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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLand & Water Conservation-Resource & Education Committee 03-03-98ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Tom Dorsey, Chairman St. Croix County Board FROM: Art Jensen, Chairman COMMITTEE TITLE: Land & Water Conservation/Resource & Education Committee DATE: March 3, 1998 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 Legislation/Environmental Stewardship Priority Watershed Projects - Kinnickinnic South Fork of Hay River Pilot Project/Conservation Credit - St. Croix Lakes Cluster Glen Hills Watershed - Flood Plain Study Wildlife Damage Program Baldwin Ag Building Update EQIP Plan Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area Discuss proposed Lower St. Croix River District Zoning Amendment 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: February 16, 1998 COPIES TO: COUNTY BOARD OFFICE NEWS MEDIA/NOTICE BOARD COUNTY CLERK COMMITTEE MEMBERS * ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS/CHANGES - -- - - --- Convened: 9:05 a.m. Adjourned: 11:40 a.m. ST. CROIX COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION/RESOURCE & EDUCATION COMMITTEE Agricultural Center, Baldwin, WI March 3, 1998 Members Present: Leon Berenschot, Jim Cody, Vern Dull, Art Jensen, Ron Raymond Members Absent: Chris Bethke Staff Present: Technician -Bob Heise, South Fork/Kinnickinnic Project Technician -Kyle Kulow, Secretary -Arlene Lier Others Present: Don Siler-NRCS, Kris Belling-DNR Meeting called to order by Chairman Art Jensen. Cody made motion to adopt agenda. Raymond seconded. Carried. Minutes of February 3, 1998 meeting were not available for approval due to computer problems. Seconded by Dull. Carried. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 1998 at 9:00 a.m. DNR Kris Belling (Wildlife Biologist) reported: Wisconsin DNR Secretary George Meyer will be attending the Sportsmen's Alliance meeting to be held at Ag Center this evening (March 3). Forestry - West -Central Wisconsin WOODLAND OWNERS CONFERENCE will be held on March 14 at UW-River Falls Campus. Wildlife Management Presented update on deer totals. The 3 established units are all on a downward trend with 22A at goal. The 2 new units (60B and 60M) are still above goal and do not appear to be declining, but they still don't have a long history to track. Because of the declining trends, quotas should be reduced in most units. Unit 60M will continue to have unlimited Hunter's Choice and bonus permits available. There will probably be a bumper crop of fawns due to the weather. Difficult to get place to hunt. Raymond feels that something should be done to harvest the deer herd in the Western part of the county. A meeting will be held on March 4 at the Dunn County Fish & Game Clubhouse in Menomonie to discuss quotas and finalize local recommendations. Western Prairie Habitat Restoration Area - Jensen questioned the small areas of prairie grasses. Prairie grasses have very intense root systems - soil holding ability (long term stable system). Takes longer to establish. Siler stated that CRP requires less than 300 trees/acre. Program now weights heavy to wildlife program. Jensen requested Kulow to show slides to County Board as he did during the Awards dinner program. NRCS Siler reported working with 16th CRP sign-up - 1998 contracts (103 signed - 121 total) and 1999 contracts (10 signed - 134 total). Contracts involve a multitude of practices. Working on EQIP (which replaces ACP). Must obligate approved funds for the watersheds. WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program) is ongoing. Have spent considerable time explaining EBI scores to unsuccessful CRP bidders. Often bidding was the undoing. Staff spent 3 days in service center training. FSA No report. RC&D Berenschot reported that no meetings were held but has received correspondence. Going through retooling program. Unable to attend meetings in Stevens Point to set format for retooling RC&D. Received questionnaire and sent back. WEST CENTRAL AREA Nothing scheduled until spring. New representative will have to be appointed after the spring election, to replace Dull. EDUCATION ACTIVITIES Reports: Heise - Mentioned the urban stormwater and erosion control workshop in Eau Claire. Kulow - Reported he is working with Christy Omann (Glenwood City High School teacher) on scheduling a series of wetland talks for later this spring. Ron Struss (Area educator for priority watersheds) will be replaced the end of June by a new basin educator from Minnesota. Kulow will be working with Dunn County staff and Jim Riemer from Fish & Wildlife Service on stream ecology workshops and stream clean-up program. Jensen stated the importance of educating youth. Poster contest and speaking contest should be promoted more. Talk to teachers to get job done. 4-H clubs would be one connection. New ideas should be brought to next meeting for discussion. FARMLAND PRESERVATION Sander is continuing to do zoning certificates. LEGISLATIONIENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP No report. PRIORITY WATERSHED PROJECTS Kulow reported: Lakes Cluster - Water level has been coming down considerably on Bass Lake. Project did not receive any EQIP funding for 1998. Will be submitting another proposal for 1999. All 3 projects are working on I & E plan. Must be submitted by end of March. Can ask for up to $30,000 for educational funds. Jensen presented a letter addressed to Buzz Sorge-WDNR in support of Lake Management Planning Grant for Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District. Berenschot made motion to approve the efforts to obtain a Lake Management planning grant. Cody seconded. Carried. Also presented a resolution authorizing development of Boat Landing on Squaw Lake. Will be upgrading handicap dock at the boat landing. Cody made motion to approve resolution. Seconded by Dull. Carried. Kinnickinnic - Steering committee meets on March 12. Will put together numbers for setting goals and developing the plan. Rush River Chair Wayne Loock is being replaced by Greg Kerr. Will be hiring an intern for summer work. EQIP - Meeting scheduled for March 10. South Fork of Hay River - Have $60,000 sign up for installing BMP practices. Tentative sign up date for EQIP funding is April 1. Berenschot asked about inventories in municipalities. DNR gets involved if ground is contaminated. Kulow plans to attend a Glenwood City council meeting. Big debate is: How much additional phosphorus runoff will be added to surface water with the hen laying and egg breaking operation facility being proposed near Boyceville. DNR does not want any net gain into surface waters. Have plan to address that? Five major concerns with initial proposal. Jim Forester, Dunn County Conservationist, will make recommendations at Board of Adjustment meeting on March 19. Berenschot stated that he had shown 3 or 4 St. Croix County sites for consideration by the company and had two meetings with them. Company would employ 50-75 people. He has not gotten any negative thoughts on the company based at Cameron. Farm people have no problem with the proposed facility, which would be located right near the Hay River. Big concern is amount of spreading that will take place on corn and soybean fields. Soybeans come in by rail. Corn would be bought locally. GLEN HILLS WATERSHED Flood Plain Study - Heise reported that deadline for bid proposals is March 6. Also reported that he received a bid ($6,948.81) for repair of structure #1 (located near Bill Ullom, south side of Double DD) from Nechville Excavating. Part of project (making it a dry structure) did not get completed by NRCS because of Milwaukee firm's cost. Heise considered bid to be a good one ($7,000 versus liability involved). It was not budgeted for 1998. Structure was built in 1965. By doing this work, we would be increasing the capacity and protection of the dam. Will set annual dam inspection date at next LWCC meeting. WILDLIFE DAMAGE PROGRAM Kulow and Sander will be attending a Wildlife Damage workshop in Stevens Point on March 17-19. Program will include review of recent legislative changes and abatement. BALDWIN AG BUILDING UPDATE Siler reported on items discussed at a recent CAC meeting: Blinds not completely installed, more keys needed, west door -no guttering, no security with glass doors, small letters on building. Open house will be planned for summer. Raymond suggested bringing these items to attention of Finance Committee, which meets at the building on March 9. DISCUSS PROPOSED LOWER ST. CROIX RIVER DISTRICT ZONING AMENDMENT Raymond stated that a meeting is scheduled for March 30. Buck Mallick, Chairman invited elected officials. FARMLAND PRESERVATION APPLICATIONS New application was presented for Bonnie Steinert (Town of Emerald). Berenschot made motion that LWCC recommends approval of the new application for Bonnie Steinert to County Board and forwarding to state. Dull seconded. Carried. SUBDIVISION REVIEW Willow Valley Subdivision (Sec. 1 - Town of Richmond) - Reviewed stormwater and erosion control plans Plan was resubmitted with relocation of road and some changes in the retention ponds. Berenschot made motion that LWCC recommends approval of Willow Valley subdivision. Seconded by Cody. Carried. VOUCHERS Reviewed vouchers. Berenschot made motion to approve vouchers. Seconded by Raymond. Carried. MISCELLANEOUS Jensen read a thank you letter from Carol Benish (recipient of 1997 Water Quality Leadership Award). She is very concerned about the development in St. Croix.County. Wants to make sure that our natural resources get attention. Lier presented the LWCD/NRCS meeting -training calendar for March. Berenschot made motion to adjourn meeting at 11:40 a.m. Dull seconded. Carried. Vernon Dull, Secretary By Arlene Lier