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Split vote nixes area for hawks CROW WING COUNTY BOARD Senior Reporter A split vote at the Crow Wing County Board meeting denied a recommended 2,650-acre conservation area for the red-shouldered hawk.
Commissioners Dewey Tautges, Gary Walters and John Ferrari voted against the conservation area in Roosevelt Township, which was suggested earlier this month. The issue was tabled at the Nov. 14 board meeting so the board could hear from an area all-terrain vehicle club.
At the time, Tautges said he supported the conservation plan, but wanted to hear from the Pine Center Sportsmen's Club.
The red-shouldered hawk is a species of special concern in Minnesota. The Minnesota County Biological Survey identified the southeast part of the county as outstanding in terms of biodiversity and crucial habitat for the bird.
Land Commissioner Tom Cowell and the county Lands and Forestry Advisory Committee recommended the conservation area. In his report to the county board, Cowell said local pressure to expand ATV trails in the area may negatively affect the important habitat. The conservation plan did not preclude motorized travel on existing authorized trails but did discourage the creation of new trails whether they were motorized or not. The red-shouldered hawk needs older contiguous forest areas. Pam Perry, wildlife biologist with the DNR, said motorized trails in particular tend to break up the forest.
After learning there were as many as 40 pairs of red-shouldered hawks on the expansive Camp Ripley military reservation, Tautges said that if the hawks can handle Camp Ripley noise, they can live anywhere.
In other business, the county:
Approved a petition for the creation of the Lower South Long Lake Improvement District. Property owners within the shoreland district, namely 1,000 feet of the lake, will be included in the district. A district goal is to control the invasive species curlyleaf pondweed with approval from the DNR. Commissioners heard from those in favor of the project and those opposed, who suggested there were better ways to control the weed by individual property owners besides adding a broader tax burden. The annual cost is expected to be about $24,000, which amounts to about $80 per property owner per year. The addition of chemicals to the water requires DNR approval. In 2011, the treatment project would come back for a public hearing.
Agreed to cost sharing for an extension of the Paul Bunyan Trail next to County Highway 48. Construction is anticipated next spring. The trail will continue south from Southwest Fourth Street in Brainerd to connect with Baxter at College Drive.
Agreed to a Northern Pines Mental Health Center request for an additional $64,000 in 2007 to help fund a gap between the cost for psychiatric services and reimbursement rates.
Learned the county was awarded a two-year grant of $206,792 from the Department of Human Services for school-based counseling services, the Collaborative Service Team and psychiatric consultation. The funding is expected to help sustain several collaborative children's mental health projects.
Accepted Theresa Flinck's resignation from the Human Rights Commission.
Learned the Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to construct a turn lane on Highway 210 at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport's entrance.
Allowed a free one-year extension upon request for eligible timber contract holders, noting the construction and subsequent timber industry downturn.
Learned out-of-home placements for children are $299,160 below budget at this time.
Heard Crow Wing County is responsible for 46 percent of a $24,000 cost of required renovations at the Central Minnesota Juvenile Center. The tri-county project has Aitkin County paying 24 percent and Morrison County paying 30 percent of the cost. Crow Wing County owns the building that is housing the 16-bed juvenile center, based on the Brainerd Regional Human Services Center campus in Brainerd. The specified work is the result of a Department of Corrections inspection.
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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