Pelican River Forest Uncertainty
Real objective lost when politics raises its ugly head.
By Tom Wiensch May 3, 2023-Near Rhinelander Wisconsin is a 70,000 acre tract of land known as The Pelican Forest. Until recently, this privately owned parcel had no protection against risky development projects. Recently, the State of Wisconsin purchased from the owner a conservation easement. Unfortunately, that easement (Phase I) only protects less than half of the land.
The unprotected part of the land amounts to about 55,000 acres near the headwaters of the Wolf and Pelican Rivers. In recent years, a foreign mining company has conducted exploratory drilling on that unprotected land. More recently, another foreign mining company has announced plans to explore for minerals on a nearby parcel.
People around the State are working hard to see that the State buys a conservation easement on the remaining land (Phase II.) The easement would protect the land as harvestable forest land, and would allow public access to many miles of logging roads for outdoor recreation.
You can help support the easement by adding your name to the list of proponents and by sending letters to elected officials. Both things can be easily done at this website: https://pelicanriver.org/
What’s at stake if this land ends up with a mine rather than an easement? In a few words, clean water, Native American heritage, wildlife, sustainable forestry and recreation.
The Wolf arises near the Village of Hiles in Forest County Wisconsin. It eventually flows into Lake Butte des Morts, where it reaches the Fox River which flows into Lake Michigan.
The upper river flows through the lands and former lands of The Menominee Indian Tribe, the Forest County Potawatomi, and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. Each of these three sovereign nations have worked hard to protect the sacred water resources of the area. For example, the Forest County Potawatomi expended a tremendous amount of community resources purchasing land where a sulfide mine was proposed.
The Wolf River is one of the most beautiful and beloved recreational rivers in Wisconsin. The Upper River has long been popular with trout and bass fishermen and whitewater enthusiasts. The river is known for brook, brown and rainbow trout, as well as smallmouth bass. The lower river is equally famous for its spring run of walleyes and a recovering run of sturgeon.
Although not as famous as the Wolf River, the Pelican River also represents a remarkable resource. With two forks beginning in the Moens Lake Chain and Pelican Lake, the Pelican flows to the Wisconsin River in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Recreationally, this beautiful river offers opportunities for canoeing and kayaking, as well as fishing opportunities.
Much of the Pelican River Forest sits on the Lake Michigan/Mississippi River sub-continental divide. The forest contains thousands of acres of precious wetlands that provide habitat for most of the species of large mammals and many of the species birds that live in Northern Wisconsin. Among these animals is the moose. Perhaps once extirpated from Wisconsin, this animal now exists in small numbers in the state. One of the relative strongholds of the moose in Wisconsin is the Pelican River Forest. In recent years there have been numbers of moose sightings in the area and even in the City of Rhinelander.
In addition to being located between two important rivers, the Pelican River Forest is also located between the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest and the Oneida County Forest. Protecting this land, which will continue to be privately owned, will create a wildlife habitat link between these two governmentally owned forests.
Protecting the Pelican River Forest will protect the sacred lands and waters of the original residents of Northern Wisconsin, an immense amount of wildlife habitat, and expand the recreational opportunities offered by the forest and rivers.
We are at a tipping point. There will almost certainly never be another chance to protect such a large block of forest land in Wisconsin. If the easement is purchased, there may well soon be a sulfide mine located on the divide between two great rivers. The choice is ours – Clean waters and multiple use forest? Or sulfide mine? Let’s choose wisely.
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Momentum grows for Pelican River Forest
City of Rhinelander and town of Lake Tomahawk join Shoepke and Pelican in support of PRF project.
By Eric Rempala April 24, 2023- Despite Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee (JFC) rejecting Knowles Nelson funding for the Pelican River Forest (PRF) Joint Finance Committee discusses the Pelican River Forest project process during meeting to deny funding | WXPR , the city of Rhinelander and the town of Lake Tomahawk have passed resolutions in favor of the proposed project. They join the towns of Schoepke and Pelican in support of the project and the easements that protect sustainable forestry and public access.
End of Pelican River Forest? Not so fast! There are several ways the project may still be financed. Not the least of which would be the residents and towns of Oneida County showing enough support to dispel the JFC's initial assumption that the county is in opposition to the project. The question now becomes how does Oneida County go about changing that perception. The answer to that question is towns considering the facts of the project and making their own decisions as to whether they should support it by way of a resolution. OCCWA has long supported towns passing resolutions based on their residents' positions. Yes, resolutions are non-binding, but they are an effective way for towns to inform the county and the state of where they stand. Resolutions have gained even more importance now, as the Oneida County Board recently has voted to restrict public comments by way of Zoom participation for county meetings.
We at OCCWA have been working with Friends of the Pelican River Forest to share information about this project. Currently there is much disinformation being circulated, and we hope that with a clearer picture, towns will be able to form their own positions. We have visited multiple towns already, and plan on continuing that process with any town who would like to have us out as an agenda item. Residents and towns can contact us through our contact page at Oneida County Clean Waters Action - Home (occwa.org) to schedule a presentation.
Most recent WXPR coverage 4/28/23
More WXPR coverage below.
Also, you may page down on this home page for previous articles and updates on this subject.
Forest or Open Pit Mine?
Exactly what type of development are our legislators talking about?
By Kathleen Cooper April 25, 2023- On April 18, 2023, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee voted to kill funding for the largest land conservation project in Wisconsin history. This is heartbreaking, especially since it was done during the week of Earth Day. In spite of this vote, hope is not lost. There are many people working earnestly to keep this purchase alive.
The vote was not surprising. Mary Felzkowski stated during a “listening session” in Rhinelander that she was not changing her mind about the acquisition of conservation easements in the Pelican River Forest. These easements will protect nearly 70,000 acres of working forest in Oneida, Forest, and Langlade Counties. It is at the headwaters of the Wolf and Pelican Rivers, and straddles the mid continental divide between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Watersheds. This acquisition conserves our forest habitat and drinking water, maintains our robust forestry and tourism industries, and preserves this land for recreation, with ATV/UTV trails, snowmobile trails, hiking, biking, and snowshoeing trails as well as hunting opportunities. It will preserve this forest and these waterways for our children and grandchildren for perpetuity with money from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Federal Forest Legacy Program, and the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
Senator Felzkowski incorrectly asserted that this purchase would take land off of the tax rolls. The land is privately owned, and taxed. She also used fear tactics to convince the public that this is a bad idea, stating that vital emergency services would be curtailed because of a false loss of local tax money. The truth is that local governments are tax starved because the state has lowered the amount of funding it provides for municipalities during Ms. Felzkowski’s tenure in the legislature.
Green Light Metals, a Canadian mining company, has mining interests on the land adjacent to the Pelican River Forest. On their website, Green Light Metals expresses their desire to make northern Wisconsin into a metallic sulfide mining district. The acquisition of the Pelican River Forest will reflect the results of the 2018 referendum, in which sulfide mining was defeated in Oneida County by 62%. Mary Felzkowski has been vocal about her support for sulfide strip mining in northern Wisconsin, in direct opposition of her constituents.
This isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats, it isn’t about liberals versus conservatives, it isn’t about tree hugging hippies versus hunters and outdoorsmen. It is about life - our lives, the lives of our neighbors, the wildlife, and the life of our beautiful forests. It is about the gift of our naturally clean air and water. It is about protection - protecting the forests, and in turn, protecting ourselves, our children, and grandchildren. Please let the legacy we leave behind be that of life and not destruction, nature instead of devastation, health instead of disease.
For more information, please contact pelicanriver.org. In addition, it is not too late to call or write to your state legislators regarding preservation of the Pelican River Forest
Provided here is a link to Green Light Metals presentation on changing the Northwoods to a mining District PowerPoint Presentation (greenlightmetals.com)
Pelican River Forest Committee Begins Work
As the PRF committee begins fact checking potential resolution, public support for forest continues.
Update March 17, 2023- Since the publishing of this article by Kathleen Cooper, a new resource for finding facts about Pelican River has been created. Friends of the Pelican River Forest is a website where you can gather information, see detailed maps, as well a consider avenues of support. Link provided below.
Friends of the Pelican River Forest
By Kathleen Cooper March 9, 2023-There has been much discussion concerning the acquisition of conservation easements in the Pelican River Forest. The Pelican River Forest is 68,000 acres of workable forest land. This is private property whose current owner is the Conservation Fund. This organization is partnering with the Wisconsin DNR to use funding from the state-based Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, federal Forest Legacy Program, and private funding via the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to secure an easement focused on public access and forest conservation. This will protect the state’s largest remaining unprotected private working forest. In other words, this is free money to secure conservation easements that directly benefit Oneida County residents by providing 68,000 acres of forestland that will always remain wild, and that will provide recreational opportunities for residents and tourists. It also will provide jobs in the forest products and tourism industry, and will protect our air, soil, and water, not only for us, but for our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. There are enough roads and trails through this tract of land to accommodate all kinds of activities: hunting, fishing, ATV/UTV, snowmobiling, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and the feelings of gratitude that come from living in such a beautiful place.
The discussion about the Pelican River Forest centers around an objection to the conservation easements made by senator Mary Felzkowski, and a resolution presented to the Oneida County Board objecting to the acquisition of these conservation easements by Oneida County Board supervisor Robert Briggs. Some of the objections voiced by Scott Holewinski, chairman of the Oneida County Board, at the Pelican River Forest Committee meeting on March 6, are as follows:
“These easements were pushed through with little or no input from affected towns:”
The Conservation Fund, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, and the other entities involved have been working on this acquisition for two years. It is a part of a two-phase program, phase one of which has already been completed. Two years ago, when the work started, all parties were notified, and there were also articles in the newspaper concerning the plan. Phase 1 (12,000 acres) easement was conveyed to the state DNR in March 2022. State DNR Natural Resources Board approved Phase 2 unanimously in November 2022. This is all public record. None of the affected towns have voiced any objection to any part of this except for Mr. Briggs (Monico) and Mr. Holewinski (Sugar Camp.) This stance does not seem to be popular among their constituents, who voiced overwhelming agreement to the conservation easements in a meeting at the Monico Town Hall on March 2, 2023. Is this perception of the lack of notification adequate grounds to turn down a once in a lifetime acquisition of this vast swath of land?
“There is no guarantee that the roads that run through this property will be used as ATV/UTV trails.”
The easements guarantee public access, and the private owners have reached out to ATV/UTV organizations, who wholeheartedly support this acquisition and object to the resolution presented by Mr. Briggs. The location of the ATV/UTV trails will be determined by the owner, the DNR, and the ATV/UTV clubs. This is necessary so that all the different types of outdoor recreation that will be done in this forest area can have a safe place, free from the disturbance of other types of outdoor activities. It is not to promise one thing and do another, which is what Mr. Holewinski is inferring. Careful planning is needed so that people who are on hiking trails are not run over or suffer other mishaps from poorly planned roads and trails.
“How much land is enough to be owned by the government?”
This is not government owned land, it is privately owned land, taxed land, that will hopefully have conservation easements for public access and the protection of the forest and wetlands.
Mr. Holewinski objected to the amount of Managed Forest Land (MFL) in Oneida County because the tax revenue to the townships involved is less with MFL than it is with private land not in MFL status. This is something that needs to be addressed at the state level, because it is the state that determines the tax rates for MFL. Also, there is a difference between MFL with public access, and therefore benefiting the public, and MFL that is closed to the public. Landowners who deny public access to their MFL land, in some cases, are the same residents who object to the conservation easement acquisition on the grounds that the MFL land in the Pelican River Forest will not be paying enough taxes. This is somewhat hypocritical, when THEIR private land, which is NOT open to the public, is also enjoying the reduced taxation rate. The fact that many property owners do not allow public access and still enjoy the MFL taxation rate has not been brought up in these discussions thus far.
Just because this publicly accessible land is taxed at the lower MFL rate doesn’t mean that it doesn’t earn its keep. It supports the forest industry, which is a major employer in Oneida County, and brings in money from the trees harvested. It also supports the tourism industry, which brings in revenue for the various towns in our county. There is also the intangible benefit of contributing to the health of our populace, with clean air, clean water, and natural beauty. You cannot put a price tag on that.
Residents of the Northwoods live here because of the natural beauty of this area. If we cut down our forests for development, our area will be just like any other - except with longer and colder winters. This is a pivotal time, one with the potential to change the future, either favorably or unfavorably, for our children. We are at a fork in the road, and it is up to us to decide whether to preserve our heritage, to preserve what makes our Northwoods outstanding and beautiful, or to give in to the pressures of the outside world and be just like any other place. When this beautiful land, with its forests, wetlands, lakes and rivers, is gone, it is gone forever. Please help us to preserve this magnificent forestland.
Kathleen Cooper is a 21 year resident of Oneida County, Pelican Township. She is a mother, grandmother, and retired RN, after a 43 year nursing career. She spends her time with family and friends, writing, and playing outside with her dog Gordy.
The Daily Cardinal, Pelican River Forest article link here.
Can Pelican River Forest Improve Development?
Would negotiated forest access and sustainable forestry improve neighboring town development?
By Dan Butkus March 10, 2023- Growing up, we would travel north to our place on Squash Lake by way of Monico on U.S. Highway 45. It wasn’t much of a town in the early 60’s. And sorry to say, nothing has really changed except for the reconstructed intersection of 8 and 45. No growth in 60 years. No development. No nothing. It’s still a place you pass through on your way to somewhere else. Like Sugar Camp, it’s not a destination.
In all the arguments back and forth over the Pelican River Forest easement controversy, I think the County and the Town of Monico have lost sight of what will be lost by advocating the status quo. The lands are and will be in Managed Forest Land. No change in tax base there. But without the easements, there are no ATV/UTV or snowmobile trails and no open, maintained, recreational roads. Senator Felzkowski says they can open them up now if they wanted. What’s the incentive to open up private lands? None. The owners are not obliged to open them without the assurances that come from easements. The Senator, County Chair Scott Holewinski (Sugar Camp) and County Supervisor Briggs (Monico) are angry because the DNR only gave the towns 30 days notice. Thirty (30) days might not be much time, but at least the state followed the law. When Senator Felzkowski objected to the project, her committee was required to schedule a hearing to discuss the grant. Nearly four months later, no hearing has been scheduled. Briggs and Holowenski, meanwhile, threw an epic temper tantrum. Those three have orchestrated a hostage situation: “Give us what we want, or no deal.” Well, news flash. They are not interested in negotiating. They just like bullying. To get their way, misinformation is being spread. And who loses? The Town of Monico.
The land is in new hands. It is still and will be a working forest with or without the easements. So for now, nothing changes. Status quo. Monico remains a place you pass through on your way to somewhere more interesting. But with the easements, there is the prospect of development. Monico could be a trailhead for ATV/UTV and snowmobiling. And that comes with all the support businesses and development geared toward outdoor activities. The easements ensure the lands are managed in a way that generates revenue from timber AND from recreation. The easements ensure the forest stays contiguous to support wildlife habitat that becomes threatened when large tracts are broken up. With proper planning around the Pelican River Forest, Monico could become an outdoor recreation destination with maintained recreational roads.
Here’s the choice. Keep the status quo because you’re having a tantrum, and Monico remains stuck in time in arrested development. It remains a place you have to pass through to get to somewhere else. Or look beyond your petty grievances, Ms. Felzkowski, Mr. Holewinski, and Mr. Briggs, and make this project happen.
Dan Butkus
Waunakee, WI and Property Owner – Town of Crescent
Towns Pass Resolutions In Favor of PRF Project
Towns of Schoepke and Pelican realize benefits of Pelican River Forest
By Eric Rempala April 11, 2023- Recently the towns of Schoepke and Pelican passed resolutions in favor of the Pelican River Forest (PRF) project. Both towns met with Clint Miller of The Conservation Fund and decided to support the PRF project and the easements that go along with it. Links to both resolutions provided below.
Schoepke Support Resolution.pdf (dropbox.com)
Town of Pelican Support Resolution March 2023.pdf (dropbox.com)
Below we are including a recent Letter to the Editor piece by a resident of the town of Pelican.
"Please support the purchase of the Pelican River Forest conservation easement by the State. The DNR Board has approved an easement purchase on about 70,000 acres of land in Oneida, Forest, and Langlade Counties which include the headwaters of the Wolf and Pelican Rivers. The easement is a fantastic opportunity for outdoor recreation and sustainable forestry. It will require future owners of the property to: have forestry management plans, allow public access to the land, allow access to about 70 miles of currently gated logging roads, and keep all current snowmobile trails open in the future. It will also prevent mining in a sensitive area where there has been recent mineral exploration. The State has already purchased an easement on about 20,000 acres of the land, but the purchase of the rest is being stalled by the Joint Finance Committee. Senator Mary Felzkowski, and reportedly, three other committee members are opposing the project. Federal Funds will cover 75% of the rest of the purchase price. To complete the purchase, the State will have to pay about four million dollars, which is available in the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. Please check the following site where you can support this project: www.pelicanriver.org"
Tom Wiensch Town of Pelican
Update April 14, 2023- The city of Rhinelander has joined the towns of Schoepke and Pelican in passing a resolution in favor of the Pelican River Forest. See link below.
Oneida County towns take stances on Pelican River Forest Project | WXPR
Call to Action
Immediate response needed to resolution challenging conservation and access easements.
Update: By Eric Rempala February 22, 2023
Oneida County Clean Waters Action attended the county board meeting on February 21st. The purpose of attending this meeting was to observe and report on the Robert Briggs Resolution Res-25-2023-Object-to-state-removing-future-taxable-land.pdf (oneida.wi.us) covered below in the February 17th Call to Action.
The estimated crowd attending the meeting in person and on zoom was 100. There were over 20 public comments, all of which were opposed to the proposed resolution. Not one public comment was given in support of the resolution.
The Conservation Funds Clint Miller along with Charles Carlin of Gathering Waters and Jim Lemke of the DNR presented information on the project that they have worked together to accomplish. Much of Mr. Carlins' presentation contested the accuracy of many of the statements in the resolution. Carlins' presentation cast plenty of doubt on the resolution's accuracy warranting more investigation. Here is a link to Gathering Waters' Resolution-25-2023 fact checks oneida-county-factual-errors-and-statements-out-of-context-final.pdf (brightspotcdn.com)
Senator Mary Felzkowski was on hand and presented to the County Board as well. Senator Felzkowski was in favor of the resolution directly opposing the public commenters.
There was much debate by the board after the comment and presentation period. Much of the debate was if a resolution with potential inaccurate information should be voted on at all.
The board first voted on postponing the resolution vote until more information and public input could be gathered. That first vote failed, and more debate ensued, mostly centered around going forward with the vote on the resolution. Supervisor Mike Roach was the most adamant about voting on the resolution as is, stating that the board needed to send a message to the State of Wisconsin opposing DNR purchases in Northern Wisconsin.
It is important to note here that the DNR is not purchasing the land. The DNR is purchasing permanent easements on the property which will permit commercial forestry and increased public access. The Conservation Fund actually has purchased the land and will sell it after the easements are applied to a private buyer who will continue to log and pay taxes under Managed Forest Law same as the previous owners did. It is also interesting to note that Senator Felzkowski also argued in her presentation opposing the state buying more land up north when in fact the state is not purchasing this land.
So finally, after more debate and with advice from corporate council the county board considered then voted to form a committee of five board members appointed by Chairman Holewinski to investigate the facts of the resolution and report back in 90 days with recommendations. One hopes Mr. Holewinski chooses a mix of supervisors so that varied points of view are considered.
This appears to be a logical decision confirming the resolution is accurate and based on facts that can be verified. Perhaps the board members will also gather public opinion during the 90 days and take that into consideration? It would be refreshing to see supervisors and senators alike support what their constituents want rather than what they personally want.
As always Katie Thoresen with WXPR provided much more professional coverage that I could hope to do and here is the link Oneida County Board wants more information before making a decision regarding the Pelican River Forest project | WXPR
Also here is a WJFW piece interviewing Clint Miller of the Conservation Fund Pelican River Forest in limbo | | wjfw.com
By Eric Rempala February 17, 2023
A recent resolution addition to the Oneida County board meeting for Tuesday February 21st is concerning. OCCWA is issuing an immediate call to action for residents to give input to your County Supervisors or attend the county board meeting in person. Meeting information here County Board – Click here to view resolutions – Oneida County, WI
Agenda link here 2-21-23-Agenda.pdf (oneida.wi.us)
County Supervisor Robert Briggs of Monico has with very short notice introduced a resolution to challenge the Purchasing of Conservation and Access Easements. This information was made available Thursday February 16th for County Board meeting February 21st. The resolution is directly related to the Pelican River Forest project that OCCWA has be reporting on most recently. (See article below)
There is too much information to un-pack on this issue to cover with a short presentation followed by discussion and County Board vote. Public notification should be required with a reasonable time granted for public response. So OCCWA is asking the public to share your position if you have one already with your County Supervisor or ask them to postpone and reschedule a vote until such a time that one can form an informed opinion. County Supervisor contacts here County Board – Oneida County, WI
We at OCCWA have long supported Local Control emphasizing town involvement and resident input. This is yet another example of how that process is ignored. We thank you for your consideration and action.
Pelican River Forest Project Threatened
Anonymous joint finance committee member lodges objection.
Update information- By Eric Rempala February 15, 2023
The town of Schoepke has passed a resolution in the past week in support of the Pelican River Forest (PRF) project. Schoepke has successfully negotiated with the Conservation Fund for land exemptions to the project. See Schoepke resolution here. Schoepke Support Resolution.pdf (dropbox.com)
The town of Pine Lake has an agenda item on their board meeting tonight February 15th to discuss the (PRF) project.
The Conservation Fund has agreed to Monico's request that property along both routes 8 and 45 be removed from the project in consideration for future development. The Conservation Fund did attend Monico's town board meeting on Monday February 13th and have committed to the town for more discussion going forward. Actually, listening to a town and taking action? Imagine that.
We at OCCWA have provided information on this subject already and hope to have more available in the coming days. We urge towns and residents to give careful consideration to all information on this subject before making a final decision. Se link below for more facts as well as contact information to the Conservation Fund and Gathering Waters.
Pelican River Forest Facts.docx (dropbox.com)
In the meantime, feel free to peruse the information we have shared previously below.
Update information- By Eric Rempala January 10, 2023
Recent coverage by WXPR's Danielle Kaeding (see link included) has revealed that there are discussions ongoing with the town of Monico and the Conservation Fund pertaining to lands the town wanted to reserve for future development. If a compromise is reached there should be no reason for Senator Felzkowski's objection to stand and we look forward to the Joint Finance Committee's decision to hold up financing being reversed. The willingness of the Conservation Fund to negotiate with Monico is encouraging for sure.
Update information- By Eric Rempala January 4, 2023
The anonymous objector on the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) has been identified as State Senator Mary Felzkowski. Contact for Senator Felzkowski is (608 266-2509)
Senator Mary Felzkowski confirms Pelican River Forest vote | Local News | wjfw.com
It is the JFC's responsibility now to have a hearing and make a determination on the Pelican River Forest Project. Past instances of the Committee not addressing issues and failing to have a hearing are numerous. Hopefully the JFC will do their job and come to a final determination on this project rather than choose to not do the job which they accepted as public servants.
Please consider the Take Action link we are sharing for residents to request Governor Evers to direct the DNR to fund the Pelican River Forest Project.
Take Action – Knowles Nelson Stewardship
By Eric Rempala December 9, 2022- For those who are not familiar, The Pelican River Forest Conservation Easement is a proposed conservation easement that will protect the largest remaining unprotected private working forest in Wisconsin. What that consists of is continuing sustainable forestry and permanent public use and access to the forested woodlands. WDNR fact sheet information below.
"The Pelican River Forest Conservation Easement project represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to protect 56,000+ acres of working forestland in Wisconsin. Current owner, The Conservation Fund, is partnering with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources which will use funding from the Knowles -Nelson Stewardship Program to secure a conservation easement to protect the largest remaining unprotected private working forest in Wisconsin.
The Pelican River Forest straddles the Continental Divide between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. It contains 68 miles of streams and is located in the headwaters of the Wolf River and the Wisconsin River. Permanent protection will preserve the water quality of these rivers that provide drinking water to over 40,000 people downstream. It will also permanently secure public access for outdoor recreation including hiking, hunting, fishing, trapping, snowmobiling, ATVs/UTVs, and cross-country skiing.
The Pelican River Forest contains hard maple, oak, aspen, spruce, red pine, and jack pine. The Forest grows about 25,000 cords of harvestable volume each year for an estimated annual value of $1.1M. Accounting for 16% of Oneida County’s timber output from private forestland it helps supply 17 mills in Oneida and adjacent counties which support 636 jobs. Additionally, the project guarantees permanent public use and access to the forested woodlands. This includes vehicular access to over 40 miles of maintained interior roads and will be supported by a $1M perpetual road endowment fund for long-term maintenance.
The acquisition will be financed with a combination of funds including a $600,000 gift from The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a federal Forest Legacy Program grant in the amount of $10,884,000 and the remaining $4,028,000 from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program."
As you can see from the DNR fact sheet, financing this forest consists of a $600,000 gift from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $10.88 million form a federal Forest Legacy Program grant, and $4.03 million from our own Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
Thank you very much, the DNR Natural Resources Board appreciates your generous gift and approves of the acquisition. See link below
But hold on now. All that is left is for the Wisconsin State Legislature's Joint Finance Committe (JFC) to approve of the Knowles-Nelson funds being used as they were intended. But that's where this story goes off the rails. All it takes is one member of the JFC to anonymously object without giving a reason and this 70,000-acre forest ceases to exist and that's exactly what has happened. Clearly this is a process that is not transparent or democratic. Does anyone vote for a politician thinking they should have this anonymous power? Of course not.
So, what's the solution? Well, Team Knowles Nelson just so happens to have a Take Action page online that allows Wisconsin residents to easily send an objection to the JFC and vote to support the Pelican River Forest. Link provided. Conservation project sabotaged by anonymous legislator – Knowles Nelson Stewardship
We at OCCWA urge you to consider the facts of the JFC process as it applies to environmental issues such as this and voice your opinion.
. More informational links on the Pelican River Forest provided below.
Large Wisconsin forest purchased for conservation | Forest… (forestdatanetwork.com)
Pelican River Forest – Wisconsin | The Conservation
