Committee gives OK to bat protection plan for county

With additional bat species expected to gain endangered status, Taylor County is working with the state and other forest agencies to be proactive about having guidelines in place to continue forest activities near protected habitat areas.

This doesn’t necessarily make members of the county’s forestry committee any happier when needing to deal with additional regulations. “It is another regulation,” said committee member Jim Gebauer.

County forest administrator Jake Walcisak presented the Lake States Forest Management Bat Habitat Conservation Plan. He said the heavy lifting in developing the plan was done at the state level in cooperation with the other Great Lakes States in preparation for the potential listing of additional bat species due to the sharp decline in bat populations due to the white-nose syndrome. The plan includes additional protection to reduce logging around caves where bats could nest as well as trees that are home to maternity colonies and day roosts.

Gebauer noted that the county does not have the bats in question here.

“We don’t have any known,” Walcisak said, noting that there are always habitat elements that are being reviewed. “We have to develop this plan to make sure we don’t violate the endangered species act,” he said.

Committee member Gary Beadles asked what would happen if all the counties threw the plan into the garbage and all said “we aren’t going to participate in that.”

“It is just one regulation after another,” he said. Walcisak said the plus for the county is if there is a situation where there is an incidental taking of an endangered bat species. Having this plan in place would give them the permit to avoid a federal fine for incidental taking by agreeing to follow some best practices for management.

“We need an incidental take permit,” Walcisak said.

“My expertise is not bats. They fly, they live in trees and they eat bugs,” Walcisak said explaining his knowledge of bats.

Assistant County Forest Administrator Jordan Lutz said the value of having the plan in place is that it limits the county’s liability.

“There are no counties that are not adopting this plan,” Walcisak said adding “No one likes more federal regulations.”

“Where the hell does it end,” said committee member Rollie Thums. Walcisak noted this was a 50-year agreement and that there is nothing forcing the county to be part of it and that the county can choose to leave at any time.

“What we are obligated to do is follow the endangered species act,” Walcisak said. “Our hands are pretty much tied.”

Committee members voted to adopt the plan and send it on to the full county board for action. Thums voted no and committee chairman Scott Mildbrand was absent.

In other business, committee members:

  Approved putting out gravel bids for about 2.8 miles of roads in the county forest. About 74% of the cost of the gravel will be covered through grants and aids.

  Received an update on negotiations with Ayres Associates regarding the damages incurred by the county due to the engineer missing a deadline on a dam grant in 2020. Walcisak said the county was seeking 100% of the difference in cost for Camp 8 dam and 50% of the cost for Chelsea Dam totaling about $42,000. County attorney Ruth Ann Koch is negotiating with the representatives from Ayres on the matter with the hope of bringing a resolution to the full committee for final negotiations in a closed session.

  Received an update on active logging projects in the county forest. Lutz cautioned that the logging revenues would be far below average for this quarter given the lack of any real frost in the ground this winter which prevented a lot of frozen ground sales from being harvested.

  Received word that the department was approached by a landowner with a parcel adjoining the county forest interested in selling it. Walcisak said they would be potentially interested in three out of the four 40-acre parcels, noting the remaining one is outside the blocking boundary that had been previously set by the county for the limits to the forest. He said the 120 acres is in open managed forest land and has about $244 per year in taxes. Walcisak noted the county forest averages about $40 per acre per year in logging revenue with a portion of that going to the towns. Additional work needs to be done to determine if the county would be interested in pursuing the land.