Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee — Minutes

Minutes of the April 8, 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: Chair: Steve Kariainen Mike Markgren Jayne Schroeder Vice Chair: Randy Neumann Liz Klein Don Mrotek Kay Wilson Jay Kozlowski Craig Morris Jim Evans- Virtual Greg Peterson Mike Martin Dale Magnuson Brian DeVries Allison Jonjak Call to Order – Chair Kariainen called the meeting to order at 8:30 am. Certification of Compliance with the open meeting law was met. Roll Call was taken; a quorum was met; the agenda was set. Public Comments – Linda Zillmer Minutes from the previous meeting dated: March 11, 2026 Motion to approve made by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Evans Motion carried without negative vote. Events— Motion to approve the application for the Tricky Trout Triathalon on July 27, 2026 by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Ms. Jonjak Motion carried without negative vote. Register of Deeds Update-- A written report for March was provided. 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 17 sales were active in March. There is approximately $3.96M in sold-uncut timber on file. The department is preparing for spring timber sales and submitting the annual ATV/UTV trail improvement grants. The Carbon Credit Project has been issued and Sawyer County Credits are now on the market; carbon credits may be purchased by any company. In response to a public comment, Mr. Peterson stated that county money aid for recreational trails is 100% grant funded other than staff time spent. DNR Report—Mr. Morris reported on spring timber sale preparations, GNA hours worked, a 4 th Grade School Forest Day event on May 1, and fire season staffing. USFS Report—Mr. Martin reported on spring break up and the transition to fire season, timber sales, staffing and timber market challenges, and a Federal reorganization of the USFS that will locate the nearest service center in Madison. Field operations will continue as usual. The 2026 harvest goal is 110-118M board feet of timber. Recreational Trails Report—Mr. Mrotek reported on attending the AWSC meeting and stated that snowmobile trail funds come from gas tax, registration fees, and trail passes. Sawyer County was the second ranked search for snowmobile trails on Travel Wisconsin’s website. The WATV meeting was March 24 and there is a Let’s Ride event coming up in May. Resolution 2026----Outdoor Recreational Trail Aids is an annual grant the county applies for to fund trail maintenance and development. Motion to approve Resolution 2026-____Outdoor Recreational Trail Aids by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Evans Motion carried without negative vote. Minocqua Grading, LLC Claim— Mr. Markgren presented a claim against Sawyer County for contract work performed on a trail in 2024. The county received 2 notices of liens against the contractor which must be paid. A Resolution, contract and claim documents were provided in the agenda packet. Closed Session— At 8:54 am, a motion to enter into closed session pursuant to: Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(g), “[c]onferring with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written advice concerning strategy to be adopted by the body with respect to litigation in which it is or is likely to become involved,” to wit, rendering legal advice regarding the Notice of Circumstances Giving Rise to Claim and Claim Pursuant to Wis. Stat. s. 893.80 dated January 8, 2026 from Minocqua Grading, LLC, and strategy to be adopted by the County in litigation in which the County is likely to become involved” was made by: Ms. Wilson Second by: Mr. Neumann A roll call vote was taken: Steve Kariainen- aye, Randy Neumann- aye, Kay Wilson- aye, Jim Evans- aye, Dale Magnuson- aye, Allison Jonjak- aye. Motion Carried. At 9:18 am, the committee reconvened in open session. Motion to recommend the Resolution and action described in paragraph 2 to be forwarded to the County Board by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Evans Motion carried without negative vote. Zoning/Conservation Department – Mr. Kozlowski reported that the tree sale is still going on: maple, cedar and oak trees are available for purchase, with a link on the county website. Staff attended Species Partnership training, funding was received from SCOPE for ten students to attend Conservation Camps this summer, and staff has been performing spring dam checks. The Price Dam in Winter will be assessed for issues with the failure of the second gate. Board Appointed Committee Updates – None Correspondence, Reports from Conferences and Meetings – None. Mr. Kariainen thanked Mr. Magnuson for his service on the committee and County Board. Future Agenda Items – None Adjournment – 9:27 am Next Meeting: May 13, 2026 Time: 8:30am Location: Board Room Minutes recorded by Liz Klein, County Clerk