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Sawyer County committee reviews draft 2027–2036 land and water plan, approves notification and schedules public hearing
Summary
The Land, Water and Forest Resources Committee reviewed the draft 10-year update to Sawyer County’s Land and Water Resource Management Plan, heard public comment, approved a notification form to state review and set a public hearing for next month.
The Sawyer County Land, Water and Forest Resources Committee on Tuesday reviewed a draft update of the county’s 2027–2036 Land and Water Resource Management Plan, heard public comment and approved a notification form to state reviewers while scheduling a public hearing for next month.
The draft plan, presented by county conservation staff, outlines priorities including nutrient management on farms, shoreline protection and invasive species control. Committee members agreed to notify the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and other state reviewers that the committee has received the plan and to hold a public hearing next month for additional comment before submitting a draft to state reviewers for further input.
The plan is required under Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 92 and makes the county eligible for cost-share grant funding and staffing support tied to the plan. Presenters said the draft lists primary goals to reduce agricultural nonpoint pollution, protect and restore natural shorelines, and control and monitor invasive species. Secondary goals include reducing soil erosion from private forest roads and expanding outreach to private forest landowners. The department also proposed adding a native-plant sale to complement the long-running tree sale.
Linda Zillmer, identified as a village of Birchwood resident and fourth-generation Edgewater property owner, urged the committee to ensure the plan and public hearing process are accessible and to consider adding more groundwater and stormwater material. “Please consider the information that is applicable that the public would like to see incorporated into this plan for the next 10 years,” Zillmer said.
Conservation staff summarized accomplishments from the past five years that the plan will highlight: one agricultural cost-share project and 11 streambank or shoreline protection projects, totaling 1,867 linear feet of shoreline protection from cost-share projects; total project costs of $176,123 with $89,540 in county cost-share over that period; and a 30-year annual tree sale that the department moved online to improve efficiency and outreach. Staff noted demand for cost-shared shoreline projects exceeds annual funding and cited delays to some winter-era shoreline projects because lake ice has been insufficient to transport heavy materials.
Committee members asked about linking a separate, planned groundwater study to the plan. County staff said the groundwater study is budgeted for 2026 and would be incorporated into future updates or the five-year review when results are available. The committee also reviewed a required questionnaire and an “implementation/notification” form that must be submitted to state reviewers.
Action: the committee voted to approve the Land Conservation Committee notification form and to set a public hearing for the draft plan next month. The motion passed with committee members present voting in favor.
The department said it will collect public comments at the hearing and then submit a draft to state reviewers (DATCP and related reviewers) before final submittal to the county and the Land and Water Conservation Board.
