke, Allen Kasparek Members Absent: Joe Tomandl Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant; Seth Zesiger, USDA-APHIS; Emily Gojmerac, The Star News. Approve Minutes: Lemke moved to approve t he minutes of the August 2, 20 22 meeting; seconded by Kasparek. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Knight moved to ap prove the agenda with 10 items; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Review and approve 7/27-9/27/22 bills. Kasparek moved the approve the bill s; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Discuss/approve the 2023 budget for Wildlife Damage . Zesiger presented the 2023 budget for wildlife damage totaling $66,915, noting the county is reimbursed for expenses by the state. Lemke moved to approve the 2023 wildli fe damage budget as presented; Knight seconded. Motion carried. Discuss/approve 2022 Wildlife Damage program crop prices. Zesiger gathered d ata from local markets and proposed a corn price of $6. 53 per bushel and a hay price of $122.50 per ton. Kasparek moved to approve the prices; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Discuss/approve the Wildlife Damage assessment deadline . Zesiger said the deadline needed to be set by the last day of fall, or when 90 percent of crops were harvested. Due to the late spring, Zesi ger recommended Dec. 20 as the deadline to give farmers as much time as possible. Kasparek moved to set the crop a ssessment deadline on December 20; Knight seconded. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Zesiger reported captures of problem be ars tripled in Taylor County this year, although they were down in other counti es. He reported conducting damage assessments on 450 fields. Zesiger said Taylor County had close to 30 enrollees in the damage program; shooting permits were issued depending o n the amount of damage and deer density. A deer fencing project for a commercial vegetable farm is scheduled to begin next week. Golden Sands RC&D – Tessmer reported on the September meeting in Stevens Point. A survey of South Harper Lake was completed and found good populations of native plants. Chris Hamerla attended a lake association meeting to present the finding s. A group from North Harper Lake is also interested in doing a survey. Kendra Kundinger is the new executive director for Golden Sands. Due to staff changes, a forestry field day in Taylor County will be delayed until next year. A 50th-anniversary celebration is planned in Stevens Point. Natural Resource Conservation Service – No report. Farm Service Agency – Kasparek reported that crop reporti ng and weather challenges were discussed at the last FSA meeting. An organic certification cost -share program is o pen until October 31 . Enrollment in the Dairy Margin program begins October 17; program payments were issued in August for producers enrolled at the $8.50 level or higher. Northwest Land Conservation Association, representative – No meetings are scheduled at this time. The poster and speaking contests will be held in late January or early February in Hayward. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported about half the SEG funding has been allocated. He will begin soil sampling for farms soon for nutrient management planning; he will be meeting with the team to plan the Nutrient Management Farmer Education to be held in Januar y. Tessmer sprayed 21 sites o f Japanese knotweed this fall and noted that previously sprayed sites were showing reduced growth. The final stream sampling of the year will be completed this week. The no-till drills have been used on about 600 acres so far t his year; Tessmer replaced co lters and bearings on the old drill. Tires are showing wear, but replacement tires ar e out of stock through Schierl Tire at this time. Tessmer repacked bearings and replaced the hydraulic depth valve on the newer drill. Klayton Kree: Kree reported he was o n site checking the Bauer fencing materials and collecting information for the as -built report; documentation was sent to DATCP for reimbursement. Kree completed the as built on the Brandner Dairy waste storage closure and submitted it for approval. The LC D received reimbursement for the Brahmer pit closure. Kree met to discuss the Feddick project with the farmer, NRCS , and DATCP representatives; Feddick has had trouble finding contractors to the do work, so the DNR granted an e xtension but wants a contractor lined up for next year. Kree worked with Paul Daigle to update grazing maps for the Tomandl Farm. He is working with another farmer to update the fencing; the farmer hopes to have it completed this fall. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported 106 test kits were distributed for the Drinking Water Program. Three were not returned and one was retur ned too early. In total, 99 Homeowners package samples and 69 Metals package samples were submitted to the lab for testing. Eckert expects the program will stay within budget even with retest costs. Eckert sent letters to schools inviting them to participa te in this year’s poster contest’ the theme is “One Water.” Eckert and Kree will lead an activity on stream invertebrates at the Rib Lake School Forest on October 6. The Tree Sale’s online site opened on Sept. 28 and paper brochures were mailed out; so far , 1,500 trees of the 16,000 ordered have been purchased. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting ..................................................................................... Tuesday, December 6, 9 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, location TBD ................................................... Thursday, Nov. 17, 10:30 a.m. Motion by Lemke, seconded by Knight, to adjourn at 10:55 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee August 2, 2022 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford, 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, Allen Kasparek, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant ; Seth Zesiger, USDA -APHIS; Hannah Butkiewicz, Golden Sands RC&D; Emily Gojmerac, The Star News. Approve Minutes: Kasparek moved to approve the corrected minutes of the June 14, 20 22; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Tomandl moved to approve the agenda with 11 items; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Review and appro ve 6/8-7/26/22 bills. Tomandl moved the approve the bill s; seconded by Knight. Motion carried. Discuss/take action on fencing request for Wild life Damage Program. Seth Zesiger, USDA- APHIS wildlife technician, requested fencing for We Grow LLC to protect ve getables and apple trees from deer damage . Zesiger said he has tried several techniques without success and shooting permits have been unpopul ar with neighbors. A fence would be put out to bids to be constructed. Zesiger estimated the cost of the fence at $21,082.50 which would be reimbursed by the state wildlife damage program. Motion by Tomandl to approve request for fencing through the Wildlife Damage Program; Knight seconded. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Seth Zesiger, USDA-APHIS, reported he has received an uptick in calls from Taylor County over the summer for wildlife damage. He said he had received no reports of dog kills or livestock depredations from wolves in the county; at this point, only non- lethal methods are allowed. Golden Sands RC&D – Tessmer reported on the July meeting in Stevens Point. The Cooperating for Woods & Wildlife Program will have another event i n Taylor County. Golden Sands had $13,000 in sales of tree shelters. Water quality bills will be going to the state legislature. Tessmer was re-elected as chair of the Ag and Forestry Committee and delegates were re -elected to the RC&D board. Natural Resource Conservation Service – No report. Farm Service Agency – Kasparek reported crop reporting deadline was July 15; producers who report after the deadline will be subject to a $46 late filing fee. Northwest Land Conservat ion Association, representative – The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23. Discuss/take action on budget request from Golden Sands Resource Conse rvation & Development Council to fund buckthorn removal at Kuse Preserve . Hannah Butkiewicz, Golden Sands RC&D, spoke on behalf of the RC&D an d the Kuse Preserve which has a buckthorn project and is seeking funding to remove it from the property. Committee members asked for more information on the cost to remove buckthorn and if the property allowed public access. After discussion, no action was taken. Discuss/take action on 2023 Department Budget. Tessmer presented the proposed 2023 Land Conservation Depa rtment budget. He requested an increase of $500 for fieldwork/travel expenses due to increased fuel costs. He also proposed reducing the postage budget by $100. All other operations changes were the same. Soper requested changing the fieldwork/travel to a $100 increase to present a $0-increase budget to the finance committee. Motion by Kasparek to approve the budget with a $100 increase in field work/travel and $100 decrease in postage; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer report a little over half of the county’s SEG funds have been allocated, including 82 acres of cost -share for cover crops. He reported the county’s acres in nutrient management plans increased by 600-800 acres. The LCD is now sending soil samples to the AgSource Lab in Stratford. The UW Soil Testing Lab moved to Madison and results are taking about 4 weeks; AgSource has a shorte r turnaround, and the LCD can drop off large batches of samples when needed rather than shipping them. Tessmer rel eased bee tles for purple loosestrife biocontrol at 5 sites around the county in July. He treated about 40 sites of wild parsnip; populations appear to be declining at sites has treated for 3 or more years. He will treat Japanese Knotweed sites in early fal l. Tessme r has had typical readings from stream sampling so far this season. The no-till drills have been used on 475 acres and are both currently out for use. The older drill needs coulters replaced which have a cost of $727.50. Tires are showing wear on the drill as well. He issued a permit to Brandner Dairy for a waste storage closure. Klayton Kree: Kree reported the Brahmer manure storage closure was completed and he is just waiting for approval of the as -built. The Brandner manure storage closure is ne arly complete. The Feddick project is being fund ed through the NOD program and needs to be completed this year unless anoth er extension is gra nted. Kree will be checking in with landowners on the status of their projects; projects on his list for the remai nder of the year include fencing, a waste storage closure and a cattle lane/ford. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported she and Kre e helped staff the middle school conservation camp in June which had 65 campers and 12 adult counselors. She added a three-day grazing training in the Stratford/Marshfield area in July and will continue to work toward certification this fall. Bottle pick -up for the drinking water testing program is scheduled for Sept. 1 -9 with a return day of Sept. 12; samples will be taken to the UW -Stevens Point Lab on Sept. 13. Eckert coordinated a department booth at the Taylor County Fair which include a new display on native plants. She will be selecting and ordering seedlings for the 2023 tree sale in the next few weeks with ordering starting by O ct. 1. Eckert will be sending letters to schools inviting them to participate in the poster and speaking contest once updat ed forms are receiv ed from the state coordinator. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting ......................................................................................... Tuesday, October 4, 9 a.m. Drinking Water Testing Program ............................................... Pick-up Sept. 1-9, return Sept. 12 Golden Sands RC&D, location TBD .................................................. Thursday, Sept. 15, 10:30 a.m. Northwest WLWCA Area Meeting, time/location TBA ........................................... Friday, Sept. 23 Motion by Lemke, seconded by Kasparek, to adjourn at 10:43 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee June 14, 2022 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford, 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, Allen Kasparek, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Ec kert, Conservation Assistant ; Chris Hamerla and Hannah Butkiewicz, Golden Sands RC&D; Emily Gojmerac and Kevin Rosales, The Star News. Approve Minutes: Tomandl moved to approve the minutes of the April 12, 2022; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Kasparek moved to approve the agenda with 9 items; Tomandl seconded. Motion carried. Review and approve 4/5-6/7/22 bills and April-May budget analysis. Tomandl moved the approve the bills; seconded by Kasparek. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Seth Zesiger, USDA -APHIS, reported on current wildlife damage mitigation projects and wolf research projects. Golden Sands RC&D – Hannah Butkiewicz presented an overview of Golden Sands RC&D and its programs. Chris Hamerla reported on AIS program work in Taylor County. Natural Resource Conservation Service – Knipfel provided a written report for the committee. Farm Service Agency – Kasparek reported the dairy margin program had a payment level of $12.29 in April so no payments were made. Crop r eporting maps were mailed to farmers with instructions on reporting; July 15 is the deadline for crop reporting. Northwest Land Conservat ion Association, representative – Tessmer attended the area meeting in Hayward on May 26 . He reported the current offic ers were re -elected. Tree sales were discussed and Tessmer said Taylor County has one of the larger sales in the a rea. Bayfield County is planning to host a technical tour in October. Discuss/take action on 2022 Drinking Water Program rates . Eckert distri buted a list of options with estimated costs, assuming the same number of participants as 2021. Lemke moved to set the 2022 Drinking Water Program fee at $35 per test package; Tomandl seconded. Motion carried. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessme r: Tessmer reported he has received most of the checklists for nutrient management plans in the county. Soil samples are now taking up to 4 weeks for results since the UW Soil Lab moved to Madison; Tessmer is looking into other options for soil testing with faster turnaround. The LCD has received permit applications for a manure storage and leach ate collection system. The no-till drills have been used on 14 farms on a total of 344 acres so far in 2022. The purple loosestrife biocontrol program is underway a nd Tessmer sprayed garlic mustard on May 17. Buckthorn Bash was held May 17 also. He plans t o spray wild parsnip n ext week. Stream samples were collected May 16 and 18 with normal flow; he also collected samples for metals testing at the Bend site. Tessmer addressed a complaint in the Town of Holway where animals were tearing up the ground on a w et parcel; he discusse d runoff issues and possible solutions. Klayton Kree: Kree reported he attended the tech meeting in Park Falls in May and assisted at Maple Fe st and Clean Sweep. He is doing site visits at the Lewandowski property which is the site of a US Fish and Wildlif e restoration project. Current projects he is working include rain gardens, a heavy use protection area, manure storage closures and others for a total of 8 projects; four have completed and approved construction plans. Kree will be c hecking in with farmers who contacted the LCD about projects but have not moved forward to see if they are still interested. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported the tree sale sold 16,250 seedlings in 2022. We were unable to sell extras at Maple Fest due to the t iming, but the LCD did get Sugar Maples in time for the event. All remaining trees were sold during order pick -up days and by an email to county employees. Eckert a ssisted with digging roots and capturing beetles for the purple loosestrife biocontrol progr am and with training k ids on buckthorn ID and supervising Buckthorn Bash. Eckert and Tessmer gave a presentation on soils at the 4 th grade COWS day and did a show - and-tell of the purple loosestrife project with a summer school class. Eckert and Kree will assist at the middle sc hool conservation camp in June. The Drinking Water Program is scheduled for Sept. 1-12 with a lab date of Sept. 13. She will be updating flyers and advertising the program in August. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting ........................................................................................... Tuesday, August 2, 9 a.m. Taylor County Lions Maple Fest .............................................................. Tuesday, June 14, 2-4 p.m. County Conservationist Meeting, Stevens Point ................................................................ July 14-15 Golden Sands RC&D, location TBD .................................................... Thursday, July 21, 10:30 a.m. Northwest WLWCA Area Meeting, time/location TBA ........................................... Friday, Sept. 23 Motion by Lemke, seconded by Kasparek, to adjourn at 10:38 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee April 12, 2022 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Myron Brooks, Catherine Lemke, Allen Kasparek, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Klayton Kree, Engineering Technician; Karyn Eckert, Conservation Assistant; Melissa Knipfel, NRCS; Emily Gojmerac, The Star News. Approve Minutes: Tomandl moved to approve the minutes of the February 8, 2022, meeting with the correction that Crystal Romanowski is now serving on the FSA committee ; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Brooks moved to approve the agenda with 11 items; Lemke seconded. Motion carried. Review and approve 2/2-4/4/22 bills and January-March budget analysis. Brooks moved the approve the bills; seconded by Kasparek. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Pro gram – Seth Zesiger, USDA -APHIS, provided a written report on current wildlife damage claims. Golden Sands RC&D – AIS coordinator Chris Hamerla provided written highlights of his work in March. Tessmer reported on the March meeting of Golden Sands RC&D hel d virtually (Tomandl was not available to attend). He reported a meeting for the DMAP cooperative program will be planned for later in summer. Golden Sands is looking to do more contract work for terrestrial invasive species. A buckthorn removal project is being considered for the Kuse Preserve near Medford. Natural Resource Conservation Service –Knipfel reported Sam Welch, a soil conservationis t hired through a partnership with Golden Sands RC&D, is designing structural projects for landowners in Taylor Co unty. Nine EQIP projects have been approved and 11 are waiting for funding. There were 17 applications received for bird habitat through RCP. Eleven CSP applications screen as high while 21 CSP contracts are eligible for renewal with 13 having returned pap erwork. Knipfel reported there 28 projects for forestry practices completed over winter. The office is currently at 75% staffing due to Covid restrictions. An office reorganization is underway and Medford office is now teamed up with the Ladysmith office ( includes Rusk and Sawyer counties) with the supervisor in Ladysmith. They will be sharing a technician and the transition is expected by the e nd of the year. A statewide Teams meeting is planned for June 7 for the local workgroup meeting. Taylor County is in the “Grouse Country” local workgroup which Knipfel said will help agriculture applications since the new group h as a different focus and opportunities to screen higher. Farm Service Agency – Kasparek reported no payments were issued in February for the dairy margin program. CRP sign-ups are closing May 13. Crop reporting maps and instructions were sent to farmers by mail and will be due July 15. Northwest Land Conservation Association, representative – No report. Discuss/take action on 2023 Staffing Grant and 2022 Annual Work Plan . Tessmer reviewed the 2023 staffing grant application with committee members. Brooks moved to approve the 2023 staffing grant application; seconded by Kasparek. Motion carried. Tessmer reviewed the 2022 annual work plan with t he committee. Motion by Tomandl to approve the 2022 annual work plan; seconded by Lemke. Motion carried. Discuss/take action on 2022 Golden S ands RC&D Aquatic Invasive Species contracted services. Golden Sands RC&D proposed a visual survey of Lake Esador e for Curly Leaf Pondweed. They also proposed an aquatic plant point intercept survey at South Harper Lake. Motion by Brooks to approve both projects; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. Discuss/take action on World Migratory Bird Day resolution. Motion by Lemke to approve the resolution; seconded by Tomandl. Motion carried. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported his is still working on and receiving some Nutrient Management Plans. Plans for the Martin manure storage facility wer e submitted; the plans will be reviewed for permit approval. Eight farms have signed up to use a no-till drill so far and three have requested to rent the tree planter. Tessmer was contacted by the DNR warden about a manure stacking complaint in the Town of Holway and assisted with the complaint. The pile was determined to be industrial waste and the DNR will take care of the enforcement. Klayton Kree: Kree started March 7 and has completed employee onboarding. He met with Stacey Dehne from DATCP to review the Martin plan and projects in the works for the county. They visited the Probst farm and determined the project should change from a culvert to a ford crossing. Kree is also working on a rain garden for a shoreline construction project referred to the LC D from the Zoning department. Mark Pfost from the US Fish and Wildlife Service is retiring soon, so Kree will assist with a wetland project in the Town of Browning. Other projects Kree is working on include pit closures, a feed pad, manure pit and waste stacking pad. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported 1,085 trees (45 bundles) remain . Pick-up was schedule for May 5-6, slightly later due to the cool spring. Seedlings for RVA and Maple Fest will be delivered earlier since they have events scheduled. Tessmer and Eck ert will teach a mini session on soil health at the 4th grade COWS event at the Simek Center on May 6. LCD staff will also assist with Clean S weep on May 7. Upcoming youth events in Envirothon in Rosholt on April 22 and summer conservation camps; Eckert wi ll be assisting with Envirothon and the middle school camp June 15 -18. The Drinking Water Program is scheduled for Sept. 1 -12 with a lab date of Sept. 13. Eckert will check with the water lab to see if rate increases are planned; drinking water program fees will be on the June agenda. Future Meetings and Events: Next LCC Meeting .............................................................................................. Tuesday, June 14, 9 a.m. Taylor County Lions Maple Fest ................................................... Saturday, April 30, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Taylor County Clean Sweep – Appliances & Electronics……Saturday, May 7, 8-11 a.m. Golden Sands RC&D, location TBD ......................................................... Thursday, May 19, 10 a.m. Northwest WLWCA Area Meeting ....................................................................................................... TBD Motion by Lemke, seconded by Kasparek, to adjourn at 10:27 a.m. Motion carried. Land Conservation Committee February 8, 2022 County-USDA Service Center Meeting Room, Medford, Medford Call Meeting to Order: Ray Soper called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Members Present: Ray Soper, Myron Brooks, Catherine Lemke, Allen Kasparek, Joe Tomandl Members Absent: None Other Attendees: Brent Tessmer, County Conservationist; Kary n Eckert, Conservation Assistant; Kelvin Martin; Emily Gojmerac, The Star News. Approve Minutes: Tomandl moved to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2021, meeting; seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Lemke moved to approve the agenda with 9 items; Tomandl seconded. Motion carried. Review and approve 12/7/21 -2/1/22 bills and preliminary 2021 budget analysis. Brooks moved the approve the bills; seconded by Kasparek. Motion carried. Reports: Wildlife Damage Program – Seth Zesiger, USDA-APHIS, emailed an update that he completed 2021 crop damage claims and sent them out for producer review and signatures. He is also conducting wolf tracking surveys for the DNR. Golden Sands RC&D – Tomandl and Tessmer attended the January meeting of Gol den Sands RC&D held virtually. Golden Sands is planning a 50th anniversary celebration at a park in the Stevens Point area. The group sold $19 ,000 of tree shelter s i n its 2021 sale. Tessmer will be meeting with AIS coordinator Chris Hamerla to discuss required goals and additional services for Taylor County. Natural Resource Conservation Service – District conservationist Melissa Knipfel provi ded a written report. Farm Service Agency – Kasparek reported no payments were issued last month for the dairy margin program. CRP sign -ups are being accepted for grassland CRP. Crystal Romanowski is now serving on the FSA committee and one seat remains open. NRCS/County Grazing Program – No report. Northwest Land Conservation Association, representative – A meeting was held January 28 in Hayward with a virtual option; Eckert attended virtually. The group approved the 2022 budget and coordinator MOU. Div ya Eckert’s poster plac ed second in the K -1 age group. The next meeting is to be announced. Discuss/take action on state Land and Water Conservation Board ballot. Each county is allowed one ballot for the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board. Tessmer asked for the committee’s input on which three candidates Taylor County should cast its ba llot for. After discussion, committee members recommended Monte Osterman, Rebecca Clarke and Russell Rindsig. Tessmer will cast the final ballot for the county. Discuss/take action on wetland setback variance for Kelvin Martin waste storage permit. Martin was present to requ est the variance. The proposed storage facility is 240 feet from a wetland; Taylor County’s ordinance requires a 300 -foot setback. If the faci lity was relocated to meet the setback, the scrape lane would double in length and result in m ore rainwater flowing into the pit. Martin and the project engineers believe the proposed site is the best location and it does meet the requirements for the floo d plain and groundwater . Motion by Tomandl to approve the wetland setback variance for the Kel vin Martin waste sto rage permit; Brooks seconded. Motion carried. LCD staffing and program update: Brent Tessmer: Tessmer reported there was higher attendan ce at the Nutrient Mana gement Farmer Education program in Medford with five Taylor County farms r epresented. Tessmer is working with farmers to complete their NMP checklists. The UW Soil Lab moved from Marshfield to Madison. SnapPlus received a major overh aul and parts are being released to test this year with the new release coming next year. It will be web-based and have a desktop option. Tessmer reported the new owner of the Kreklau farm in Deer Creek asked for assistance with a milkhouse waste transfer. Blasel Farms near Stet sonville is working with NRCS on a feed pad and leachate system; the LCD w ill likely provid e NMP cost -share and MDV cost -share. Tessmer presented results from the 2021 stream monitoring program which included testing for phosphorus, oxygen, conductivity, a nd temperature. Tessmer reported flow was mostly normal to low, although August has higher flow. Results were similar to past years. Tessmer observe low flows, sediment and runoff in the Eau Pleine; a group based in Marathon County i s promoting inter7seeding of corn silage ground to address some of the issues. Karyn Eckert: Eckert reported we had five posters submitted for the county poster contest in two age categories. The winners will receive Culver’s gift cards and certifica tes. Eckert gave presentations on “Fish Hotels” for Gilman students in grades 1 -6 at the Perkinstown Wi nter Sports Area Feb. 1-2. The tree sale is starting to wind down and the pick-up date will be set once the nurseries begin lifting seedlings in late Mar ch or early April. Extra seedlings and free Sugar Maple seedlings will be available at our Maple Fest b ooth on Apr il 30. Eckert is helping with planning of the middle school conservation camp at Upham Woods, June 15 -18; students entering grades 6 -8 are eli gible to attend. A high school camp is also being planned for the following week; this is the first time WLWCA has held the camps since 2019. Future Meetings and Events: a. Next LCC Meeting - Tuesday, April 12, 9 a.m. b. Golden Sands RC&D, location TBD - Thursday, March 17, 10 a.m. c. Wisconsin Land+Water Annual Conference, Wisconsin Dells - March 2-4, 2022 Motion by Lemke, seconded by Kasparek, to adjourn at 10:02 a.m. Motion carried.