DATE: November 13, 2008
Meeting called to order by Chair Wiese at 9:05 a.m. It was certified that the requirements of the open meeting law have been met. Present were Borleske, Kriegl, Posewitz, Wiese and Zowin from the Committee; Norgard and Cooley-FSA; Brereton-NRCS; Kloppenburg-DNR; Van Berkel and Pohle-LCD; Morton and Degen-DNR; Peterson-APHIS; Exo-UWEX. Puttkamer was absent.
Motion by Zowin/Borleske to adopt the agenda. Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion by Posewitz/Zowin to adopt the minutes of the regular LCC meeting on October 9. Motion carried, all in favor.
None.
A. Thursday Note(s) - The October 16 Thursday Note was received at the Committee's homes.
B. DNR Land Purchase Notification - Notification was received that there are a couple of parcels being purchased to be included in the Devil's Lake State Park lands. There is a one-acre parcel surrounded by The Nature Conservancy on Hwy. 12 and .34 acres in the middle of park lands. Just notification, no action necessary.
None.
A. Land Conservation Department report-Van Berkel highlighted some of the items listed on the monthly department report. A copy of the most recent version of the Animal Waste Ordinance was provided to LCC members. The Ordinance will be reviewed at the next meeting with the anticipated public hearing in January.
B. Natural Resources Conservation Service report-Brereton announced that signups for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will be taken from December 1-January 30. The program will be similar to last year with a few new practices being offered.
C. Farm Service Agency report-Norgard reported that November 20 is the deadline to apply for funds to repair damage done to cropland and farmland structures, such as waterways and dams due to June storms. Already have over 100 applications. Issued a partial allocation of $278,500. New Farm Bill is rolling out.
D. Foresters' report-Kloppenburg informed the LCC that the 2009 tree seedling order forms are available. Managed Forest Law (MFL) has gone through certification through a third party. They are busy with state land inventory on 3,000 acres. The Dell Creek Wildlife area timber sale will be this winter. Monitoring 16 projects for the Forestry Legacy Easements. Wisconsin Landowner Grant program funding has been cut back. Practices are for planned development and reforestation, a lot of other activities have been put on hold. Had some funding on state land, another 11 acres planted in Devil's Lake State Park. Grant to plant an additional 8 acres requested. Held a YEPS tree seedling monitoring project with quite a few youth and adults at Devil's Lake State Park. Will instruct a "Conducting a Successful Timber Harvest" course this weekend for the Aldo Leopold Woodland School. They are formalizing the gypsy moth suppression areas for next spring on state lands.
E. Economic Development Committee report-Zowin noted they are talking about funding the study of the Merrimac railroad bridge.
F. Mirror Lake District report-Zowin reported they are finishing up the dredging, everything went well.
G. Lake Virginia Management District report-Wiese stated there have not been any meetings but there may be one in December.
H. Lake Redstone Management District report-Borleske discussed the concerns of the District regarding classification change from sensitive areas to critical habitat areas.
Motion by Zowin/Borleske to approve the list of training events. Motion carried, all in favor.
Motion by Borleske/Zowin to approve mileage, meals, lodging, and registration fees for Wiese to attend the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association Conference in Appleton in December. Motion carried, all in favor.
Voucher summaries were distributed to the Committee members. Motion by Borleske/Posewitz to approve 2008 and 2009 bills in the amount of $89,241.37. Motion carried, all in favor.
Peterson provided the LCC the year-long averages for crop prices. Motion by Borleske/Kriegl to approve the crop damage assessment rates as follows: Alfalfa-$131.85/ton, corn-$4/bushel, soybeans-$11/bushel. Motion carried, all in favor.
Van Berkel explained the distributed Memorandum of Understanding is a draft for discussion. The final version will be acted upon at the December meeting. It establishes the process to be used between LCD and DNR to implement the standards and prohibitions as part of NR 151. It will be a living document and can be amended as necessary. Exo noted that there will be educational programming provided to evaluate sites and explain rules by state agencies. Morton and Degen also provided input to represent DNR in the process.
The Committee and Degen discussed the progress he and Mike Stanek are making at Hausner farms. There are less complaints about manure spreading.
Van Berkel informed the LCC that FEMA has prepared a study on Clark Creek, "Flooding Conditions at Clark Creek and Possible Mitigation." One recommendation is that the NRCS do a watershed assessment. Van Berkel recommended Committee request this assessment. Motion by Borleske/Kriegl to send a letter to Pat Leavenworth requesting NRCS to consider a watershed evaluation of Clark Creek. Motion carried, all in favor.
Van Berkel asked for authorization to send a letter to John Ramsden requesting Shanahan dam be converted to a dry dam. It was noted that no one uses the impoundment because of the high sediment loading. There are trout in Honey Creek, which is degraded by the warm water discharged from impoundment behind the dam. A dry dam will still control flooding but not warm the discharge creek. Parks Department is willing to mow it, and the dam would then be fenced solidly. The LCC approved the letter be sent to NRCS.
Van Berkel informed the LCC that the county, City of Baraboo, UW-Baraboo, and City of Reedsburg are applying for an energy grant designed to reduce energy use 25 percent by 2025. There is added scoring for joint applications. The grant is moving forward with the City of Baraboo taking the lead. Property and Insurance Committee has already endorsed the application so this is for information purposes. The grant would apply to county operations not private businesses or residences. LCD staff may be asked to provide assistance in implementation. No action necessary.
Van Berkel, as the Sauk County Gypsy Moth Coordinator, explained the plan used to deal with 2008 reported incidents. There are 20 reports in the county around Mirror Lake, Devil's Lake, and Grand View Lane near Merrimac. Letters were sent to the landowners who reported gypsy moths on their property with instructions on what they need to do to get a spray block identified in their area. Staff would then follow up on those reporting they meet the program thresholds. The Committee suggested that in the future a letter be sent to neighboring property owners also regarding the program.
Van Berkel proposed altering the pasture on the west side of Hwy. 23 as a part of the fencing replacement. Rather than replacing the existing fence which allowed access to some wooded areas, he proposed a new fence be put in which would exclude these areas but reduce the acreage from 49 to 22 acres. Motion by Zowin/Borleske to go ahead with the plan for new fencing of pasture and change bidding amount. Motion carried/all in favor.
Deadline for bids will be Monday, December 15, and LCC will review at the December 18 meeting.
Motion to adjourn until December 18 at 9:30 a.m. by Borleske/Posewitz at 11:20 a.m. Motion carried, all in favor. The January 15 meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. with the public hearing at 10:00 a.m.
An update on the Kinnamon Ridge Dairy bill submitted at County Board will be on the agenda for the December meeting.
Respectfully submitted: Linda Borleske, Secretary