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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUnapproved MINUTES_FEBRUARY 27_2012GRANT COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING February 27, 2012 9:00 a.m. Ag Services Building Lancaster, Wisconsin The meeting was called to order by Chairman Vince Loeffelholz at 9:00 a.m. Present in addition to the Chairman were, Mark Stead, Lester Jantzen, Marvin Kettler and Don Splinter. Others present were, Dan Goltz, Greg Cerven, Melissa Bartz, Lynda Schweikert, Kevin Lange, and Annette Lolwing. Grant Loy – Absent. Steve Adrian arrived at 10:32 am. Certification of Open Meeting Law: Annette Lolwing Annette Lolwing sent the agenda to Karla Schwantes to post in the Administration Building and at the Courthouse, also sent agenda to Bob Middendorf, WGLR, and was posted in the front of the Ag Services Building. Media notices were sent to Karla Schwantes, Herald Independent, Tri County Press, and the Platteville Journal. Motion by Mark Stead, seconded by Lester Jantzen to approve the Agenda as written. Motion carried. Wildlife Damage Abatement Claims Appeals: Jim Collins, Arnold Cuchna, and Dennis Haas are appealing the denial of their wildlife damage abatement claim. Lynda handed out packets containing a Wildlife Damage Abatement Claims Program Exemption Checklist, a farm map, hunting logs/documentation, and a list of interested hunters. Each of the 3 producers were given 15 to 20 minutes to plead their case as to why they were not able to meet their 80% deer harvest objective by September 15, 2011. Jim Collins’s 80% harvest objective was 20, actual number shot was 3, harvest objective was 25, and actual deer shot was 3. Jim stated that the deer were unavailable to be shot. Arnold and Mary Cuchna’s 80% harvest objective was 4, actual number shot was 0, total harvest objective was 5, and actual deer shot was 3. Arnold’s hunting log provided very few hunters and not much hunter time and effort involved. Cuchna’s did not call any individuals on our hunter list for any assistance. Dennis Haas’s 80% harvest objective was 16, actual number shot was 12, total harvest objective was 20, and actual deer shot was 35. Dennis Haas has had William Dennis Redfearn help him with getting the deer shot to meet his quota. Dennis brought William Dennis Redfearn with him to confirm that they both thought that they had met the quota. Dennis Haas did provide a hunting log, along with Dennis Redfearn who also provided the dates, and how many deer that he had shot. Dennis Redfearn did mention that he had registered some deer in Hollandale at a farm and that Greg Goltz may not have received those deer registration stubs. Motion by Don Splinter, seconded by Lester Jantzen to go into closed session pursuant to s. 19.85 (1) (a), WI Statutes, for the purpose of deliberating the Wildlife Damage Abatement and Claims Appeals. Roll call: 5 Yes, 0 No, 2 Absent. Motion carried. Motion by Mark Stead, seconded by Lester Jantzen to reconvene back into open session at 10:30 a.m. to take up the remaining agenda items. Motion carried. Approval/Denials of Wildlife Damage Abatement & Claims Motion by Mark Stead, seconded by Don Splinter to grant Dennis Haas his appeal and that payment is made on his claim. Motion carried. Committee unanimously agreed to stay with the denial of the wildlife damage claims for Jim Collins, and Arnold Cuchna’s wildlife damage appeal. Greg Cerven, again, thanked the committee for putting their time into the appeals process and for treating the landowners fairly. Motion by Lester Jantzen, seconded by Marvin Kettler to approve the February 7, 2012 minutes. Motion carried. Bills: Annette Lolwing Motion by Steve Adrian, seconded by Mark Stead to approve the February bills. Motion carried. County Board Chairman Report: John Patcle John reported that at the County Board meeting last week they heard about the 52 building study. The Administrative committee has not met on this yet. County and SWRM Cost Sharing Approval: Lynda Schweikert Lynda reported that John Shea, Lima Twp. had a manure storage facility designed and installed by a private engineer. Motion by Mark Stead, seconded by Don Splinter to approve payment of the 2011 county cost sharing of $3,500.00 and 2011 DATCP cost sharing of $7,000.00, totaling $10,500.00. Roll Call: 6 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent. Motion carried. Lynda reported that we still don’t have a contract for allocating DATCP funds. $60,931 was tentatively approved in the SWRM Grant. The $78,000 County Cost Share money plus the $60,000 DATCP Cost Share money gives us approximately $138,000 in cost sharing for 2012. May possibly spend approximately $80,000 to $90,000 to piggyback the EQIP projects that got approved to bring them up to a higher percentage of cost sharing. Riprap is the next practice on the list to cost share. The EQIP cost sharing for riprap has decreased. Landowners would be more willing to sign an EQIP contract if they were able to receive DATCP and County cost sharing as well. There was discussion if the committee is willing to prioritize EQIP funded riprap projects with piggybacking? Lester Jantzen abstained from this discussion and Steve Adrian opposed of adding additional county and DATCP cost sharing to EQIP riprap cost sharing projects. Lynda reported that the WLWCA dues are $1,369.54, an increase of $4.81 from 2011. Motion by Don Splinter, seconded by Marvin Kettler to approve payment of the dues and not to donate $50.00 to the WI Environthon. Motion carried. Lynda reported that she met with Matt Krueger, River Alliance and Don Barette, RC&D Invasive Species Coordinator to discuss the status of invasive species in Grant Count. Don Barette was hired to do a base line inventory of the acquatic invasive species in the streams. Don found a terrestrial invasive species called Japanese Hops that grows on the stream banks. Japanese Hops has also been found in road ditches in Northern Grant County. Grant County will not be able to eradicate the Japanese Hops; however, they will be able to learn from Grant County so it doesn’t spread from Grant County into other counties. Richland Center has a pilot project on how to control Japanese Knotweed. Lynda reported that the Annual Report will be out March 1st. FPP Report: Kevin Lange Kevin reported that he has 3 Cancellations of Notices of NonCompliance. These 3 individuals were initially found out of compliance as they failed to provide us with a Nutrient Management Plan, in the allotted time they have now provided us with one; Wayne & Jacqueline Dieter, Platteville Twp., Robert Collins, Mt. Ida Twp., and Carolyn White, Mt. Hope and Mt. Ida Twp. Motion by Mark Stead, seconded by Lester Jantzen to accept the 3 Cancellations of Notices of NonCompliance. Motion carried. Lynda reported on the FPP annual report. In 2011 there were 155 people spot checked; 46 of them were found 100 % in compliance with the performance standards, 90 are working toward compliance with a nutrient management plan, 1 has an agreement, and 19 were found non compliant. Currently there are 745 people on the FPP list; 149 of them are out of compliant which leaves us with 596 active participants left on our list. There have been 346 people that have been spot checked since 2008; 157 (46.44%) are 100% in compliance, 91 (12.21%) are working towards compliance, 8 (1.07%) with agreements, and 91 (12.21%) are non compliant. We have until 2015 to spot check everyone. Kevin reported that February 17th was the last day to order trees. There were 119 orders, selling 9,500 trees. In 2011 there were 115 orders, selling 8,300 trees. Kevin reported that he has been getting some postcards back from the churches requesting litanies, and from schools requesting Arbor Day trees, and Arbor Day activity books. Kevin reported that on Wednesday through Friday; he, Lynda and Annette will be leaving for the WALCE Conference in Eau Claire. NRCS Report: Melissa Bartz Melissa reported on the review of last year of what numbers that was spent in the county: EQIP; $555,000, WHIP; $0.00, and CSP; $150,000 on contracts. Melissa reported that currently they are writing EQIP contracts. In the cropland pool there were 19 people funded with $189,000, in the pasture pool there were 5 people funded with $100,000, still waiting to hear from the area pools, and in the forestry pool there were 7 people, 4 people in the farmstead pool for manure storage, and 2 people for beginning farmers for installing riprap. Melissa reported that they have 10 new CSP applicants and will all be in within the next couple of weeks to do interviews and to go through questionnaires to try to develop a contract. Melissa went to the Cuba City High School on February 23rd and talked with 15-20 students about careers with NRCS. Melissa reported that Patti will be in the office on March 7th if anyone wishes to talk with her. Melissa announced that she will be having her 3rd child in August and will be off for 3 months. There will be an acting DC during that time. FSA Report: Jared Reuter Jared reported that the FSA is getting a new employee; Nancy Fink, who lives in Darlington, and is from the Green County FSA office in Monroe. Nancy will be working on facility loans, such as putting up grain bins, and she will be training to be a farm loan technician/program technician assistant. FSA is still 1.2 people under staffed. Jared reported that there is a CRP program called “TIP” Transition Incentive Program. If you have CRP land that is going to expire; and your intent is to go back into ag production, this program will pay you for an additional 2 years of CRP rental payments if you rent the land out to a beginning farmer or a socially disadvantage farmer. FSA was notified today that the program ran out of money. Jared reported that there will be a general CRP sign up starting on March 12th through April 6th. 173 CRP contracts are to expire and those landowners should have received a letter to give them the option to re-enroll those acres. During the last sign up there were 100 contracts that were to expire; 65% were reenrolled plus some new land for 82 offers, and 78 offers were accepted. As of now there is a 32 million acre cap. National Office would like to reduce the cap to 25 to 30 million acre cap. Jared presented a powerpoint presentation on CRP and CREP. The CRP was started in 1985 for the purpose of controlling the over production of commodity crops. As of now, CRP is utilized more for wildlife and for water quality. The CREP started in 2001. Jared mentioned that the milk program may be coming back, won’t know until February if there is a milk rate for the dairy producers. Will not know until April 1st if there will be a milk payment for February. Jared also mentioned that the crop reporting season is just around the corner. Motion by Mark Stead, seconded by Lester Jantzen to adjourn until April 03, 2012. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted by Annette Lolwing for Grant Loy