PAUL SMITH

70,000 acres of northern Wisconsin forest will stay open for recreation forever after being purchased by The Conservation Fund

Paul A. Smith
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A land conservancy has purchased 70,000 acres of industrial forest in northern Wisconsin where it plans to secure permanent access for public recreation, continue timber management and keep the tract free from development.

Announced Wednesday, the transaction covers the largest remaining unprotected block of privately owned forest in Wisconsin, according to the buyer, The Conservation Fund.

"It's an opportunity we, the (Department of Natural Resources) and other conservation groups have been chasing for a long time," said Clint Miller, the fund's regional director. "This is the first step in protecting the forest."

The property, dubbed the Pelican River Forest, includes 16 parcels mostly in Oneida County.

It is bisected by Highway 8 east of Rhinelander and straddles the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. 

It features tracts of upland and wetland forests as well as dozens of lakes and 68 miles of streams, including portions of the Pelican and Wolf rivers.

It's home to gray wolves, black bears, white-tailed deer and bald eagles.

Long known as the Monaco Block for the town in its center, the land has been owned by a succession of companies, including Consolidated Papers and most recently The Forestland Group. The sale price for the latest transaction was not released.

The Conservation Fund is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization that describes its objectives as a "dual charter to pursue environmental preservation and economic development."

Its model is to buy land, sell conservation easements to it and later sell the property.

“Ensuring the permanent protection and sustainable management of large, existing forests is not only essential to the local communities for jobs and recreational enjoyment, it is also one of the most effective strategies we have right now to combat climate change," said Larry Selzer, the fund's president and CEO in a statement. "Our purchase of Pelican River Forest is the first step in securing the future of this important working landscape so it can continue to provide economic, ecological and climate benefits for generations to come.”

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Over the past two decades, the fund has protected about 113,000 acres in Wisconsin, including the 65,800-acre Brule-St. Croix Legacy Forest in 2015.

In the case of the Pelican River Forest, the organization said it will safeguard wildlife habitat and water quality while continuing sustainable timber harvesting and traditional recreational uses such as hunting and fishing.

The land will remain privately owned and on the tax rolls.

Miller said the fund's next goal is to sell conservation easements on the property, likely to the DNR.

The agency already is working on an easement on about 12,500 acres of the forest. The Natural Resources Board approved the $4.68 million deal in June; funding is slated to come from the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program.

Now that the land is in new ownership, the agreement is expected to be finalized in the coming months, said Ron Gropp, DNR forest legacy program coordinator.

It would allow the public with year-round foot access. Vehicle access would be allowed on interior roads from June 1 to Dec. 31. The timing is designed to prevent damage to roads during spring thaw.

The DNR is expected to be in talks to purchase easements on the remainder of the land over the coming years. Funding could come from the Stewardship program or the federal Forest Legacy Program

The easements allow the DNR to secure public recreation on land for about one-third of the cost of purchasing it outright, said Gary Zimmer of Rhinelander, retired forester and wildlife biologist as well as former member of the Natural Resources Board.

"In a perfect world the DNR might own the land outright, but that's not realistic with all the costs of purchase and maintenance," Zimmer said. "A project like this, where the public will have access to it and if it's kept intact and managed responsibly, is about as good as it gets today."

About 25,000 acres of the Pelican River Forest are wetland forest, adding to the ecological value of the property, Miller said. The land provides habitat for a wide range of wildlife species, including American marten, spruce grouse, northern goshawks and black-backed woodpeckers.

The geographical position of the Pelican River Forest is important ecologically, too. It can help provide connectivity for wildlife between the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to the northeast and the Oneida County Forest to the southwest. 

The 70,000 acres of forest are capable of storing 19 million metric tons of carbon, according to the fund.

On the economic front, Miller said the property is expected to support several hundred jobs in the forest products business. 

Miler said securing agreements on conservation easements for the rest of the property will likely span the next couple years, after which the fund would look to sell the property.

Future owners would be required to abide by the agreements.

"The values of (the Pelican River Forest) are significant," Miller said. "And once you get easements on it, you prevent it from being chipped away and cut up. It will remain forestland and provide these benefits, hopefully forever."

Wolf committee meeting

The fourth and final meeting of the DNR's Wolf Management Plan Committee will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.

The committee was formed to discuss "important issues related to wolf management in Wisconsin and to provide input" as the department updates the state's wolf management plan. The current plan was written in 1999 and amended slightly in 2007.

The meeting will be held virtually. The public is invited to observe via the DNR's YouTube channel but no comments will be accepted.

Olympic medalist Maddy Bernau trapshooting in Cyprus

Trapshooter Maddy Bernau of Waterford and four USA Shooting teammates will vie for medals and cash prizes this weekend at the ISSF President's Cup in Larnaca, Cyprus.

The competition is reserved for the world's top 12 shooters in various disciplines, including trapshooting and skeet. Bernau won a bronze medal in mixed trap at the Tokyo Olympics.

She'll be joined in Cyprus by teammates Kayle Browning, Amber English, Vincent Hancock and and Austen Smith.