Adams County Land & Water reports $300,000 in conservation work; committee approves 2026 plan after questions on testing and replanting

The Adams County Land & Water Committee accepted its 2025 annual report and approved a 2026 work plan Wednesday after residents pressed staff for clearer information about soil and water testing and reforestation after timber harvests.

Colton, a county Land & Water staff member, told the committee the department "technically advise[d], facilitate[d], or assist[ed] landowners in implementing over $300,000 in conservation practices to to protect our surface and groundwater in Adams County in 2025." He said the department was fully successful in receiving grant requests in 2025 and expects roughly $58,000 more in a staffing grant in 2026; Colton added that approximately 54% of wages were grant‑funded in 2025 and that figure will rise to about 75% in 2026. He also warned that dam repairs were the largest departmental expense in 2025.

The annual report drew extended public and committee questioning about nutrient management and monitoring. Supervisor Panaszovsky asked whether soil nitrogen and hazardous‑chemical sampling have been taken as a baseline for newly established watersheds and whether testing is performed before and after large rain events to measure runoff. "We just wanna see that these soils … have they been tested?" the supervisor said, urging public access to any collected test results.

Heather, identified in the meeting as a staff member involved with monitoring, said historical stream‑bank sampling methods and many monitoring station results are available through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website. She said some soil testing is part of nutrient management compliance and typically occurs every two to four years; larger confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) file more frequent manure testing and spreading plans with the DNR and that some DNR monitoring stations publish publicly accessible data.

On the work plan, Colton outlined plans derived from the county's comprehensive land‑use plan that include discussions with townships about recreational trails, possible DNR "dozer hours" to help construct or maintain trails at no cost to the county, and scheduled timber harvests on county forest land. The plan covers the county's roughly 738 acres of managed forest where staff will monitor for natural regeneration after harvests and decide in subsequent work plans whether to plant.

Supervisor Panaszovsky and other members urged more explicit replanting targets and asked for clarity about who pays for windbreaks and plantings. Colton said the 2026 plan is focused on county‑owned forest inventory and that replanting policies and decisions will be addressed in future plans if natural regeneration falls short. "If it's not [regenerating], then where do we go from there? Do we plant, or do we go a different direction?" he said.

The committee approved both documents by voice vote. The annual report was approved following a motion by Supervisor Kombarski and second by Supervisor Morgan; one vote opposed and the record noted Supervisor Posdolski voting nay. The 2026 work plan was moved by Member Paler, seconded by Supervisor Kabarski, and approved with a nay noted by Supervisor Posdolski.

Colton also updated the committee on a separate county forest land acquisition: the county had applied for a Knowles‑Nelson stewardship grant and a DNR county forest loan for a 680‑acre parcel but withdrew after the landowner sold about 380 acres during the appraisal process and the county could not meet DNR deadlines.

The committee did not set new replanting targets at the meeting; members directed staff to bring future work‑plan updates that clarify post‑harvest reforestation options and any proposed cost‑sharing for windbreaks or plantings.