Sawyer County committee pauses on 26,000‑acre Headwaters Forest Legacy application

A Sawyer County Forestry, Parks and Recreation Committee meeting on July 15 heard detailed briefings on a proposed Headwaters Forest Legacy easement and then voted 3–2 to take no action on the request at this time.

Representatives from the conservation community and the state described plans to apply this fall for the Federal Forest Legacy Program to place conservation easements on a large private holding that proponents say spans parts of Sawyer, Price and Bayfield counties. Matt Dolman, who presented the packet the state uses for legacy applications, said the group expects to submit the grant application in September and that the projects would be reviewed by a national panel in November.

The application process would, if funded, require a roughly 25% nonfederal match, Dolman said. He described the proposal as voluntary on the landowner’s part and said easements would be written to preserve timber production and recreational access while preventing parcelization that can limit public access and timber infrastructure.

“It's a private voluntary program,” Dolman said. “The landowner is choosing to set the direction in this land for timber and recreation so that they can not worry about it.”

State legacy program lead Ron Grama told the committee the Forest Legacy grants are funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and that the state would hold and oversee easements if the federal grant is awarded. Grama said the state’s role after an easement is recorded is oversight, periodic inspections, monitoring and enforcement of easement terms.

County staff and committee members pressed presenters on ownership and likely future management. Committee members raised concerns that the current owner, referenced in the meeting as Aurora (an investment timber management organization that divides holdings into separate funds), has changed hands multiple times in recent decades. Greg, a county forestry staff member, told the committee the property has only about 2,600 acres of mature timber out of about 26,000 acres and that past ownership changes have led to different management approaches.

Dolman and Grama said the project area includes significant timber and recreation values. Dolman cited figures prepared for the application indicating roughly $385 million of timber‑related economic value and roughly $151 million tied to recreational access (figures were presented by the project team as part of their application materials). He also said the tract contains roughly 38 miles of river and stream frontage and that his team estimated about 23 billion gallons of water annually filter through the property into trout waters and downstream systems.

Opponents and skeptical committee members said details remained fuzzy, including title and who ultimately controls parcels and program revenue. Several supervisors said they supported the concept of maintaining intact forest landscapes but were not comfortable committing support at this time. One committee member moved “no action at this time” and the motion passed 3–2.

The committee did not direct staff to endorse the application; presenters said they would continue title work and would return with additional detail if the grant advances. Grama said that even if the federal grant is awarded, the state requires title and other verifications before an easement is accepted and recorded.

The committee’s vote leaves the application without local committee endorsement for now; presenters said they will continue to work with county staff, run title searches and return with more information if needed.

The item will return to the committee if the project team seeks formal county support or if the federal review yields a fundable ranking.