Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee — Agenda Packet

1 Sawyer County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee Meeting Wednesday, March 11, 2026 @ 8:30 AM Sawyer County Board Room AGENDA 1. ZOOM LINK a. To view or participate in the virtual meeting from a computer, iPad, or Android device please go to https://zoom.us/j/99719807086. You can also use the dial in at 1-312-626- 6799 with the Webinar ID: 997 1980 7086. Use *9 to Raise/lower hand and *6 to Unmute/mute. If you are on a computer, click the "Raise Hand" button and wait to be recognized. If you are on a telephone, dial *9 and wait to be recognized. If additional assistance is needed please contact the County Clerk's Office at 715- 634-4866 prior to the meeting. This meeting will be recorded and will be available on our website at: https://sawyercountygov.org. 2. CALL TO ORDER 3. ROLL CALL 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 5. CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW 6. MEETING AGENDA 7. PUBLIC COMMENTS At this time, members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Committee. Please adhere to the following when addressing the Committee: • Comments will be limited to 3 minutes or less per individual. • Comments should be directed to the Committee as a whole and not directed to individual Committee members. • The Committee cannot respond to your comments during this time. • Please sign in and fill out a public comment sheet if you wish to speak on an item. 8. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING a. Previous Meeting Minutes 9. JOHNSON TIMBER PRESENTATION 10. EVENTS (DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION) a. Events Applications (Discussion & Possible Action) Page 1 of 26 2 11. REGISTER OF DEEDS REPORT a. Register of Deeds Report 12. LAND RECORDS AND COUNTY SURVEYOR REPORTS a. Real Property Lister Report b. County Surveyor Report c. Sawyer County Land Records Annual Report 2025 13. RESOLUTION TO REMOVE LAND RESTRICTIONS- RAMY a. Resolution 2026-____Removing Certain County Quit Claim Deed Guarantee From Ramy Seed Company Properties (Discussion and Possible Action) 14. FORESTRY a. County Forestry Report b. Wisconsin DNR Report c. US Forest Service Report d. Recreational Trails Report 15. ZONING & CONSERVATION a. Conservation Report 16. TREASURER'S REPORT a. Foreclosed Property Sales (Discussion and Possible Action) 17. BOARD APPOINTED COMMITTEE UPDATES 18. CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS FROM CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS 19. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 20. ADJOURNMENT DISCLAIMER: A quorum of the County Board of Supervisors or of any of its committees may be present at this meeting to listen and observe. Neither the Board nor any of the committees have Page 2 of 26 3 established attendance at this meeting as an official function of the Board or committee(s) or otherwise made a determination that attendance at the meeting is necessary to carry out the Board or committee’s function. The only purpose for other supervisors attending the meeting is to listen to the information presented. Neither the Board nor any committee (other than the committee providing this notice and agenda) will take any official action with respect to this noticed meeting. Copy sent via email to: Committee Members, Associated Staff and News Media. Note: Any person wishing to attend whom, because of a disability, requires accommodation should call the Sawyer County Clerk’s Office (715.634.4866) at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting so appropriate arrangements can be made. Land, Water, and Forestry Resources Committee Mission Statement: "Develop, guide and implement policies that protect and ensure the sustainability of our biodiverse community." Page 3 of 26 Minutes of the February 11, 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 Jane Schroeder Vice Chair: Randy Neumann Liz Klein Don Mrotek Kay Wilson Jay Kozlowski Tim Davison Jim Evans Greg Peterson Mike Martin Dale Magnuson Brian DeVries James Doss Allison Jonjak Brody Fischer Rachel Thompson 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, Joan Buehrle Minutes from the previous meeting dated: January 7, 2026 Motion to approve made by: Mr. Evans Second by: Mr. Neumann Motion carried without negative vote. Events—No applications were received Register of Deeds Update-- Ms. Thompson presented a written report for January and updated the committee on transfers, Laredo and Vital Records. Land Records and County Surveyor Department Report – Land Records—A written RPL report was provided. Surveyor—A written surveyor report was provided. Forestry – 2026 Emergency Fire Wardens—Mr. Doss presented a list of names to appoint as 2026 DNR Emergency Fire Wardens in the area; these individuals are authorized to issue burn permits. Motion to approve the 2026 Emergency Fire Wardens list for confirmation by the County Board by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Mr. Evans Motion carried without negative vote. County Forestry Report— Mr. Peterson reported that 18 sales were active in January. There is approximately $4.64M in sold-uncut timber on file. LP is suspending deliveries of timber. There is no update on the sale of carbon credits. Page 4 of 26 Wisconsin DNR Report- Mr. Fischer presented a written report that was submitted by Craig Morris. USFS Report- Mr. Martin reported 10 active timber sales on USFS Great Divide; upcoming work will take place on the Mukwonago Forest off Hwy 77; USFS will host trail hikes for interested stakeholders. Rec trails have seen a lot of winter use, and pre-fire season prep is underway. Motorized Trails Report— Mr. Davison reported that rec trail use is high with the snowfall; there have been accidents and deaths this season; the association is working to educate the public on safety. Mr. Mrotek attended the 10-county NoRTAC meeting on Jan 29, where discussion centered on uniform emergency signage. Phone apps, fire numbers and grid systems are used for locating 911 calls. Mr. DeVries will talk to the Alliance about Sawyer dispatch and the gis system in use. NoRTAC members discussed setting fixed opening and closing dates for the snowmobile trails in the region. Mr. Mrotek attended the Governor’s snowmobile council meeting on Feb 5 where they discussed funding needed to maintain trail infrastructure. Sawyer ranked #2 in winter recreation searches on Travel Wisconsin’s site. Non-motorized— No report Zoning/Conservation Department – Mr. Kozlowski reported that the DNR issued the official water level change for Billy Boy flowage. The Land & Water Resource Management Plan was presented to the State and will now move forward to the County Board for final approval. Conservation staff attended the NW LWCA competition for the poster and speaking contest- Soil, Where it all Begins,” where 2 speakers from Winter School placed 1st and 3rd. The 1st place speaker and one poster will compete at the state competition in March. Wildlife Damage Claims- Mr. Doss from USDA APHIS recommended 9 Wildlife Damage claims totaling $31,066.33 for approval and noted that the claim sites are inspected in person. The 2025 Wildlife Damage claims were approved for forwarding to the County Board on a motion by: Mr. Neumann Second by: Ms. Wilson Motion carried without negative vote. Board Appointed Committee Updates – None Correspondence, Reports from Conferences and Meetings -- None Future Agenda Items – None Adjournment – 9:06 am Next Meeting: March 11, 2026 Time: 8:30am Location: Board Room Minutes recorded by Liz Klein, County Clerk Page 5 of 26 Rachel Thompson Sawyer County Register of Deeds https://www.officialrecordsonline.com/ COMING MID 2026 – Death & Divorce will be available statewide back to 1907. Death available online from 9/1/2013 - present. Divorce from 2016 - present. ORO orders are processed through FIDLAR, which adds a $10 convenience fee for customers. From that fee, we receive $2.50, in addition to the standard $20 fee for the first certificate and $3 for each additional copy of the same record. This online option is especially useful for out-of-state requesters. Activity has remained low but is growing in 2024, there were 11 online orders totaling $253, and in 2025, that increased to 44 orders totaling $967. These totals include revenue from additional copies. REAL ID – Deadline was 5/7/2025 which is causing the rise in birth and marriage certificates. The financial report for February will be available for the April meeting. -Rachel Thompson, Register of Deeds – Submitted February 27, 2026 10610 Main St., Suite 19 - Hayward, WI 54843 Phone 715-634-4867 - Toll Free 877-699-4110 Email rod@sawyercounty.gov https://www.sawyercounty.gov/ VITAL RECORDS STATEWIDE ISSUANCE Need it Fast? Use your credit card and order your vital records online with Official Records Online. You can get your BIRTH or MARRIAGE certificate from 1907 - present at any of the 72 counties in Wisconsin. Page 6 of 26 March 2, 2026 Real Property Lister Report We are caught up on property transfers and have processed about 200 documents and 8 Certified Survey Maps in the month of February. We expect to start hearing from assessors shortly regarding their new 2026 assessments and scheduled Boards of Review. Tristan and I attended the Wisconsin Land Information Association annual conference located in the Wisconsin Dells where we heard from speakers on relevant topics such as addressing, Survey123, Local Government Solutions apps, the Public Land Survey System, census redistricting, and new legislation regarding Buildings, Fixtures, and Improvements documents and website accessibility. Respectfully submitted, Kimberly Peterson GIS Technician and Real Property Lister 715-638-3279 kimberly.peterson@sawyercounty.gov Sawyer County Land Records 10610 Main Street, Suite 54 Hayward, Wisconsin 54843-0248 Telephone 715-634-3564 Fax 715-634-3546 https://sawyercounty.gov Page 7 of 26 County Surveyor’s Report 3/11/26 We continue to work on updating PLSS Monument Records in preparation for submitting our 2025 progress to the State. We visited a total of 180 PLSS corners in 2025. Of these, 31 corners were previously lost that we re-established, and 22 were corners directly related to road construction activities. We recovered 5 corners that had existing evidence of monumentation but had no existing PLSS Monument Record on file. The remainder were corners we performed regular maintenance on (repair to the monument itself or placement of durable references) or existing corners which we verified and collected survey-grade GPS coordinates. Field work in February included maintenance on several meander corners on lake shores in the Towns of Lenroot and Spider Lake. Work is also ongoing in T37N R4W. I reviewed 8 Certified Survey Maps in February. Respectfully Submitted, Chris Gregory Sawyer County Surveyor Sawyer County Surveyor’s Department 10610 Main Street, Suite 54 Hayward, Wisconsin 54843-0248 Telephone 715-634-3564 Fax 715-634-3546 https://sawyercountygov.org/ Page 8 of 26 Sawyer County Land Records Annual Report 2025 Land Records Staff Brian DeVries, Land Information Officer and GIS Specialist Kimberly Peterson, GIS Technician and Real Property Lister Tristan Wirkus, Real Property Lister Page 9 of 26 Sawyer County Land Records Annual Report 2025 The Land Records Department manages several areas for the County which are: Real Property Listing, Parcel Mapping, 911- Addressing, GIS – Geospatial Services, and the WI Land Information Program. Primary duties include: 1) Process all recorded documents that affect land ownership and taxing status. 2) Interpret legal documents to determine if they are complete in content and substance. 3) Notify attorneys, abstractors, surveyors, grantors or grantees of possible errors pertaining to documents of record 4) Assign parcel numbers to new parcel splits and merges 5) Work with local assessors to obtain and provide data that forms the assessment roll 6) Process assessment rolls, Notices of Assessment, Statements of Assessment and tax bills. 7) Prepare and submit all assessment and real property tax files to Department of Revenue. 8) Administer, maintain, and create digital parcel mapping data. 9) Administer the addressing and road naming ordinance and maintain the 911 Master Street Address Guide in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Department. 10) Maintain the 911 Dispatch map and geospatial data. 11) Assist landowners and general public in the use of land records and assessment data. 12) Develop and maintain the County’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and participate in the Wisconsin Land Information Program (WLIP). 13) Assist county departments in land related issues, transactions, or analysis of land related data. 2023 Wisconsin Act 235 went into effect on April 1, 2025. This act allows for judicial officers to remove their information from public records. We worked with our tax software programmer to be able to redact requested information from our public-facing website and any reports shared with the public. As of the end of the year, we have not yet received any redaction requests. Rachel Thompson, our previous full-time Real Property Lister, was elected to be the new Sawyer County Register of Deeds as of January 2025. Kimberly took over her responsibilities until we were able to hire a new employee in June. Tristan Wirkus’s background in GIS and experience at the City of New Richmond has been a benefit to getting him up to speed in all things Land Records this year. Some of the major projects/tasks the office has been involved with in 2025 are: 1) Reviewed and processed 104 Certified Survey Maps (CSMs), 12 subdivision/condo plats, and approximately 2,800 documents to update land ownership for Real Property Listing. 524 new real estate parcels were created while 257 real estate parcels were retired. To maintain accurate information, Real Property Listing notifies attorneys, title companies, and landowners when they discover an error or discrepancy in recorded documents, and in 2025, approximately 200 correction documents were recorded, with most of them attributed to the emails and letters our office sends. 2) Updated Real Property Listing to include owner name, address, abbreviated descriptions, and assignment of parcel numbers. In addition, many mailing addresses were updated due to landowners changing their mailing address. 712 mailing address changes were submitted through our Survey123 online form alone. Real Property electronically produced workbooks for all assessors; electronically uploaded assessment data and executed validity checks. Printed assessment rolls and assessment notices for open book and board of reviews. Input manufacturing assessed values from the State for personal property, real estate, special charges, and created electronic files of statement of assessment for Towns. Received tax rates from taxing districts to compute real property tax statements and tax rolls. Processed and printed 33,216 real estate bills for the 2025 tax year, resulting in tax bills totaling approximately $47.5 million. 3) Assigned/changed 281 site addresses and added 10 newly named roads to our system. We still find inconsistencies in road naming and addressing and are making corrections as needed. These address signs are determined and ordered by the GIS Specialist. The GIS Specialist then provides an online map that gets used by the Survey Technician when installing the signs. The online map can show real time edits and sync that data back to the office. 4) Mapped new split parcels, researched gaps, overlaps, and problem areas. Updated areas where more accurate and current survey data and GPS control had been acquired. 5) Assisted with the review and processing of the request by Callahan and Mud Lake landowners for a Lake District. Page 10 of 26 6) Assisted the Sheriff’s Department with the maintenance of the Spillman CAD Software used in 911 dispatch. Address data gets updated at regular intervals, and new data gets added to mapping and geocoding modules. 7) Provided several Towns with GIS data and maps for various needs, such as land use planning, addressing, zoning, re-districting, voter registration, and recreational planning. 8) Continued maintenance of the GIS datasets for our public facing interactive mapping sites. The website allows public access to established PLSS corner monumentation records, and unrecorded survey maps, in simple to use PDF formats hosted in Laserfiche. Our public facing interactive mapping sites have proven to be a benefit to county/state/federal agencies, the public, realtors, surveyors, engineers, title companies, appraisers, and other land professionals who rely on being able to access this information from their home or office. 9) Participated in the Wisconsin Land Information Plan (WLIP) to maintain eligibility in the WI Land Information Program, which generates approximately $100,000 each year from part of the Register of Deeds recording fees; awarded a WLIP grant of $20,000 that must be used for land records modernization. This grant is applied for every year and runs for two years. Every year, parcel data that covers the entire county is configured to fit a statewide schema and submitted to the state to be part of a statewide parcel layer. This year we paid for the WROC 2025 aerial imagery, and the Survey Department purchased new hardware. 10) Sawyer County contracted new aerial photography that was flown in the spring of 2025. This was funded by the WLIP Grant and a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs/Office of Emergency Communications. The Imagery has a 3-inch pixel resolution, and we verified the horizontal accuracy of .66feet. This imagery is currently displayed on our public facing GIS websites and we are working at integrating it with the software 911 dispatch uses. 11) Sawyer County worked with ATT to transition us to the statewide ESInet that interconnects all public safety answering points in the state to implement NG911. NG911 relies on GIS data to function. We created the data needed for the ESInet and converted our existing address data to the Wisconsin NG911 GIS Data Standard. See tables on the next page. Page 11 of 26 2025 REAL PROPERTY LISTING SUMMARY Municipality Code Equalized Ratios in % Total Real Estate Bills Total Real Estate Parcels Equalized Value Net Real Estate Tax Bass Lake 002 90.69 3465 4245 943,920,700 6,372,478.24 Couderay 004 61.55 794 1552 66,644,300 472,652.10 Draper 006 101.01 1447 1905 86,126,100 746,876.52 Edgewater 008 62.17 1990 2156 341,590,700 2,608,979.05 Hayward 010 57.85 3318 3998 1,030,061,100 7,724,921.70 Hunter 012 51.79 1398 2789 439,335,600 2,892,373.45 Lenroot 014 98.12 2711 3138 542,169,300 3,763,714.29 Meadowbrook 016 82.15 553 604 38,974,000 266,415.57 Meteor 018 83.98 712 766 41,988,400 354,205.67 Ojibwa 020 101.04 1460 1555 98,927,500 714,134.00 Radisson 022 83.29 1478 1723 112,136,600 909,236.02 Round Lake 024 88.67 2812 3379 702,715,700 4,822,978.62 Sand Lake 026 56.76 2489 2826 740,638,700 5,202,820.81 Spider Lake 028 81.54 1732 2188 519,058,200 3,560,795.88 Weirgor 030 57.47 942 1076 76,108,200 812,827.69 Winter 032 63.15 3781 4261 360,295,000 2,538,070.66 Village of Couderay 111 72.55 94 131 7,534,000 61,539.42 Village of Exeland 121 49.91 201 252 14,007,800 142,592.22 Village of Radisson 176 73.01 211 252 13,961,000 105,099.03 Village of Winter 190 61.70 231 289 24,679,000 199,576.11 City of Hayward 236 99.29 1397 1685 372,073,900 3,755,187.18 Total 33,216 40,770 6,140,690,100 47,527,474.23 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 002 004 006 008 010 012 014 016 018 020 022 024 026 028 030 032 111 121 176 190 236 Equalized Ratios in % Page 12 of 26 SAWYER COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Resolution No. _______ RESOLUTION TO RELEASE CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY INTERESTS WHEREAS, Sawyer County (the “County”) conveyed certain real property (“Property”) to Chief Industries, Inc. by Quit Claim Deed dated January 7, 1971, and recorded on January 8, 1971 as Document No. 136121 (“QCD”), a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit A; WHEREAS, the County reserved certain real property interests in the Property described in the QCD, to wit, a reservation of public access upon certain terms and a right of repurchase the Property, as more fully described in the QCD (collectively, the “Reserved Rights”); WHEREAS, the County determined that the value of the Reserved Rights is Two Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars ($2,800.00) based on the language set forth in the QCD setting the land value at $2,800.00, and not accounting for inflation; WHEREAS, on approximately January 23, 2026, the County received a request from the Property’s current owner, Ramy Seed Company, Inc., that the County terminate its interest in the Reserved Rights; WHEREAS, pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 59.52(6)(c), the County has authority to sell or convey its interest in the Reserved Rights upon terms approved by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors (“County Board”); WHEREAS, the County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee reviewed and discussed the request for termination and release of the Reserved Rights at its meeting on March 12, 2026, and voted to recommend that the County Board approve the termination and release of the Reserved Rights, subject to the terms set forth in this Resolution, at the County Board meeting on March 19, 2026; and WHEREAS, the County Board reviewed and discussed the request for termination and release of the Reserved Rights, as well as the terms set forth in this Resolution, at its meeting on March 19, 2026, and voted to approve the release and termination of the Reserved Rights according to the terms set forth in this Resolution. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors determines, adopts and directs the following: 1. Recitals. The Recitals set forth above are true and accurate, and are therefore incorporated into the Resolution and shall be used not just for reference. 2. Release of Reserved Rights. The County approves the termination and release of its rights and interests set forth in Quit Claim Deed dated January 7, 1971, and recorded on January 8, 1971 as Document No. 136121, upon the following conditions: Page 13 of 26 a. Ramy Seed Company, or its assign, shall pay to Sawyer County the amount of Two Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars ($2,800.00), which reflects the value of the County’s reserved rights and interests in the Property; b. Ramy Seed Company, or its assigns, shall pay the costs of recording this Resolution or other steps necessary to effectuate the County’s release and termination of its interests in the Property set forth in the Quit Claim Deed dated January 7, 1971, and recorded on January 8, 1971 as Document No. 136121. 3. Additional Actions. The Sawyer County Administrator is hereby authorized to take all necessary steps to ensure that Sawyer County Board of Supervisor’s action and decision set forth herein is completed, including but not limited to execution of a termination or other documentation required to release the County’s rights, title and interests set forth in Quit Claim Deed dated January 7, 1971, and recorded on January 8, 1971 as Document No. 136121. This Resolution is hereby recommended for approval by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors at is meeting on March 19, 2026 by the Sawyer County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee at its meeting on March 12, 2026. _______________________________ ___________________________________ Steve Kariainen, Chair Jim Evans, Member _______________________________ ___________________________________ Randy Neumann, Vice Chair Dale Magnuson, Member ________________________________ Kay Wilson, Member This Resolution approving the Release of Certain Real Property Interests is hereby adopted by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors this 19th day of March, 2026. ___________________________________ ____________________________ Ron Kinsley, Liz Klein, Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sawyer County Clerk Exhibit A (attached): Quit Claim Deed dated January 7, 1971, and recorded on January 8, 1971 as Document No. 136121. Page 14 of 26 Page 15 of 26 Page 16 of 26 Sawyer County Forestry Report February 2026 Active Sales Twenty sales listed as active in the month of February Sale Date # of Sales Acres Bid Value Received Est. Remaining 10/22/21 1 175 $137,167.20 $93,319.16 $43,848.04 5/11/22 0 0 $0 $0 $0 11/1/22 2 188 $55,841.50 $9,900.00 $45,941.50 5/10/23 0 0 $0 $0 $0 11/3/23 2 223 $153,112.00 $32,404.37 $120,707.63 5/7/24 6 616 $477,624.30 $199,889.73 $282,987.29* 10/29/24 4 326 $257,916.30 $96,973.63 $160,942.67 5/7/25 2 147 $125,538.60 $5,787.74 $119,750.86 11/13/25 3 363 $271,071.45 $31,303.78 $239,767.67 Totals 20 2038 $1,478,271.35 $469,578.41 $1,013,945.66 Inactive Sales Sale Date # of Sales Acres Bid Value Received Est. Remaining 10/22/21 0 0 $0 $0 $0 5/11/22 3 217 $114,595.60 $108,352.38 $17,040.13* 11/1/22 4 399 $253,574.75 $116,582.68 $136,992.07 5/10/23 2 174 $137,212.50 $99,648.47 $48,177.50* 11/3/23 8 752 $249,572.10 $72,095.10 $212,037.10* 5/7/24 4 341 $304,026.65 $46,847.64 $257,179.01 10/29/24 11 899 $516,013.45 $29,305.95 $486,707.50 5/7/25 18 1383 $1,357,407.60 $34,617.22 $1,322,790.38 11/13/25 16 1473 $888,764.68 $50,621.37 $838,143.31 Totals 66 5638 $3,821,167.33 $558,070.81 $3,319,067.00 * Sales having overruns ** Sales having underruns Five sales closed out in February. Timber Sale Value (sold contracts-uncut) on file = $4,333,012.66 Page 17 of 26 Timber Revenue February YTD Timber Sales $341,639.54 $440,592.21 Christmas Trees/Boughs $0 $0 Performance Bonds Cashed $0 $0 Other Revenue Camping/Firewood/Access $25 $25 Park Reservations $100 $100 Budget Gross Timber Sale Revenue $ 440,592.21 $2,000,000 10% Payment to Towns $ 44,059.22 Net Timber Sale Revenue $ 396,532.99 Performance Bonds Drawn $ 0 Total Other Revenue $ 125.00 Timber Sale Revenue Billed Out $ 341,805.73 Timber Sale Volumes Harvested Pulpwood Volume (cords) Month YTD Aspen 4228.86 6470.60 Mixed Hardwood 4085.94 4701.99 Basswood 426.91 479.78 Red Oak 0 413.35 Red Pine 106.42 128.97 White Pine 109.89 157.53 White Spruce 0 0 Black Spruce 0 0 Tamarack 0 0 Black Ash 0 0 Balsam Fir 0 0 Total Cords 8,958.02 12,352.22 Sawlog Volume (MBF) Month YTD Mixed Hardwood 62.81 108.48 Basswood 20.16 50.35 Red Oak 20.00 75.75 Hard Maple 9.47 16.84 Total MBF 112.44 251.42 Page 18 of 26 Timber Sale Inspections # month YTD 44 99 Comments: Goal for timber sale inspections is one inspection per week while sale is actively being harvested, or wood is being hauled. Tract Establishment # sales month/ YTD acres month/YTD Goal 0/5 0/464 3500 Comments: Reviewing timber sale tracts and preparing spring timber sale bid prospectus. Recon Acres Updated February YTD Annual Goal 1008 5748 6,000 acres Comments: Recon is the assessment of geographic, structure and compositional attributes of forest stands. Field information is stored in the Wisconsin Forest Inventory & Reporting System (WisFIRS). Basic resource information is collected, stored, and updated systematically and continuously. Database is used to analyze existing resources, evaluate management alternatives, and assist in the development and implementation of management plans. Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) Hours February FY26 Contract 10 15 Current Contract: FY27: Approximately 535 hours of timber sale establishment/admin. $42,955.30 Preparing reimbursement request for FY26 contract. Comments: Under the federal Good Neighbor Authority, the USDA Forest Service is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with states to perform forest management activities on national forest lands. WDNR has entered a GNA agreement with the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF). WDNR is authorized to contract with counties to assist with forest management activities on national forest lands. The focus of the GNA program is to assist in the implementation of the CNNF Forest Plan, which will provide: • Forest products to the local economy • Collaboration between federal, state and county forest managers • Improved health and resiliency of forestlands and watersheds within Wisconsin Page 19 of 26 Oak Wilt: Nothing new to report. Mountain Bike Trails: Nothing new to report. Birkie Trail: Nothing new to report. ATV/UTV/Snowmobile Trails: Preparing grant applications for 2026-27 grant cycle. Parks: Hatchery Park: Nothing new to report. Nelson Lake Park: Nothing new to report. Carbon Credit Project: Nothing new to report. Page 20 of 26 Sawyer County Land, Water & Forest Resources Committee Meeting DNR Forestry Report for March 2026 In February DNR activity on the Sawyer County Forest was focused timber sale preparation and recon. We have currently achieved approximately 75% of our time standards goal of 2217 hours as of 2/21/26. Report Submitted by Craig Morris, DNR Forester, on February 26, 2025 Page 21 of 26 Zoning & Conservation Department Update February 2026 – March 2026 Prepared by Jay Kozlowski, Zoning & Conservation Administrator • Tree Sale is active and online with a variety of options still available for purchase. • A poster awards assembly was held at the Winter Schools in conjunction with the vast amounts of posters we received from them this year. • Winter Schools will also have a middle school and high school Envirothon team for this year. They are the first school in the County to participate in Envirothon, and the competition is April 10th in Rosholt. • Conservation staff will be attending the annual WI Land & Water Conference March 4th-6th. A conference report will follow as part of this March update. Page 22 of 26 LWFRC Meeting – March 11th, 2026 Treasurer’s Report Sawyer County will be selling seven tax foreclosed properties acquired thru the 2025 In Rem. Five of these properties will be sold thru a closed bid process thru the treasurers office and two will be sold thru a licensed realtor Area North Realty. The two attachments are what will be published in paper. Act 207 (at Section 5) authorizes a county to sell tax-deeded properties by open or closed bid or engage licensed real estate brokers. In essence, the county can determine the most ef�icient and expedient method to sell the property, provided it complies with the publication requirements related to the property’s availability for purchase. 75.69 Sale of tax delinquent real estate. (1) Except as provided in sub. (1m), no tax delinquent real estate acquired by a county may be sold unless the sale and appraised value of such real estate has first been advertised by publishing on the county’s website and either by publication of a clas s 1 notice, under ch. 985, or by advertising on a multiple listing service, no later than 240 days after the county acquires the property or, beginning in 2026, no later than 180 days after the county acquires the property. Any county may accept the bid most advantageous to it but, at the first attempt to sell the property, every bid less than the appraised value of the property shall be rejected. Any county is authorized to sell for any amount any land previously advertised for sale after advertising the sale of such land by publication of a class 1 notice, under ch. 985; except that no property may be sold for an amount that is less than the property’s appraised value unless the county board or a committee designated by the county board has reviewed and approved such a sale and no property may be sold for an amount that is less than the amount of the highest bid unless the county board or a committee designated by the county board prepares a written statement, available for public inspection, that explains the reasons for accepting a bid that is less than the highest bid. In this subsection, “appraised value” means the value determined, at the discretion of the county board, by the county board, a committee designated by the county board, or a certified appraiser, as defined in s. 458.01 (7). Page 23 of 26 Notice of Sale of Tax Delinquent Real Estate Pursuant to Chapter 75.69 Wis. Stats., Sawyer County will be conducting a sale of tax delinquent real estate via a closed bid process. The 1st round of bids will begin March 23rd 2026 at 9am and will run thru April17th 2026. All bids shall be submitted to the County Treasures office. Visit online at https://sawyercountygov.org/230/County-Land-Sale to view interactive maps, bid applications and additional details including how and where to submit your bids. All sealed respective bids will be opened by the County Treasurer on April 21st. The County reserves the right to accept or reject any or all applications. Sawyer County will not accept applications from property owners who owe delinquent taxes. All bids lower than the opening bid amount (assessed fair market amount) will be reviewed by the County Treasurer and submitted to the LWFRC for approval. The properties to be sold are located in the municipalities as follows: Town of Hayward-Ward 2 Town of Winter-Ward 1 Town of Sand Lake-Ward 1 Village of Raddison-Ward 1 Legacy Parcel Identification Number Tax ID Number Abbreviated Legal Description Municipality Section Town Range Approximate Acreage Opening bid amount Current Bid 010941331223 43192 PRT NWNE Town of Hayward S33 T41N R09W 0.029 $ 1,000.00 26938035701 27571 PRT GOVT LOT 7 Town of Sand Lake S03 T38N R09W 14 $ 29,600.00 26938036001 27581 GOVT LOT 10 Town of Sand Lake S03 T38N R09W 40 $ 84,600.00 Page 24 of 26 176170091400 37131 VILLAGE OF RADISSON ORIGINAL PLAT LOTS 14 & 15 BLK 9 Village of Radisson S15 T38N R07W 0.16 $ 4,100.00 32540295108 36265 PRT GOVT LOT 1 Town of Winter S29 T40N R05W 4.081 $ 11,400.00 Page 25 of 26 Notice of Sale of Tax Delinquent Real Estate Pursuant to Chapter 75.69 Wis. Stats., Sawyer County will be conducting the sale of 2 tax delinquent real estate properties via Area North Realty. The sales of these 2 properties will be listed March 23rd 2026 at 12am and will run until sold. Visit online at https://sawyercountygov.org/230/County-Land-Sale to view interactive maps and additional details on the properties. The County reserves the right to accept or reject any or all offers. Sawyer County will not accept any offers from property owners who owe delinquent taxes. All offers lower than the appraised amount will be reviewed by the County Treasurer and submitted to the LWFRC for approval. The properties to be sold are located in the municipalities as follows: Town of Hayward-Ward 3 Town of Ojibwa-Ward 2 Legacy Parcel Identification Number Tax ID Number Abbreviated Legal Description Municipality Section Town Range Approximate Acreage Appraised amount Current Bid 010841154101 10984 PRT NESE LOT 7 CSM 21/260 #6056 Town of Hayward S15 T41N R08W 2.64 $ 550,000.00 20639242402 21450 E1/2 SENW Town of Ojibwa S24 T39N R06W 19.61 $ 133,500.00 Page 26 of 26