Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee — Minutes

Minutes of the May 13, 2026 Meeting of the Sawyer County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee of the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Board Room, Sawyer County Voting Committee Members (X) Present: Others Present: Steve Kariainen Mike Markgren Jayne Schroeder Randy Neumann Liz Klein Tim Davison Kay Wilson Jay Kozlowski Craig Morris Marshal Savitski Greg Peterson Kimberly Peterson- Virtual Steve Longtine Brian DeVries Rachel Thompson Allison Jonjak- Absent Brian Lehner Chris Gregory Tristan Wirkus- Virtual Call to Order – Clerk Klein called the meeting to order at 8:30 am. Certification of Compliance with the open meeting law was met. Roll Call was taken; a quorum was met; the agenda was set. Election of Chair & Vice Chair— Mr. Neumann nominated Mr. Kariainen for Chair. No other nominations being received, voting proceeded by secret ballot. Ballots were collected by Deputy Clerk Bruce, tallied by Clerks Klein and Bruce, and Mr. Kariainen was unanimously elected Chair of the LWFRC Committee. Mr. Kariainen nominated Mr. Neumann for Vice Chair. No other nominations being received, voting proceeded by secret ballot. Ballots were collected by Deputy Clerk Bruce, tallied by Clerks Klein and Bruce, and Mr. Neumann was unanimously elected Vice Chair of the LWFRC Committee. The meeting was handed over to Chair Kariainen. Public Comments – Linda Zillmer Minutes from the previous meeting dated: April 8, 2026 Motion to approve made by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Savitski Motion carried without negative vote. Events— No applications were received Register of Deeds Update-- A written report for April was provided. Ms. Thompson reviewed 2026 and 2025 numbers; the number of recorded documents has increased, collected fees have increased, and requests for vital records have increased since 2025. A candidate has been interviewed for the open deputy position. Land Records and County Surveyor Department Report – Land Records—A written RPL report was provided. Surveyor—A written surveyor report was provided. Forestry – County Forestry Report— Mr. Peterson reported that four sales were active in April. There is approximately $4M in sold-uncut timber on file at the time of the report- that is now $5.3M with the addition of the Spring timber sale bids. The County is currently in oak wilt restriction through July 15. ATV/UTV and Snowmobile Trail Aids Grants were submitted. Mountain bike and ATV trails are open. Mr. Peterson presented the 2026 SCF Spring Timber Sale Bids to the committee for approval. The report shows aspen prices are up this year. Motion to accept the 2026 SCF Timber Sale Bids by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Savitski Motion carried without negative vote. Mr. Peterson presented a request for a Low Use Access Permit to grant access to a landlocked 40 acre parcel through county forest land to Todd Goold with a correction to the legal description- the access would be in the SWNE quadrant off existing woods road number 452, non-transferable, sixteen foot wide with no gate, for five years commencing January 1, 2026 for a fee of $25.00. Motion to grant the LUAP (Low Use Access Permit) by: Mr. Savitski Second by: Ms. Wilson Motion carried without negative vote. DNR Report—Mr. Morris reported on April DNR activity, including timber sale prep and prescribed burning. Fire danger is high and burning permits are suspended. USFS Report— No report Recreational Trails Report—Mr. Davison reported on efforts to consolidate trail opening dates between the county, DNR and USFS. Tuscobia Trail needs work: 90 culverts have been rated for prioritizing grant-funded replacement. The Alliance is also working on a downed/leaning tree removal grant. Treasurer tax deeded land sales- Wis. Statute 75.69 authorizes the LWFRC committee to accept bids below appraised value. The history of Parcel #36265 was discussed. Treasurer Lehner recommended accepting a $500 bid by the Fandrys to purchase the parcel. Motion to accept the Fandry bid of $500 for parcel #36265 by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Ms. Wilson Motion carried without negative vote. Wis. Statute 75.69 and Sawyer County Ordinance 2025-18 authorize the LWFRC to accept lower minimum bids on unsold tax deeded parcels previously advertised at appraised value. Treasurer Lehner made a request to list four unsold parcels with tax ID Numbers 43192, 27571, 27581, and 37131 at lower minimum bids. Motion to accept the lower minimum bids on remaining county tax deeded parcels by: Mr. Savitski Second by: Mr. Longtine Motion carried without negative vote. Zoning/Conservation Department – Mr. Kozlowski reported on the tree sale, spring dam checks, bi-annual non- metallic mine inspections, Winter School Envirothon and a Land Conservation Committee training scheduled after the LWFRC meeting in June. Price Dam update- Neil Magnuson repaired a lower hinge mechanism that was seized and the gate now functions correctly, saving the county $38,000 on a crane rental and thousands more if the dam needed replacing due to the sidewalls pinching the gate. The factory sealed part may be replaced with one that has a grease fitting to prevent recurring problems. The contracts were signed with the State Geological Survey for the groundwater mapping project. The project, concurrent with LCO groundwater mapping, is starting with well mapping and will take 18-24 months to complete. Mr. Kozlowski stated that municipalities and the county will be able to use the groundwater data to enact protective ordinances to safeguard municipal wellheads. Board Appointed Committee Updates – None Correspondence, Reports from Conferences and Meetings – None Future Agenda Items – None Adjournment – 9:17am Next Meeting: June 10, 2026 Time: 8:30am Location: Board Room Minutes recorded by Liz Klein, County Clerk