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Home My WebLink About09-02-97 Land & Water Conservation - Resource & Ed CommitteeAMENDED TO: Robert Boche, Chairman St. Croix County Board FROM: Art Jensen., Chairman COHKITTPE TITLE: Land & Water Conservation/Resource & Education Committee DATE: September 2, 1997 LOCATION: Ag Center, Baldwin CALL TQ QRDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING: ACTION ON PR$VIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS; aepors : llnx NRcs FSA RC&D West Central Area Education Activities Farmland Preservation Environmental Stewardship Priority Watershed Projects - Kinnickinnic South Fork of Hay River St. Croix Lakes Cluster Glen Hills Watershed - Flood Plain Study Flood Plain Ordinance* Baldwin Ag Building Update Conservation Farmer/Water Quality/Wildlife Awards EQIP Plan Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area 1998 Budget NEW BUSINESS: Farmland Preservation Applications Subdivision Review a.m. Vouchers ANNOUNCFMMiTS & CORRESPONDENCE kOS5IBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) SUBliITTED BY; Charles Christenson DATE: August 190 1997 Amended August 28, 1997 COPIES TO: COUNTY BOARD OFFICE COUNTY CLERK ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS/CHANGES )I; ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Robert Boche, Chairman St. Croix County Board FROM: Art Jensen, Chairman COMMITTEE TITLE: Land & Water Conservation/Resource & Education Committee DATE: September 2, 1997 TIME: 9:00 a.m. LOCATION: Ag Center, Baldwin CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING. ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Reports: DNR NRCS FSA RC&D West Central Area Education Activities Farmland Preservation Environmental Stewardship Priority Watershed Projects Kinnickinnic South Fork of Hay River St. Croix Lakes Cluster Glen Hills Watershed - Flood Plain Study Baldwin Ag Building Update Conservation Farmer/Water Quality/Wildlife Awards EQIP Plan Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area 1998 Budget NEW BUSINESS: Farmland Preservation Applications Subdivision Review - 11:00 a.m. Vouchers ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) SUBMITTED BY: Charles Christenson DATE: August 19, 1997 COPIES TO: COUNTY BOARD OFFICE NEWS MEDIA/NOTICE BOARD COUNTY CLERK COMMITTEE MEMBERS * ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS/CHANGES Convened: 9:00 a.m. Adjourned: 11:25 a.m. ST. CROIX COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION/RESOURCE & EDUCATION COMMITTEE Agricultural Center, Baldwin, WI September 2, 1997 Members Present: Leon Art Jensen Berenschot, Chris Bethke, Jim Cody, Vern Dull, Members Absent: Ron Raymond Staff Present: County Conservationist -Charles Christenson, Lakes Cluster Project Manager -Pete Kling, Kinnickinnic Project Manager -Tim Popple, South Fork/Kinnickinnic Project Technician -Kyle Kulow, Secretary -Arlene Lier Others Present: Jay Custer-NRCS, Marty Engel-DNR, Kim Reaman-UW-EXT, Roger Swanson-UW-EXT, Representative-Marhy Construction, Representative -Monarch Paving Meeting called to order by Chairman Art Jensen. Berenschot made motion to adopt agenda. Bethke seconded. Carried. Dull made motion to approve August 5, 1997 meeting minutes as mailed out. Seconded by Berenschot. Carried. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, 1997 at 9:00 a.m. DNR Marty Engel (Fisheries Manager) reported: Fish Management - Fish kill - Bass Lake. Large carp were killed. Specimens sent to lab for testing, most likely a bacterial infection. Reported data on the 1996 Squaw Lake Fishing Pressure. Explained the benefit of the aeration system. The Willow River fish survey is nearly completed. Will show if resources are improving. Bethke questioned whether dam in New Richmond affects the fisheries on Willow River. The water in Mound Dam will be lowered third week in September. Wildlife Management - * Bonus tags go on sale September 15 over counter. Should know what units will be available by September 8. * Waterfowl season set for October 4. Duck and southern goose regs out in about 1-1/2 weeks. Private Lands Program - Fall prairie grass planting demos to be announced at next LWCC meeting. Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area Update - Open houses were held on August 20 and 21 in New Richmond and River Falls. Comments received there and through the mail so far have been favorable. Next step is to develop some general alternatives which will be presented at the next open house sessions in October. Marty Engel suggested that LWCC stay active in process. NRCS Custer handed out and discussed. August activity reports. Mainly working on CRP plans for last spring's sign up. Over 150 people attended the two group informational and planning meetings. There are 35 plans left to be signed. Deadline is September 8. Reported on EQIP (cost share program). Long, term contracts are being written for those people who have 1997 applications approved ($53,000). The 1998 applications have been submitted to Washington. Two intermittent employees (LeeAnn Ross and Murray Lestrud) have been added to staff to work on status reviews. FSA No report. RC&D Berenschot reported that he plans to attend the state association meeting at Superior, WI on September 29-30, Ed Weber conducted an informational meeting at Menomonie on August 7th to update County Conservationists on the RC&D program and get their inputs for River Country's Action Plan. WEST CENTRAL AREA Dull commented on the conservation award entries which were judged on August 20. Don & Cindy Kellen (Town of Stanton) received the area Wildlife Habitat Development Award. Adam Gilbert (Middle Division) and Sadie Harmon (Junior Division) placed third in the Area Poster Contest. The area awards ceremony and fall speaking contest will be held on Wednesday, October 29, at UW-Stout. EDUCATION ACTIVITIES Christenson reported: Had booth at Farm/City Day on August 9 at Roberts. School field days are scheduled for Baldwin -Woodville (9/11 - Glen Hills County Park) and West Side Schools -River Falls (9/17 - Willow River State Park). Kling reported that he will be Leadership Program the week of moderator during this session. ENVIROPIIKENTAL STEWARDSHIP No report. participating in the Wisconsin Rural September 14 in Oregon. He will be PRIORITY WATERSHED PROJECTS Lakes Cluster - Kling reported he attended the Squaw Lake District annual meeting a week ago. Roger Swanson is the new chairman. Craig Jameson is stepping down. Bass Lake boat landing was seeded. Work is nearing completion. Have to put fencing up, which Alliance group may do as a project. Crew may also help fence at Perch Lake, maybe in October. Kinnickinnic - Popple reported that budgets are the main issue. Twenty-one day comment period. We have been given several options. (1) Start eliminating old projects according to performance. (2) Take all projects that had recently approved plans. Eliminate across the state those in first year of implementation (Lakes Project). (3) Eliminate all in planning phase (Kinnickinnic and South Fork). WALCE Board meeting last week - Recommendation by State Board to scrap the proposed ranking and attempt to develop one which better reflects the projects. CAC will be doing mailing to all residents in Kinnickinnic watershed. Resolution has been prepared which lists concerns to keep projects. LWCC supports "Resolution Supporting Continued State Funding of Priority Watershed Projects within St. Croix County". Legislature is real key to what happens. Berenschot commented that politicians were not invited to a recent Stevens Point meeting of the Wisconsin Land & Water Conservation Board. Adam Payne, WLWCA Executive Director, feels those projects in the "planning" stage should be cut. Approximately $530,000 in (EQIP) federal cost share funding is on the line since they were approved for our county based on watershed projects continuing. Questioned DNR funding of proposal to establish a Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area in St. Croix and Polk Counties. Comments should be given to Kris Belling (Wildlife Biologist). Easements are funded by Stewardships. LWCC should stay active in process. South Fork of Hay River - Kulow commented that Senator Clausing's conservation credit proposal for this watershed is still in budget. If it stays in budget and the Governor signs, it will "go". If it did "go", next step is funding. Funding may be delayed until August 1998. If the Senator's proposal should fail, should we pursue traditional plan? Dunn County Staff does not seem to want any part of a traditional plan. There seems to be some differences of opinion in Dunn County LCC. Should we pursue traditional plan if conservation credit does not go? St. Croix LWCC still wants to work for conventional plan rather than drop everything. GLEN HILLS WATERSHED Flood Plain Study - Christenson reported not much progress has been done on breach route studies. Photos have been received from NRCS. Next step is digitizing. Structures 1, 2, and 3 should be priority. Flood Plain Ordinance - Discussion on the proposed temporary "Ordinance establishing a residential development moratorium on lands within the Glen Hills Watershed". LWCC supports passage of the ordinance resolution, which will go to County Board on September 16, BALDWIN AG BUILDING UPDATE Reaman updated the committee on progress in obtaining office furnishings. Administrative Coordinator Krizek had forwarded information regarding a brokerage which handles used office furnishings. Jensen, Robole, Reaman and Sander inspected available furnishings which included Haworth panels in a fabric color which is still manufactured, workstations with drawers, files, and overhead storage, lateral file cabinets and bookcases. Reaman and Sander returned to purchase 12 workstations, 5 drawer lateral files, bookcases for tech guides and reference materials, chairs for ETN room and committee meetings, and clocks for the classroom and ETN room. The total purchase was under $17,000. The workstations were not designed for employees who work with customers so the next step is to determine which pieces are necessary to make them functional (i.e. the"D" turnaround). This purchase will partially furnish the new ag center. Furnishings for the reception area and the offices were not available. Stated that meeting with ag building contractor is scheduled for September j, 11:00 a.m. EOIP PLAN Have approved $53,00 for 1997. Will be writing long term agreements. Some kind of plan that shows practices, one cost -shared practice must be installed within first year of contract. Keep at or ahead of implementation phase. Some states are not spending 1997 money. Wisconsin may get some added money from other states. 1998 money that we submitted proposals on, we should get approval on by October 1. Will have local work group meet to figure out practices/cost share. Get ranking system - do environmental ranking, and dollars. Look at multi practices and multi resource concerned. See more whole farm planning - November or December - Ranking system to state for approval. Have flexibility - resource concerns. 1998 BUDGET Christenson reported that proposed budget increased 15% over 1997 budget. Six(6)% is basically due to salaries. Will be meeting with Administrative Coordinator Krizek and/or Chief Accountant/Auditor Loney. The request for Glen Hills breach route studies is likely well needed, but be taken out of general budget which will reduce the increase to something under 6%. FARMLAND PRESERVATION APPLICATIONS Christenson reported that two new applications were received: (1) Greg & Gloria Anderson (70 Acres - Town of Warren, Sec. 26). (2) Steve Wynveen & Terry Thompson (80 acres - Town of Hammond, Sec, 23). Conservation plans have to be reviewed before recommendation for approval will be made in October. SUBDIVISION REVIEW Summerfield Subdivision (Town of Hudson) - Kling presented storm water and erosion control plans which were reviewed. Berenschot made motion that LWCC recommends approval of Summerfield subdivision. Bethke seconded. Carried. VOUCHERS Reviewed vouchers. Berenschot questioned voucher #97-172 (Squaw Lake Rehab & Mgmt District - $11000). Christenson explained that an agreement with Sportsmen's Alliance and property owners covers use of conservation funds($1,000) for electricity to run aeration system. Bethke questioned voucher #97-178 (St. Croix Co. Highway Department = Bass Lake Project - $26,225.17). Christenson explained that it is for blacktopping parking lot and handicap access. These are state conservation funds. Also questioned voucher #97-181 (St. Croix County Computer Services - $3,707.00). Explained that cost of this new computer equipment which was shared with Land Records. Bethke made motion to approve vouchers as presented. Berenschot seconded. Carried. MISCELLANEOUS Representatives from Monarch Paving and Mathy Construction attended meeting regarding gravel supply - Mathy and Cemstone, on County "G", south of New Richmond. They had attended Board of Adjustment Committee meeting. Additional 20 acres proposed to be mined. Will construct a berm within 20 acres. Will follow highway specifications for construction and protection. Will plant trees on top of berm. Silt fence on property line. Now currently corn field. Approval delayed until Heise has reviewed seeding/mulching plan. Christenson commented on the NACD Forestry Publication which had article on "Effect of Development". Committee noted that several florescent lights in the Ag Center conference room were burned out last month, and still have not been replaced as of this meeting date. Lier presented the LWCD/NRCS meeting/training calendar for September. Jensen adjourned meeting at 11:25 a.m. i Vernon Dull Secretary By Arlene Lier