Meeting convened at 8:45 a.m.
Meeting Facilitator: John DuPlissis
Partners Present: Jason Folstad, Tom Jerow, Jack Zimmermann, Arvid Haugen, George Bartels, Dean Kaatz, Rebecca Power, Greg Lowe, John DuPlissis, Kim Grveles, Ron Dickrell, Tom Lochner, Dave Ericson, Bill Ebert and Tim Victor.

I. Welcome/Agenda Review – the group met at the Marshfield Wastewater Treatment Plant off of County Road A.

II. Working Group Reports
The Plover River working group is working out the language in their conservation easements they would like to acquire along the Plover River. There has been no word about if the Plover River Alliance Stewardship grant that they have applied for. The issue with The Plover River Alliance and Trout Unlimited having conflicting methods of preserving the Plover River was discussed. It was determined that the Plover River Alliance by offering conservation in the lower potations of the Plover River does not threaten Trout Unlimited ability to get in stream habitat easements they have been acquiring for free for the past ten years.
The Yellow River working group is temporally on hold until the conflict between the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and the Necedah Properties Owners Association come to an agreement on the Yellow River Focus Area. A public meeting is being planned in the near future to resolve any conflicts or issues surround the Yellow River Focus Area. The Necedah Refuge is currently working on a second 30 day comment period looking at the 15 year compressive Necedah Wildlife Refuge Plan and is currently going on until November 20th. For more information on this issue you can go to the FWS planning website at http://midwest.fws.gov/planning/necedahtop.htm. If you would be interested in commenting on this issue please send your written comments to:

Necedah National Wildlife Refuge
Attention: CCP Comment
W7996 20th Street West
Necedah, WI 54646

The Barrier Island working group was fortunate to have Jack Zimmermann, Water Sub-team Leader for the WIDNR, attend a public hearing on a rule change for being able to add breakwater structures on large inland bodies of water. Mr. Zimmermann was one of three people at the public hearing for the DNR administrative rule change on breakwater structures. Written comments could be sent in until Oct. 27th. A few of the partnership members still have some energy if this rule gets pass for working on the Barrier Island project.

III. Proposed New Project Updates
Mill Creek – (Headed by Tom Jerow, Ron Dickerl, Bill Ebert, Tim Victor and Jerry Stork) this project is not ready to come under the partnership wing. Mill Creek has a landowner group that is starting to gel and we would like to see the landowner group become established and then have them determine if they want to be included in the Central Wisconsin Basin Partnership. Mill Creek landowners have put together a project statement and a list of 14 goals that they would like to see accomplished. Bill Ebert has applied for a river grant to help form a Mill Creek Landowners Association in Wood and Portage Counties. The river grant has not been officially approved for Mill Creek but Goldensands RC&D is expecting word any time on the grant approvals.
Invasive Plants – (Headed by Arvid Haugen, Rebecca Powers and Kim Grveles) More work needs to be done to before the partnership group takes on this project. Currently we are looking into what groups and people would be out there to take on this project and efforts are being taken to make sure we are not duplicating efforts in this area. So far Kim is in contact with several-interested individual and groups who would like to see this project up and going in the Central Wisconsin Basin.
Habitat Protection Project – (headed by Kim Grveles) Kim would like to have a little more time to develop and establish what really needs to be accomplished. She would like to have a map developed of all parcels that are for sale, find all interested parties and have a local meeting to find interested people to help with the project.

IV. Discussion of an Educational Sub-committee
Several question were asked about having an Educational Sub-Committee for the Central Wisconsin Basin Partnership. What role would the sub-committee play in our partnership? Who would be appointed, how many people would be on the sub-committee and whom would we try to reach? Why do we need an educational sub-committee? Some of the comments that come up time and time again were. An educational sub-committee would educate our community and give a picture of our natural resources and how important they are to everyone. Several members thought that this would be a great way to promote the Central Wisconsin Basin Partnership, do local publication and address resource issues critical to our Basin. A working group was formed which include Tom Jerow, John DuPlissis, Dean Kaatz, Kim Grveles and UW-extension folks.

V. Tour of the Marshfield Wastewater Facility
Ron Dickrell, Superintendent of the Marshfield Waste Water Facility, led the members of the partnership on a tour of the facility. This facility was brought on line in 2000. Ron explained the working of the facility as the tour moved from the point where sewage enters the plant to where the treated effluent exits the plant and enters Mill Creek where it accounts for 96 percent of the in-stream flow.