RUSK COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

“Not Committee Approved”

DATE: May 13, 2008

TIME: 9:00 a.m.

LOCATION: RUSK COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER

ROLL CALL: R. SVOMA, G. DUSELL, J. STENCIL, J. SCHULTZ, D. CICHA LWCC; P. CAROW, LWCD, M. KOEHLER, NRCS, E. ZYDZIK; APHIS

OPEN SESSION

Meeting called to order by Chair R. Svoma at 9:00 A.M. Roger turned the running of the meeting over to previous Vice Chair G. DuSell.

Appointment/Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman

G. DuSell called for nominations for LWCC Chairman. Roger Svoma was nominated. G. DuSell called for nominations two more times. Motion by D. Cicha/J. Schultz to close nominations and cast a unanimous ballot for R. Svoma. Carried

R. Svoma took back control of the meeting. He called for nominations for LWCC Vice Chairman. G. DuSell was nominated. R. Svoma called for nominations twice more. Motion by J. Stencil/J. Schultz to close nominations and cast a unanimous ballot for

G. DuSell. Carried.

Appointment/Election of RC&D Representative

R. Svoma called for nominations for our PRI-RU-TA representative. G. DuSell was nominated. R. Svoma called for nominations twice more. Motion by J. Stencil/J. Schultz to close nominations and cast a unanimous ballot for G. Du Sell. Carried.

Appointment/Election of Island Lake Management District Liaison

There was some discussion about Lake Associations and Lake Districts and the duties of the County Board appointed representative to the Island Lake Management District. R. Svoma called for nominations for the Island Lake representative. J. Schultz nominated J. Stencil. Then it was decided that we could appoint someone rather than elect him so J. Schultz/D Cicha motion to appoint J. Stencil our Island Lake representative. Motion carried.

Discussion followed about methods of weed control.

Some discussion about the Trails End Trustee representative. It was thought that J. Schultz would be or has been chosen to be the representative. R. Svoma will check with Alisha Crowe to see the status of the representative.

Minutes of Last Meeting

Paula submitted the draft April minutes for the LWCC to review. She should have

reviewed those minutes before they went out to the committee. There were some major

items omitted. Paula re-submitted them to the committee. Paula reviewed them with the

committee. Motion by D.Cicha/G. DuSell to approve the amended minutes. Carried.

Approval of Agenda

Motion by G.DuSell/D.Cicha to approve the agenda and rearrange as needed. Carried.

Wildlife Damage Report-Ed Zydzik

Ed explained some of his duties. One duty he explained more fully was the beaver control program. He also discussed the bear tag quota system. Ed has had a couple of wolf complaints this spring. The gas price may affect Ed’s job and trapping as a recreational activity which in turn affects the wildlife populations. Bear can be DNA tested to see if the caught bear are repeat offenders. Very few bear are repeaters. Ed shared lots of wolf and bear damage stories. Starlings were a problem at Eric Hillan's. About 75% were killed.

Public Comments

None this month.

Next Meeting Date

Next meeting date is set for Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.

Review and Approval of Monthly Expenditures

We reviewed this months bills. Motion by G. DuSell/J. Schultz to approve this month’s

expenditures. Motion carried.

PRI-RU-TA Resource Conservation Development/WLWCA Meeting Reports

Reports of both meetings were put in everyone’s mail boxes because there was lots of information given at both meetings. Any questions about the programs, ask G. DuSell. Managed Intensive Grazing is the most positive conservation initiative being worked on.

Status of New Positions

Everyone has been hired and are on board. (2 Assistant Technicians and 1 Clerical)

Nelson Stutzman Manure Storage Permit/Variance

Motion by J. Schultz/G. DuSell to grant Nelson Stutzman a variance for his manure handling structure because it will be holding manure for less than 30 days. A licensed professional engineer has “signed-off” on it as meeting NRCS specifications. Carried.

We discussed the fact that any alteration of the system means that the system must meet specifications at the time of alteration.

Invasive Species Multi-County Memo of Understanding

Motion by J. Schultz/D. Cicha to postpone vote on “MOU” until the next meeting. Carried. J. Stencil was interested in the grant that the group applied for.

New Supervisor Training

Information is in your mailboxes. Check with Paula if you are interested in attending.

New – Old Manure Management and Nutrient Management Rules and Review of May 1 2008 Informational Meeting

DNR is stepping up its involvement in water pollution and soil erosion issues. We held a meeting May 1, 2008 to inform farmers of what their responsibilities are concerning manure management.

Environmental Challenge Calendar

Interns start June 2, 2008 and students are to begin on June 16 through July 18, 2008.

There will be a picnic and school presentation on July 18, 2008. Interns will stay until

August 15, 2008.

Conservation Camp

The Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Camp will be June 16 – 20, 2008. Our

office will be pretty much closed during that week.

Tree Program and Tree Planter Future

Discussion about whether or not we should keep renting the planter to the public. Lots of

discussion about liability and damage issues. Motion by J. Stencil/D. Cicha to have

Corporation Council approve an agreement that the user would sign that would protect

the county from lawsuits and the equipment from damage done by the user. Motion

carried.

Agency Reports

There was no one here from FSA today. G. DuSell asked that maybe the temporary person could submit a written report.

Mike Koehler – Farm Bill is close, but not yet reality. Mike reviewed some of the federal programs he is involved in. This time of year he is doing “compliance checks” on farms that are signed up for various benefits. Staff is reviewing all wetland maps and marking wetlands with red, yellow and green dots to signify various activities with those areas.

Approval of Upcoming Meeting and Trainings

Paula requested permission to attend a Carbon Credit meeting on May 30, 2008 in Spooner. Motion by J. Schultz/J. Stencil to allow her to go. Carried.

Motion by D. Cicha/J. Stencil to adjourn at 12:40 p.m. Carried.