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Committee advances comprehensive plan work and considers climate-focused outreach and education
Summary
Ashland County planning committee work is ongoing with Northwest Regional Planning Commission engagement; committee discussed public outreach, national poster contest timing, NIACS materials and using tree-sale and workshops to raise visibility for the comprehensive plan and climate adaptation guidance.
Committee members and staff updated the Land Conservation Committee on the county's comprehensive plan process and discussed outreach options to raise public awareness and gather input.
Mary Jo said the county hired the Northwest Regional Planning Commission to handle data updates for the comprehensive plan; the planning committee has been meeting and divided into working groups to draft sections. The farmland preservation update is being coordinated alongside the county comprehensive plan and staff are meeting monthly.
Members discussed tactics to broaden public engagement. Suggestions included aligning outreach with the annual conservation poster contest, which is set at the federal level by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and adopted by state associations, and therefore typically follows a national theme. The committee agreed staff could inquire whether the theme-setting process can accept local input but noted the theme is usually set at the federal level.
Several committee members suggested using materials from the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) for tree-sale handouts and public workshops. George Boussay and others recommended distributing a one-page NIACS adaptation handout with tree-sale orders and linking NIACS resources on the county website. Staff said they already include some NIACS links on the county climate-change page and that a concise one-page handout would be practical for tree-sale purchasers; the full NIACS guide is more technical and aimed at resource managers.
Committee members also discussed holding public presentations or workshops (including multi-week NIACS adaptation workshops) and exploring co-sponsorships with UW Cooperative Extension, Northland College partners, and the Lake Superior regional collaborative to increase attendance. Pat Kinney suggested offering continuing-education credit for teachers and government employees to attract attendees. The committee agreed that scheduling adaptation presentations during already planned comprehensive-plan public meetings would both educate residents and solicit input that directly informs the plan.
The county will continue consultant contracting and outreach planning; members agreed to explore NIACS materials for tree-sale handouts and to coordinate with partners and Monty Osterman (Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association contact) to explore influence on the NACD poster theme.
