The Sawyer County Land, Water and Forest Resources Committee discussed a proposed two-year groundwater mapping project and approved a shoreline alteration permit to rehabilitate the Nelson Lake boat landing; the committee tabled discussion of a proposed conservation easement to the Wisconsin DNR for further information.

Amy Wiersma of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey presented a two-year groundwater mapping proposal for Sawyer County, timed to coincide with the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) mapping to reduce costs. The project would identify aquifers, runoff directions, soil permeability and recharge rates and could support wetland management, landfill oversight and drinking-water protection. The estimated cost presented to the committee was $106,000; the committee member said the conservation/zoning staff would seek CIP funding in a future budget request. Committee notes compared that figure to Burnett County, which paid $250,000 for similar mapping.

On Nelson Lake, the committee approved a shoreline-alteration permit and a county-assisted regrading of the road to the Lenrick boat landing to improve access; staff said the town of Lenrick approved the project and county forest and zoning staff had no objections. The motion to approve carried without negative vote.

The committee also heard a presentation by representatives of Aurora Sustainable Lands, the Nature Conservancy and the Wisconsin DNR on a proposed conservation easement and federal legacy-funding application for Aurora-owned lands in southern Sawyer County (towns of Draper and Winter). Committee members asked questions about timber management, carbon credits, access roads, public use, town access to gravel and comprehensive-plan compatibility. With “a lot of unanswered questions,” the committee moved to table further action on the conservation-easement support request.

Committee members discussed motorized trail updates, timber sales (13 active sales, roughly $5 million in sold and uncut timber) and a boat-landing request that required county highway assistance. Committee minutes record other items including mapping, aquatic-plant training, and concerns about Whitefish Lake water levels and their impacts on shoreline owners.

No final county funding decision on groundwater mapping was recorded at this meeting; zoning staff said they planned to include a mapping request as a CIP item for the department budget.