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Lincoln County Forests Generate nearly $2 Million in Timber Sales

Published on 02/21/2025 under News Lincoln County residents continue to benefit from the county's forest lands, not only recreationally, but also financially. At their meeting this past week, the Lincoln County Board received the 2024 annual forestry report. The county maintains a little more than 100,000 acres of forest land. According to the report, the timber sales from those lands generated more $1.9 million That's actually an $800,000 drop from 2023, which was the second highest total all-time. Twenty percent of those funds, approximately $385,000, goes back into the county's general funds, while 10% or $190,000 is distributed to townships with county forest lands. The remaining dollars are put into the county forestry fund, with any surplus directed to the County CIP program. The report stated, "Generally speaking, pulpwood markets have been and continue to be weak. Lincoln County is fortunate to have two significant mills in Tomahawk and two others just to the south in Rothschild and Mosinee." In addition to the timber sales, the county also received several thousand dollars through sales of biomass, firewood, Christmas tree and bough permits. The report also includes other county forest-related topics including tree planting and restoration, recreation, invasive species control, and wildlife projects.

Published on 02/21/2025 under News The Northwoods is home to a vast network of trails for all seasons and sports. The Oneida County Tourism Council is looking to highlight theirs through an updated trails guide that is now available. According to the announcement, the guide aims to promote the county's trails and outdoor recreation offerings to potential visitors through photos, information, and maps. That includes a focus on accessibility. Jacqui Sharpe is chair of the Council and director of the the Three Lakes Visitors Bureau. She says, "We spent a lot of time researching what visitors were looking for and found a strong desire for information on accessible recreation." Sharpe continue, "We added icons to help people quickly identify accessible trails, and also updated our website with information on trail surfaces, features like bridges, and rest areas with accessible restrooms." The website also shows photos of the trails to help users envision what they might encounter along the way. This spring, the OCTC will also be adding digital trail maps to the website to make navigating the area even easier for visitors of all abilities. The new Trails Guide was funded entirely by an ARPA grant through Oneida County, and was a collaborative undertaking of trail organizations, volunteer groups, the OCTC and the county Land Information Office.

Published on 02/21/2025 under News Career and Technical Education is focused on preparing students for their lives beyond the classroom. The Tomahawk School District continues to offer students opportunities. As we've featured, February is Career and Technical Education Month, and principal Ryan Huseby recapped some of those programs on and off campus. That includes the work-based learning Youth Apprenticeship. Huseby says the program is sponsored by the Department of Workforce Development and mirrors a traditional adult apprenticeship. The students are paid employees, working at least 450 hours. They also complete job-related coursework in partnership with the matched employer. Huseby says THS has one of the highest YA enrollments in the area, with 43 students last school year. Meanwhile THS students also have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications. One of the first on campus was the Certified Nursing Assistant program. This year the district added Firefighter 1 to the growing list which also includes welding, OSHA Safety, Culinary ServSafe, and computer aided design. Huseby says these certifications showcase skills valued by employers. Last year THS students earned 144 certifications.

Published on 02/21/2025 under News While we've been reporting snowmobile trail openers, now we've got at least one closure to pass along for next week. By recommendation from the Langlade Snowmobile Council, the Langlade County Snowmobile Trail system will have what they hope to be a temporary closure on Monday, February 24. They said the purpose is to preserve the existing base during a period of warm weather and possible rain. According to the announcement, they hope to re-open the Langlade County snowmobile trail system if/when the weather and trail conditions improve.

Published on 02/21/2025 under News The Underdown trail system is a hidden gem for silent sports here in Lincoln County. Coming up this weekend it'll be filled with competitors. The snow earlier this month came just in time for the return of the Snowbound in the Underdown. Bikers and snowshoers will get to experience the unique and scenic winter trails out of the Prairie Dells Recreation Area. Last year's races were still held with minimal snow cover, yet competitors still gave the event high reviews. Organizers note the races serve a number of purposes including raising funds for trail improvements, and also showcasing the trails to participants from outside of the area. Chris Schotz serves as race director. He was actually the focus of a Uniquely Wisconsin video segment last fall due to his efforts in expanding, improving and maintaining the Underdown trail system. There are three races distances for fat-tire bikes and two for snowshoes. To allow more participation, the snowshoe entry fee includes snowshoe loaners. They will allow late-registration on site Saturday morning, with festivities getting underway at 8:30am.

Published on 02/21/2025 under News A Tomahawk Middle-Schooler will be spelling M-A-D-I-S-O-N this spring. Several TMS students traveled to Three Lakes this past week to participate in the Regional 2 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The journey began with classroom competitions for 4th through 8th grade, followed by a school-wide competition. And in the end, champion speller Matilda VanAsten outlasted her competitors and is now state bound. According to the district, Tilly will be participating in that state competition later this spring.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News There is an ongoing effort to make broadband available to more businesses and residents of the Northwoods. The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant program provides Internet Service Providers with grants to bring broadband to rural areas. The Lincoln County Board recently endorsed an application from Bertram Communication. Supervisor Ken Wickham serves on the Lincoln County Broadband Commission and provided the full Lincoln County board with a brief overview ahead of their vote at Monday's meeting. He noted that there are approximately 3,000 Lincoln County locations that qualify for the program, overseen by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Earlier this year, the LC Broadband Commission invited internet service providers to present expansion plans in Lincoln with Bertram Communications and Frontier Communications participating. On multiple occasions during his presentation Wickham referred to the Bertram pitch as 'very impressive.' He highlighted they are Wisconsin-based, out of Random Lake, which brings some knowledge of the area and landscape. They've also received similar endorsements for project proposals in Langlade, Marathon, and Shawano Counties. Their pitch also included some additional benefits including potential connection to municipal locations, first responder sites, and schools. While this grant focuses on unserved or underserved properties, Wickham noted a presence in Lincoln County could lead to more competition, which is typically good for consumers. The endorsement comes with no cost to Lincoln County. The grant, if awarded, would be a 75/25 split with the ISP responsible for the 25%. The endorsement vote by the supervisors was unanimous. No timeline was provided for the grant awards.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News The votes have been counted in the Tomahawk School Referendum, and preliminary results show the approval. Following the vote we heard from District Administrator Wendell Quesinberry who thanked voters for showing "support for the schools and students, and the continued investment into a high-quality education experience." The referendum will allow the district to exceed the state-mandated revenue limit through the 28-29 school year. Quesinberry says the additional $3.25 million will ensure the district can retain quality staff, maintain class sizes, preserve academic programs and extra-curriculars and make investments that will lead to more opportunities for students of all ages, all the while avoiding any additional and painful budget cuts. Levy rates vary by municipality with the school just one part of the formula, Quesinberry doesn't anticipate the school's portion of the levy to increase. That has been the case the past three years of the current referendum which expires at the end of the school year. Quesinberry says, "It's important for every resident to be able to make their voice heard when it comes to shaping education in our community, which is why we deeply appreciate all the engagement that occurred in the months leading up to election day. We heard from many of you, and your feedback will help guide Tomahawk Schools as we move forward." That communication will be sent out to district families as well.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News The state continues to invest in organizations dedicated to protecting our water ways. Earlier this week, the DNR announced they will award more than $6.5 million to non-profits, lake associations and municipalities through their Surface Water Grant Program. Overall, more than 350 recipients will share in the funding across a variety of projects. This includes the well-known Clean Boats, Clean Waters outreach which focuses on preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. In Oneida County, the Northwoods Land Trust, Inc. will create a new staff position to conduct targeted outreach and provide technical services to landowners interested in taking steps to protect their land through conservation programs. Other examples of grant funding in this cycle include water runoff diversions, native shoreline plantings and wildlife habitat efforts. Jen Jefferson manages the program for the DNR. She says, "Grantees, partners and DNR staff are often most excited about implementation-type projects, as it is fulfilling to see ideas, many of which took years of nurturing, come to reality as the projects are initiated and completed." It was a competitive grant with more than 400 applicants. The next cycle begins in the fall.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News Downtown Eagle River has plenty of history, and now the district has an official designation. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced that the Eagle River Historic District has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. It includes a two block stretch of East Wall Street as well as a block of South Railroad St. That history dates back to the 1880's when Eagle River was established as a lumber town. Over the years, the community also became a popular tourist destination as well. According to the announcement, Eagle River focused on reinvigorating the retail district's tourist appeal by adopting a city-wide Northwoods Rustic theme back in the 1970s... They said that unique collection of commercial buildings still reflects the architectural style. The designation comes with some added benefits including what is known as 'heritage tourism' where people seek out these historic places. Property owners many also be eligible for tax credits to offset maintenance to preserve the aesthetic. Vilas County now has 19 sites listed on the National Register.

Published on 02/20/2025 under News For more than seven decades, Wisconsin Public Service and their staff have partnered with local Boy Scouts in the Samoset Council to help area scouts earn merit badges. They did so once again here in the Northern Wisconsin. WPS volunteers were in Wausau earlier this month for their annual electricity merit badge clinic, joined by boy scouts from north central Wisconsin. Leah Van Zile, local affairs leader — WPS says, "We use electricity every day, so it's neat for the Scouts to learn how it works..." Lessons include teaching scouts how electricity is generated, how to design circuits and create working electromagnets. They also focus on safety when electricity is involved and introduces scouts to the side variety of careers in the industry. The first WPS/Boy Scout program was held back in 1952, and this was the 71st edition overall. WPS hosts a similar event in Green Bay for Fox Valley Scouts as well.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News One person is dead, another injured in a two vehicle collision in Oneida County. That crash happened Tuesday morning at around 8am on Highway 8 near Spring Creek Road between Tomahawk and Rhinelander. The State Patrol is investigating the crash. According to their preliminary report, they said it appears a westbound pick-up truck crossed over the center-line and struck an east bound sedan head-on. The operator of the car was pronounced dead. The State Patrol has now identified the victim as Dan Reiter, 58, of Tomahawk. The driver of the pick-up truck, a 53 year old Abbotsford woman sustained minor injuries. No other information has been provided at this time. Highway 8 was detoured for several hours. The crash remains under investigation.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News Tuesday was election day in the state of Wisconsin, and Northwoods voters came out to support a pair of school referendums. While it was a relatively light ballot overall, two area schools districts sought to extend expiring referendums. Preliminary results show that both will pass comfortably. Here in Tomahawk, the district was looking to exceed the levy limits by up to $3.25 million each of the next four years. In recent weeks, school representatives have invested time into public outreach, and those efforts succeeded. According to the preliminary results, approximately 57% of voters were in favor. Meanwhile, up in the Eagle River area, Northland Pines was also seeking to exceed the levy, asking voters to support up to $5.6 million each of the next three years. The initial tally shows a 2-1 margin in support of the additional funding. As we noted in our preview, school funding referendum questions are becoming common around the state. There were five questions on Tuesday's ballot, and in April, more than 80. Northwoods districts seeking funding this spring include Wausau, Prentice, Three Lakes, and Rhinelander.

Published on 02/19/2025 under News The greater Minocqua area is a popular travel destination, and now several neighboring communities will be teaming up as part of a re-branded tourism entity. Now known as the Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau, it will include not only Minocqua, but Arbor Vitae, Hazelhurst and Woodruff, as well. Krystal Westfahl will serve as President and CEO. She says,"Joining forces with our neighboring communities to help promote tourism to the area makes us so much stronger." Earlier this week, they unveiled the new look on their outdoor marquee which greets visitors and locals as they enter the town. Westphal says, "We want people to know as soon as they arrive that our four communities stand together to welcome them." They've also launched a new website, and people can expect to hear their new tagline 'In Minocqua' which emphasizes the letters 'IN' in the spelling of Minocqua. They plan to play on the themes of the area being fun and adventurous, yet relaxing, peaceful and calming. Westphal says, "We each have wonderful things to offer travelers, and together we can encourage people to stay longer, do more and travel further, which helps everyone in our area thrive."

Published on 02/19/2025 under News While we're typically focused on snowmobile trails at this time of the year, some seasonal ATV trails are set to open Wednesday. The Lincoln County Forestry Department announced the opening of snowmobile trails designated as Winter ATV trails. In the announcement, they also offered a few reminders. This opening is for ATVs only. While often grouped together, UTVs are not allowed due to their added width and weight. And with some mild temperatures in the forecast, they note that these winter ATV trails close whenever temperatures are above 28 degrees. And they put out their warning for all riders to observe closures, stay on marked trails and respect private lands.

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