PIF position on legislation, forest plans,
environmental issues and other matters impacting forests and forest landowners
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PIF position on
Wildcat Falls Delich Land Exchange Project Ottawa National Forest
View
slide show images of the Wildcat Falls parcel being traded to a
developer
View
second slide show images of the Wildcat Falls parcel being traded
View
photos
from the Wildcat Falls tour April 1, 2012 and Ottawa National
Forest contacts
Letter to Ottawa National Forest Subject:
Notice of Appeal Delich Environmental Assessment March 21, 2011.
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Letter to Sue Spear, Ottawa National
Forest Subject: Delich Environmental Assessment (EA) Comments.
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Appeal Reviewing Officer confirms original
decision. Read More
Appeal Deciding Officer reverses original decision.
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More
Press Release May 2011: PIF prevails in Delich Land
Exchange. Read More
October 26, 2011, Comments on Delich Land
Exchange. Read More
Letter from David J. Zaber, President
Habitat Education Center.
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November 17, 2011, Letter from Christopher
J. Krupp, Staff Attorney Western Lands Project.
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Final appeal of Delich Land Exchange
February 23, 2012.
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Ironwood Michigan Daily Globe Newspaper
article March 30, 2012 concerning the Wildcat Falls: Page 1
Read More: Page 2
Email from Steve Garske, Great Lakes
Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Botanist, April 1,
2012.
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Ironwood Michigan Daily Globe Newspaper
article April 4, 2012 concerning the Wildcat Falls: Page 1
Read More: Page 2
Appeal Reviewing Officer confirms original
decision April 12, 2012.
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Appeal Deciding Officer confirms original decision.
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More
Joe Hovel comments on the Appeal Deciding
Officer's decision.
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More
Complaint Case 2:12-cv-184 filed with U.S.
District Court for Western District of Michigan April 26, 2012.
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Wildcat Falls land exchange challenged in
federal court (Statement April 27, 2012).
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Photo of Wildcat Falls White Pine growth
(some at least 36" dbh).
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Ironwood Michigan Daily Globe Newspaper
article April 28, 2012 concerning the Wildcat Falls: Page 1
Read More: Page 2
Opening Brief in Support of Motion for
Summary Judgment (November 7, 2013).
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Delich Land Exchange Update report
(December 27, 2013).
Read More.
Federal
Defendant's Response in Opposition to PIF's motion for Summary
Judgment (February 7, 2014).
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PIF
files Wildcat Falls Reply Brief (March 17, 2014).
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Federal
Defendant hereby moves to strike in its entirety “Plaintiffs’
Submission of Appraisal
(May 20, 2014).
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Federal
Defendant hereby moves to strike Plaintiffs’ untimely
Declaration in its entirety (May
20, 2014).
Read More.
Plaintiffs'
response to defendants motion to strike appraisal excerpt from
record (May 26, 2014).
Read More.
Exhibit
A
Plaintiffs'
Objects to the Federal Defendant's Motion to Strike from Record
the Excerpts of Appraisal of Federal Lands (June 6, 2014).
Read More.
Exhibit
B
To all who have
supported and donated to the Save Wildcat Falls Legal Fund
(September 28, 2014)
Partners in Forestry Cooperative
endorses the Pilgrim River Forest application under the Forest
Legacy Program
As a supporting
partner and the primary forest manager of the Pilgrim River
Watershed Project since September of 2009 we are excited to
witness the goals of the project come to fruition. With the
adjoining community forest as a neighboring property the
Forest Legacy conservation easement will go a long ways to
suit the needs of a growing and active community deeply in
need of maintaining open space for recreation, education and
solitude.! The Pilgrim Forest lands are covered by a
growing and increasingly valuable timber resource, heavy to
northern hardwoods including high quality sugar maple but
also offering a wide diversity of other significant timber
species. As non timber plant species also being important to
the project goals, the Pilgrim Forest hosts the very nicest
stands of Canada Yew we are aware of in the midwest.
Read more
PIF Supports the U. S Forest Service
State of Wisconsin's Wild Waters Working Forest Legacy
Project.
The Wild Waters Working Forest is centered in a landscape
surrounded by the Nicolet National Forest, Forest, Florence
and Marinette county land and over 80,000 acres of other
working forest easements. At over 9000 acres the Wild
Waters Working Forest provides sustainable lumber production
and outdoor public recreation in the area and supports
diverse wildlife habitat. These lands are managed for high
value northern hardwood saw lumber and veneer as well as
other forest products. The forests of the Wild Waters
project directly impact 50 timber-related jobs. Wood
products procured from this sustainably managed forest are
utilized by more than 15 local and regional mills and in
turn supporting numerous other jobs.
Read More.
Pilgrim Watershed Project South Trail First Loop is Now Open
The
trailhead is located on the logging road entrance on the north
side of Boundary Road, 0.6 miles east of Superior Road and 1.4 miles west of Paradise Road. Look
for the large green Pilgrim River Watershed Project sign. There
is good off-road parking. You will be rewarded with
many scenic vistas from high elevations overlooking the river,
the ruins of an old log cabin, and a wide diversity of flora.
There are two large picnic tables, one at the trailhead and
another at a river overlook. Hiking the entire trail
requires about 2 ½ hours. However, there are opportunities for
shorter distance walks.
PIF takes position on the budget proposal concerning the
Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. Read More.
PIF Annual Meeting:
Forestry Conference Discussion of Conservation Economics
Discussion covered the economic return of forest land
ownership, the financial compensation of growing trees as an
investment, long term conservation planning, the Land and
Water Conservation Fund and Stewardship Fund necessary to
mitigate forest land parcelization, tools for long term
planning, tax considerations for protection and transfer of
land and much more.
Listen to the various subjects discussed at the annual
meeting
Introduction:
Local radio station WXPR interview of
Joe Hovel and meeting discussion of the economic return of
growing trees (John Schwarzmann). Listen
Here
Part two:
Importance of the Land and Conservation Fund and Stewardship
Fund (Richard Steffes and Matt Dallman).
Listen Here
Part Three:
Tax
Code Issues (Geary Searfoss).
Listen Here
PIF supports the U.S. Forest Service
"Brule-St. Croix Legacy Forest" Project funding.
This funding is important to allow the
State to complete the second phase of this extraordinary
opportunity to protect 67,285 acres of undeveloped
forestland—the largest conservation effort in Wisconsin’s
state history. The first phase was completed in August, and
Forest Legacy Program funding will provide the
necessary match to State funds to complete the second phase
and secure a working forest easement on the remaining 22,667
acres.
Read More.
Partners in Forestry Cooperative
endorses the Pilgrim River Forest application under the
Forest Legacy Program.
Read More
PIF
Supports and agrees with Wisconsin Woodlands Owners
Association letter to Dean Bortz at Outdoor News and all
state legislators.
Partners in Forestry believes the Forestry Mill Tax is vital
for the health and conservation of Wisconsin's working
forests, and has a proven record of benefits to citizens of
our state.
Click here to view the letter at
the Wisconsin Woodlands website.
PIF
supports and agrees with the Forest
Stewards Guild Statement
on Elimination of Wisconsin Forestry Mill Tax.
Partners in Forestry believes the Forestry Mill Tax is vital
for the health and conservation of Wisconsin's working
forests, and has a proven record of benefits to citizens of
our state. We support and agree with the position our
friends at the Forest Guild have taken.
Please read their statement here.
Letter to Members of the Joint
Committee on Finance in Support of
the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship
Program
Partners in Forestry is a 16 year organization advocating
for sustainable forest management. Our actions have brought
several thousand acres into management in recent years,
benefiting the forest industry and the health of these
forests. We care deeply about the economic, social,
environmental and intrinsic values of Wisconsin’s forest
land and we act continuously on behalf of land owners and
local economies.
Click here to read more
on PIF Support for the Knowles-Nelson Program.
The state is going
backwards for the timber industry and sportsman.
The timber products industry and sportsmen
should be extremely concerned with DNR land sales as
directed by law under this political climate. Both have high
interest in preventing parcelization. For example, the new
owner of a recent DNR land sale near Boulder Junction
(outside NHAL boundary) plans the following: clearcut mature
pines, put up a storage unit facility, and sell one-acre
lots. This is the final timber harvest on these 40 acres.
Likewise the scattered 40s and 80s in St .
Germain that are up for sale will, in a few years, be
subdivided into small parcels for sale as home sites and the
timber will never again be managed and sportsmen will never
again have access. It really is sad.
Partners in Forestry participated in the
'Wild Life and Reconciliation Conference' at the Ho Chunk
conference center in Baraboo, Wis. on July 16 , 2017.
The following
presentation on Forest Legacy and it's value to Wis.
wildlife was written by Joe Hovel, with editing and slides
prepared by Rachel Hovel Phd., with presentation by Dick
Steffes.
Click here for the presentation
Impacts of deer on northeastern forests and strategies for
control. Deer have been shown to cause significant negative
impacts to forest regeneration in northeastern forests.
Chronic over-browsing reduces both plant and animal
abundance, and these legacy effects can last long after deer
numbers are reduced. Landowners should manage deer numbers
on their property at levels the forest can sustain.
Aggressive hunting programs, or in some cases deer damage
permits, may be needed to lower deer numbers and impacts to
acceptable levels. There is no quick and easy solution
unless deer can be fenced out of regeneration areas, and
this usually is not economically feasible. In many parts of NYS, if landowners do not manage deer, then successful
forest regeneration of diverse hardwood trees is unlikely.
Presented by Dr. Paul Curtis, Cornell University Department
of Natural Resources.
This is the presentation by Dr.
Curtis.
Wisconsin’s Forest Legacy Program
identifies and protects, through the use of conservation
easements, environmentally important private forestlands
threatened with conversion. Properties in the program stay
under private ownership and management. Wisconsin's aim is
to protect large blocks of forestland that are managed for
the sustainable use of forest resources and that offer
public recreation opportunities in order to preserve the
integrity of the state’s forests. Click
here for a summary of the Upper Wisconsin River Legacy
Forest Legacy program. Any questions on this project can be
directed to Joe Hovel at
partnersinforestry@gmail.com.
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