Hearings
* October 14 - Pursuant to §§ 26.30(6m) and 227.11(2), Stats., interpreting §§ 26.30, 28.01 and 28.07, Stats., the Department of Natural Resources will hold public hearings via video conference on revisions to ch. NR 47, subch. IX relating to the gypsy moth suppression program. The purpose of this rule is to revise the existing procedures for participation by landowners through counties in a voluntary, cooperative state suppression program for outbreaks in Wisconsin of a foreign pest, the gypsy moth. The suppression program includes an aerial insecticide treatment program (administered in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection) and administration of federal cost sharing for participants in that treatment program. The suppression program is offered to landowners through counties. Participating counties provide a coordinator who serves as the contact for the public. The existing rule defines the tasks that will be performed by the participating counties, how to apply for the program, criteria of eligible areas for treatment and cost sharing under the program and eligible costs that can be shared in the federal cost sharing program. This revision of that rule will change the eligibility requirements of the state program to comply with those of the federal program. The revision also includes housekeeping changes which will improve the program’s efficiency and accommodate the needs of the participating counties. The proposed rule and fiscal estimate may be reviewed and comments electronically submitted through the Wisconsin Administrative Rules (exit DNR) Web site. Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted via U.S. mail to Andrea Diss-Torrance, Bureau of Forest Science, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Comments may be submitted until Oct. 17, 2008. For more information or a copy of the proposed rule and fiscal estimate may contact Andrea Diss-Torrance at (608) 264-9247. Video conference participation will be available at 7 p.m. at the following locations:
o Eau Claire - Old Library 1122, UW-Eau Claire, 105 Garfield Ave.
o Green Bay - Room IS1034, UW-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive.
o Madison - Room 227, Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.
* October 17 - Pursuant to §§ 29.014, 227.11 and 227.14, Stats., interpreting §§ 29.014, 29.041 and 29.885, Stats., the Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing on Natural Resources Board Emergency Order No. WM-18-08(E) pertaining to the 2008 migratory game bird season at 2 p.m. in Room 408, Natural Resources State Office Building, 101 South Webster St., Madison (Entrance at the Webster Street doors only). This emergency order took effect on August 30, 2008. This rule order establishes the season length and bag limits for the 2008 Wisconsin migratory game bird seasons. For ducks, the state is divided into two zones each with 60-day seasons. The season begins at 9 a.m. September 27 and continues for 60 consecutive days in the north, closing on November 25. In the South, the season begins at 9 a.m. on October 4 and continues through October 12, followed by a 5-day split, and then reopens on October 18 and continues through December 7. The special season for hunters age 12 through 15 will occur on September 20 and 21. The daily bag limit is 6 ducks including no more than: 4 mallards, of which only one may be a hen, one black duck, one pintail, 3 wood ducks and 2 redheads. The daily bag limit may include 1 scaup except that from Oct. 18 to Nov. 6 in the north zone and Nov. 1 to Nov. 20 in the south zone the daily bag may include 2 scaup. The USFWS has reduced the daily bag limit on scaup from 2 for the entire season to 1 for a portion of the season in response to a declining population trend from the 1970’s until about 2001. Scaup are, however, still the third most abundant duck in continental surveys at 3.7 million. The Mississippi Flyway was given a scaup season of 60 days with 40 days at a 1 bird daily bag and 20 days at a 2 bird daily bag. Wisconsin had the option to pick where the 20 days with a 2 bird bag fall during the season. This rule order does not allow the harvest of canvasback ducks which is a stipulation of the federal framework. For Canada geese, the state is apportioned into 3 goose hunting zones: Horicon, Collins and Exterior. Other special goose management subzones within the Exterior Zone include Brown County, Burnett County, Rock Prairie and the Mississippi River. Season lengths are: Collins Zone - 67 days (three hunting periods, September 16 – October 5, October 6 – 26, October 27 – November 21); Horicon Zone - 92 days (2 hunting periods, first period beginning September 16 and the second on November 3); Exterior Zone in the northern duck zone - 85 days (Sept. 20 – Dec. 13); Exterior Zone in the southern duck zone – 85 days (Sept. 20 – Oct. 12 and Oct. 18 – Dec. 18) and Mississippi River subzone - 85 days (Oct. 4 – Oct. 12 and Oct. 18 – Jan. 1). The Burnett County subzone is closed to Canada goose hunting. The statewide daily bag limit for Canada geese in all zones is 2 birds per day during the open seasons within the zones. This rule order adds ten days to the mourning dove season so that it extends to November 9 which is consistent with a new opportunity offered in the federal hunting season framework. Finally, this rule corrects an inconsistency between the section that establishes shooting hours and the section that establishes when the hunting season begins. Both should indicate a 9 a.m. start on the first day of the duck season but the section on shooting hours incorrectly describes a noon start. Written comments on the emergency rule may be submitted to Kent Van Horn, Bureau of Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707 no later than October 21, 2008. Written comments will have the same weight and effect as oral statements presented at the hearing. For more information or a copy of the emergency rule may contact Kent Van Horn at (608) 266 8841.
* October 17 - Pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 281.15 and 281.26 and Wis. Admin. Code chs. NR 103 and NR 299 a telephone prehearing conference will be held in the matter of the application by Resort of the Woods, Inc. for Water Quality Certification to fill wetlands to construct a driveway to access a proposed storage building in the Town of Boulder Junction, Vilas County will be held at 10 a.m. Resort of the Woods, Inc., P. O. Box 412, Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, 54512, filed an application with the Department of Natural Resources (the Department) for water quality certification. The proposed project is located in the SW ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 17, Township 42 North, Range 07 East, Town of Boulder Junction, Vilas County. The property address is 10490 Boulder Lane, Boulder Junction, Wisconsin. The purpose of the proposed project is to construct a driveway to provide access to a proposed storage building for the owners of the Resort of the Woods condominium. The proposed project would affect an area measuring 1275 square feet (.03 acres) of wetlands. On July 22, 2008, the department determined that the project met state standards and issued a Chapter 30/Water Quality Certification Decision to the Resort of the Woods, Inc. granting the permit with numerous conditions required. On August 7, 2008, Sandra L. Mason filed a request for a contested case hearing. The purpose of the prehearing conference will be to identify parties to the proceeding, to simplify the issues which may be contested at the hearing, establish a discovery schedule and set a date for hearing. No testimony will be heard at the prehearing conference, however, a date may be set for the hearing on the merits at the conference. When the hearing is held it will be a Class 1 contested case pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 227.01(3)(a). For information or to participate in this conference, contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.
* October 20 - Pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 281.15 and 281.36 and Wis. Admin. Code chs. NR 103 and NR 299 a Class 1 contested case public hearing in the matter of an application by the Village of Howard for Water Quality Certification of the Federal Clean Water Act to fill .63 acres of wetland for the purpose of industrial development in wetlands located in the Village of Howard, Brown County, will be held at 10:30 a.m. in Room 152A at the Green Bay State Office Building, 200 North Jefferson St., Green Bay. The hearing will continue on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, if necessary, in Room 152B at Green Bay State Office Building. The Village of Howard, 1336 Cornell Road, Green Bay, Wisconsin, filed an application with the Department of Natural Resources for water quality certification pursuant to Section 401 of the Federal Clean Water Act, Wis. Stat. §§ 281.15 and 281.36 and Wis. Admin. Code §§ NR 103 and 299. The Village of Howard proposes to place fill affecting .63 acres of wetland and construct four railroad spurs through wetlands for the purpose of industrial development. The proposed project is located in the SW ¼ of Section 3, Township 24 North, Range 20 East, Village of Howard, Brown County. The Department of Natural Resources evaluated this application and determined that there was not reasonable assurance that the proposal would comply with standards pursuant to Wis. Admin. Code §§ NR 103.08(3) and NR 299.04. The Department of Natural Resources denied the application in a letter dated June 24, 2008. For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at - (608) 266-7709.
* October 20 - Pursuant to §§ 29.604 and 227.11, Stats., interpreting § 29.064, Stats., the Department of Natural Resources will hold a public hearing on the repeal of s. NR 27.03(3)(b)2. and (3)(b)8., Wis. Adm. Code, relating to the trumpeter swan and osprey at 4 p.m. in Room G09, Natural Resources State Office Building, 101 South Webster St., Madison (Entrance at the Webster Street door only) The proposed rule will delete trumpeter swan from the Wisconsin endangered species list and the osprey from the Wisconsin threatened species list. The proposed rule changes are based solely on the biological recovery of these species in Wisconsin. The Department has made a preliminary determination that this action does not involve significant adverse environmental effects and does not need an environmental analysis under ch. NR 150, Wis. Adm. Code. The proposed rule and fiscal estimate may be reviewed and comments electronically submitted through the Wisconsin Administrative Rules Web site (exit DNR). Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted until October 29, 2008 via U.S. mail to Sumner Matteson, Bureau of Endangered Resources, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Written comments whether submitted electronically or by U.S. mail will have the same weight and effect as oral statements presented at the public hearings. For more information or a copy of the proposed rule and fiscal estimate contact Sumner Matteson at (608) 266-1571.
* October 24 - Pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 30.12, 30.208, 30.209 and 227.42 and Wis. Admin. Code chs. NR 2 and 326 the State of Wisconsin Division of Hearings and Appeals will initiate and hold a telephone prehearing conference in the matter of amendments issued August 11, 2007, and May 16, 2008, to a permit issued February 15, 2007, to Lake Geneva Club authorizing placement of a new cribbed pier and modifying an existing multi-slip pier on the bed of Lake Geneva, Town Of Linn, Walworth County at 10 a.m. Lake Geneva Club, c/o Joe Gardella, 778 Black Walnut Court, Sugar Grove, Illinois, 60554 applied to the Department of Natural Resources for a permit to place a cribbed pier on Lake Geneva. The proposed pier would be 136 feet long by five feet wide with an “L” section and eight finger piers on the east side of the main pier stem. The proposed pier would be supported by ten rock-filled cribs and would provide mooring space for nine boats. Lake Geneva Club has an existing pier that currently moors 21 boats and there are an additional 13 mooring spaces along the shoreline for a total of 34 moorings. Under the new proposal the existing pier would moor 17 boats, the proposed new pier would moor 9 boats and there would be six mooring spaces along the shoreline for a total of 31 moorings on the property. The proposed project is located along Lake Geneva Club Lane in Section 18, Township 1 North, Range 17 East, Village of Fontana, Walworth County. The department approved the Lake Geneva Club’s application with limitations and received a request for a contested case hearing from Attorney David Williams on behalf of Chicago Club of Lake Geneva Homeowner’s Association. No testimony will be heard at the telephone prehearing conference, however, a date may be set for the hearing on the merits at the conference. When the hearing is held it will be a Class 1 contested case pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 227.01(3)(a). For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.
* October 28 - A Class 1 contested case pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 30.12, 30.19, 30.20, 30.209 and 227.42 in the matter of the application by the Village Of Egg Harbor for a permit to place a structure on, dredge, and grade over 10,000 square feet on the bank of Green Bay, located in the Village Of Egg Harbor, Door County will be held at 9 a.m. in the Friend’s Room at the Door County Library, 107 South 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay. The Village of Egg Harbor, 7860 Highway 42, Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, 54209, applied to the Department of Natural Resources to place a structure and dredge on the bed, and grade over 10,000 square feet on the bank of Green Bay. The proposed project is located in the Village of Egg Harbor, Door County, at 7815 Dock Road, also described as Section 25, Township 30 North, Range 26 East. The proposed project would consist of removing an existing breakwater structure and building a new, expanded rubblemound breakwater for a marina and harbor of refuge expansion. Several design options were considered as part of the permit process. The approved design option is Option C. Design Option C has 65 boat slips. It would extend 570 feet beyond the ordinary high water mark. The boat ramp and upland areas would be improved by adding 18 parking stalls and green spaces to allow stormwater to be filtered before entering the lake. The department approved the Village of Egg Harbor’s application with limitations and received a petition for a contested case hearing and request for a stay from Stephen A. Schaefer on behalf of the Peninsula Shores Condominium Association, Inc. For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.<.li>
* November 6 – A telephone prehearing conference in the matter of the order for immediate drawdown of Oakwood Lake, an impoundment of the Merrillan Mills Dam on Halls Creek, Jackson County has been rescheduled 10 a.m. For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.
* December 10 - A contested case hearing in the matter of an application by Margaret Zerwekh to abandon and remove the Nemahbin Roller Mill Dam and an order for drawdown of the impoundment located on the Bark River in the City of Delafield, Waukesha County, will commence be held at 10 a.m., in the Community Room at the Waukesha Public Library, 321 Wisconsin Avenue, Waukesha. For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.
* December 17 - A contested case hearing in the matter of the order for immediate drawdown of Oakwood Lake, an Impoundment of the Merrillan Mills Dam on Halls Creek, Jackson County, will commence at 10:30 a.m. in the County Board Room, Jackson County Courthouse, 307 Main Street, Black River Falls. For information contact the Division of Hearings and Appeals at (608) 266-7709.
Meetings
* Wisconsin Conservation Congress public meeting notices
* October 13 - The Lake Superior Commercial Fishing Board will meet at 3 p.m. at the Department of Natural Resources Ashland Service Center 2501 Golf Course Road, Ashland to discuss draft order FH-21-08, which pertains to the minimum catch requirements for commercial fishers. For information contact Steve Schram at (715) 779-4035 ext. 12.
* October 14 - The DNR fall wolf population monitoring meeting will be held from 10:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Park Falls Public Library, 410 Division St., Park Falls. The agenda includes: review spring and summer wolf captures & collaring; plan wolf flight plans; review summer howl surveys; review depredation levels and problem wolf captures; plan fall track training; plan winter surveys; discuss equipment needs; discuss wolf awareness week and help distribute any left over posters; discuss implications on wolf relisting and budget concerns on wolf monitoring. For information contact Adrian Wydeven at (715) 762-1363.
* October 16 - A public meeting to discuss the proposed disposal of contaminated dredged material (solid waste removed from the bed of any surface water) from the Nagawicka Lake by the City of Delafield on a city owned property located off Oakwood Road in the City of Delafield will be at 6 p.m. at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, 1101 North Genesee Street, Delafield. The meeting will begin with a presentation outlining the proposal. Staff with the Department of Natural Resources and the City of Delafield will be on hand to answer questions and take comments. For more information contact Bizhan Zia Sheikholeslami, DNR Environmental Engineer, at (262) 574-2143.
* October 16 - The State Trails Council Ad Hoc Committee will meet at the shelter in the Greenbush Recreation Area, Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest (Approximately 3 miles south the town of Greenbush/State Highway 23 on Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive), Campbellsport from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The Ad Hoc Committee focuses on recommending improvements to the structure of the STC. Additional Information is available on the state trails council page of the DNR Web site. For more information contact Joseph Warren, state trails program at (608) 267-7487.
* October 17 - The State Trails Council quarterly meeting will be held at the shelter in the Greenbush Recreation Area, Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest (Approximately 3 miles south the town of Greenbush/State Highway 23 on Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive) Campbellsport from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The agenda includes: non-motorized trails Legislative Study Committee update; STC Ad Hoc Committee update; motorized recreation area concept update; officer elections and other trail issues. For more information contact Joseph Warren, DNR state trails program, at (608) 267-7487.
* October 21-22 - The State Natural Resources Board will meet at the Eagle River Inn and Resort, 5260 State Highway 70 West between Twilite Lane and WI-17 Rangeview Drive. Eagle River. For information contact Laurie Ross, Natural Resources Board Liaison, at (608) 267-7420. Check the Natural Resources Board Web pages for the current agenda. For information contact Laurie Ross, Natural Resources Board Liaison, at (608) 267-7420.
* October 21-22 - The DNR Silviculture Team will meet at 10 a.m. at the Dodgeville DNR Service Center, 1500 N. Johns Street, Dodgeville, regarding chapters and issues pertinent to the Silviculture Handbook, including Oak & Central Hardwoods chapters, Marking Guidelines, team progress/ work plan, and other issues. A field trip will look at oak management. For more information, contact Julie Peltier at 262-670-3404.
* October 23 - The Wisconsin Clean Diesel Coalition will meet 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. in room G09 of the State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2), 101 S. Webster St., Madison. The group will discuss diesel grant and outreach opportunities. For information contact Jessica Lawent, DNR, at (414) 263-8653.
* October 23 - The Natural Areas Preservation Council will meet from 9:30 a.m. until noon at the Town of Westport's Kennedy Administration Building, 5387 Mary Lake Road, Waunakee. The council will discuss the protection and management of Wisconsin State Natural Areas. For information contact Thomas Meyer at 608-266-0394 or thomas.meyer@wisconsin.gov.
* December 9-10 - The State Natural Resources Board will meet in Room G09 of the State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2), 101 South Webster St., Madison. Check the Natural Resources Board Web pages for the current agenda. For information contact Laurie Ross, Natural Resources Board Liaison, at (608) 267-7420.
* January 27-28, 2009 - The State Natural Resources Board will meet in Room G09 of the State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2), 101 South Webster St., Madison. Check the Natural Resources Board Web pages for the current agenda. For information contact Laurie Ross, Natural Resources Board Liaison, at (608) 267-7420.
