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Ashland County Land and Water presents 2024 annual report highlighting conservation projects and grants
Summary
The department reported grant funding, natural flood‑management projects, nutrient management uptake covering 2,300 acres for one large plan, aquatic invasive species work and staff transitions; committee praised project outcomes and authorized continued staffing and grant pursuit.
Ashland County’s Land and Water Conservation Department on Thursday summarized 2024 activity, citing more than $472,000 in competitive grants and $144,000 in recurring state support, several natural flood‑management projects that reduced sediment and nutrient loads, and an expansion of nutrient management planning on thousands of acres.
The department told the Land Conservation Committee that staff installed conservation practices, restored wetlands, secured state grants for on‑the‑ground work and supported outreach programs such as a longstanding tree and shrub sale and aquatic invasive species prevention.
Mary Jo Gingress, the department director, presented the annual report and described funding and program highlights. She said the department received state noncompetitive staffing and cost‑share funds through the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and $237,000 in other grants used for conservation implementation and education. “These are the types of things that the staff is implementing in Ashland County,” she said of the natural flood management projects.
Seth Hackbarth, civil engineering technician, described a large natural flood‑management project that restored 10 acres of wetland, stabilized 868 linear feet of channel bed, and protected 51 acres of agricultural land. Modelled annual reductions from that site included about 93 tons of sediment, more than 400 pounds of nitrogen and about 45 pounds of phosphorus, Gingress said; the project carried over $86,000 in state grant funding.
Matt Bolin, agricultural technician, told the committee the department wrote several nutrient management plans in 2024 and early 2025. One new 2025 plan covered approximately 2,300 acres across Ashland and Bayfield counties and resulted from months of sampling and planning. Bolin said the plans help farmers manage manure and phosphorus, and the county offers a $40 per‑acre incentive for plan development. “A lot of the farmers have really caught on to that,” Bolin said, noting 11 producers and about 8,300 acres were covered by plans last year.
The report covered other programs: the Clean Boats Clean Waters inspections, early detection monitoring for aquatic invasive species, a tree and shrub sale that distributed roughly 4,000 trees to 75 landowners, and an adopt‑a‑highway trash pickup. The department also summarized wildlife damage claims for 2024: $21,533 paid to enrolled producers, 28 bears relocated and 43 deer harvested, and it reported significant elk and bear damage on some fields.
Department staff outlined budget and staffing matters. Gingress said county match and state allocations are constrained: she noted that statewide base funding for county land conservation staffing has declined since 2006 and that Wisconsin Land and Water is requesting increased biennial funding. The department also announced that Matt Bolin plans to leave later this month for a University of Wisconsin‑Madison nutrient‑management outreach position. Gingress said the county would post to refill the agriculture technician position.
The nut graf: The annual report emphasized on‑the‑ground conservation, grant‑funded projects, growing adoption of nutrient management, and active aquatic invasive species and public‑education programs; committee members praised the work and asked staff to continue seeking grants to sustain projects and staffing.
Committee members noted successes and implementation challenges. Members highlighted voluntary adoption of cover crops and waterway establishment, the department’s use of drone imagery for damage appraisals, and the need to continue outreach and enforcement coordination where agricultural practice meets right‑of‑way and ditch management.
Ending: The committee accepted the report, thanked staff for grant successes and project delivery, and directed staff to continue pursuing planned grants (including a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative application and a federal culvert‑improvement grant) and to post the open agriculture technician position.
