Wetlands Deregulation Bill Introduced Into Assembly and Senate
Two Public Hearings to be Held- Assembly Natural Resources Committee
Tue, Jan 10 at 10:30am
412 East, State Capitol, Madison - Senate Natural Resources Committee
Thr, Jan 12 at 1:00pm
411 South, State Capitol, Madison
Identical proposals were introduced in each house of the legislature in early January that would ease the regulation of wetlands in the state that do not fall under federal regulation (AB463 in the Assembly and SB368 in the Senate). The Natural Resources Committees of each house scheduled separate hearings on the measure, with the Assembly meeting Tuesday and the Senate on Thursday.
Some of the bill's key features include:
- Increased use of mitigation, without requiring consideration of alternate development sites located in a non-wetland areas
- Elimination of references to "Areas of Special Natural Resource Interest"
- Allowing impacts to exceptional wetland resources which, under current law, are usually discouraged or off limits
- DNR is allowed to consider economic value of a project when deciding whether to approve destruction of a wetland
- Expanded use of general permits, especially for smaller wetlands
Even though the first hearing may have passed by the time you read this, or you may not be able to make all the hearings, you can still influence the fate of this legislation by contacting your legislators, as well as the chairs of the committees and Governor Walker.
Lake St. Croix Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Report Available for Public Comment in Wisconsin
The Lake St. Croix Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report is now available for public comment in Wisconsin. The St. Croix Basin Water Resources Planning Team has been involved in goal setting and TMDL development over the past several years. This group includes state, local and federal agencies and partners from both Wisconsin and Minnesota. The TMDL covers loadings and reduction goals by sub-watershed for each state, as well as point source limits for all dischargers with specific permits. The overall goal is to reduce the inputs of phosphorus by 20% (100 metric tons) and return Lake St. Croix (the lower 25 miles of the river) to pre-1940's conditions. After accounting for natural background levels, this will require a net decrease of about 35 to 40% from point and non-point sources.
Mews Release: Public meetings set on effort to restore health of St. Croix River
Report and More Information: Draft October 2011
Wisconsin DNR will be holding two public hearings on the TMDL. The public informational meetings will be held on Tuesday, January 31 at these locations and times:
- Siren: 10 a.m. Room 165 on the first floor of the Burnett County Government Center, 7410 County Road K.
- Hudson: 7 p.m. in the Community Room, lower level of the St. Croix County Government Center, 1101 Carmichael Road.
DNR staff will be available for informal questions 30 minutes before the scheduled hearings and for a short interval immediately following.
In Memory of Bruce Meyers
Bruce Meyers, age 76, of Hayward, WI and formerly of Macomb, IL passed away on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at Country Terrace Assisted Living. He was the former webmaster for the Sawyer County Lakes Forum. Bruce asked to have a memorial service for him sometime in the Spring. When plans are made, we will update this posting.
New Grants Awarded
Good news! Sawyer County did very well in the last round of AIS grants from the Wisconsin DNR! The Sawyer County AIS program was funded along with other lake association proposals. Total funding for the county: $352,071.50. The awards list can be downloaded here (Excel File) or here (PDF File) for your information.
Board Members Elected at the Fall meeting
The Sawyer County Lakes Forum elected board members at the Fall Meeting Saturday morning, September 17th, at the Comfort Suites in Hayward.
Elected for two-year terms were:
- Chris Jeffords
- Dan tyrolt
- Al Reinemann
- Peter Howe
- Martin Hanson
- No nominations recieved
Elected for one-year terms were:
- Bill Czeskleba
- Waldo Asp
Continuing on the board are:
- Mary Ann Churchill
- Phil Nies
- Paul Schwister
- Jim Genrich
DNR Boat Landing Signs Available
DNR boat landing signs that inlcude the message, "Prevent the spread of invasive species..." are available for public boat landings and private landings that have high use. The signs are FREE. Sawyer County installed 70 signs last summer at public landings. Private landings such as resorts, marinas, and resturants would be other logical sites. To request a sign, contact Kristy Maki by phone at 715.634.6463 or by email at invasives@sawyercountygov.org
Namekagon River Partnership
A newly formed citizen-volunteer river organization in northwest Wisconsin, , Namekogon River Partnership, is working to celebrate and conserve this national treasure. The steering group is currently working to formally define and set-up the organization. The group aspires to be a positive and proactive voice of the river, and to increase the visibility of the river and its history to local residents. Their plan is to monitor water quality and study the river’s cold/cool water. A meeting will be held in Seeley at the Sawmill Saloon on Thursday, September 22nd at 7pm to announce the organization, answer questions, and listen to comments and suggestions. The new organization has a website: Namekogon River Partnership (http://namekagon.org
Aerial Photos of Your Favorite Sawyer and Bayfield County Lakes Now Available
High Resolution Aerial Photos of Bayfield County Lakes and Sawyer County Lakes are now available for purchase. Support BCLF's and SCLF's work PLUS you can benefit your own lake association by ordering these great prints! More aerial photos of Bayfield and Sawyer County Lakes coming soon. Click here for more information.
New 2011 Sawyer County Lakes Forum Newsletter
The Sawyer County Lakes Forum has copies of this 12 page newsletter that will be distributed free to all member lake associations in the county. There are many articles that concern shoreline homeowners, about how to keep the waters of our lakes and rivers clean and how to protect the wildlife around us. Photos of all of our county lakes are available for purchase. Time sensitive information is included about the SCLF Spring meeting on May 14th and the Northwest Lakes Conference on June 24th.
If your lake association would like these FREE newsletters please contact Mary Ann Churchill at 715-462-9140 or at machu@centurytel.net with the number of copies that you need.
New Sawyer County Zoning Shoreland-Wetland Protection Ordinance Moving Forward
We recently received the following information from Sawyer County Zoning and Conservation:
"Right now we are in the stages of having the Zoning and Conservation (ZAC) Committee review the proposed ordinance. After their “thoughts” we need to have a class II publication of a public hearing ordinance for 2 consecutive weeks in the “official” newspaper. Notice must be send to the town clerks 10 days prior to this hearing. After that it will go back to ZAC where they will then need to send to County Board (towns do not have approval authority). Then publication of a Class I notice for effective date of ordinance."
New Sawyer County Zoning Shoreland-Wetland Protection Ordinance
A citizens committee was formed by the Sawyer County Lakes Forum (SCLF) to provide to the County a proposed ordinance to comply with NR 115.
Copy of SCLF Letter to Sawyer County Zoning and Conservation Committee
Lake Connection Electronically
Extend the Lake Connection to all your group's members!
Is your lake association or lake district a member of the Wisconsin Association of Lakes?
Want all of your members to receive The Lake Connection electronically?
Just like other non-profit organizations, the Wisconsin Association of Lakes (WAL) has been challenged by the current economy. By participating in our electronic delivery program you will help our organization increase its efficiency and remain nimble as we focus on effectively advocating for Wisconsin's 15,000 lakes.
WAL has extended electronic delivery of The Lake Connection to all contacts of our member lake groups!
Send full contact information for your members--name, address, city, state, zip, and of course e-mail address--to publications@wisconsinlakes.org. Be sure to include the name of your lake group on your list!
