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Douglas County Land & Water Conservation Department 1313 Belknap St., Room 206 Superior, WI 54880 Land Conservationist: [EMAIL REDACTED] (715) 395-1266 Land Conservation Technician: (715) 395-7266 Douglas County Land & Water Conservation ● www.douglascountywi.org/305/Land-Conservation The 2006 agreement between Douglas County and the American Transmission Company concerning construction of the Arrowhead-Weston Transmission Line in Douglas County was a significant task undertaken by members of Douglas County, including county representatives, staff, and citizens. A significant sum of money from the ATC came with that agreement to be used for environmental purposes as a way to mitigate environmental impacts of the new line. Douglas County combined some of this money with other sources to develop the Environmental Reserve Fund, administered by the Douglas County Land Conservation Committee (LCC) with oversight by the Administration Committee and County Board. The purpose of the fund is to make available modest amounts of money to small, Douglas County entities working on environmental issues; while earning interest, which will be applied to the principal, to continue the fund into the future. Below are restrictions and requirements of using the fund: Annual expenditures should be less than the annual interest earned* Fund expenditures may only be used to leverage other funding; therefore, projects must include multiple funding partners** Fund expenditures may only be used for environmental projects with demonstrable public benefits Fund expenditures must be approved by the Land Conservation committee, Administration committee, and the County Board Funding recipients must complete a project request form and sign a contract to receive funding * Exceptions to this requirement may be at the discretion of the Land Conservation Committee depending on project requests; subject to the other requirements Exceptions to this requirement will be made for emergencies, which are at the discretion of the Land Conservation Committee and subject to the other requirements Prepared by Douglas County Land & Water Conservation; For more information, please contact: Ashley Vande Voort, Douglas County Conservationist Phone: [PHONE REDACTED], Email: [EMAIL REDACTED] Please keep this double sided page for your records ---PAGE BREAK--- Process 1) Applicants will receive these instructions and a Project Request Form. 2) Applicants must complete the form and return it to the County Conservationist (see address below). 3) Applicants are encouraged to appear before the Land Conservation Committee at a regularly scheduled meeting to answer questions. 4) Applications will be reviewed by the Land Conservation Committee. 5) The Land Conservation Committee will recommend successful project requests to the Administration Committee and then the County Board. 6) The selected fund recipient will sign the Project Contract. 7) Funding will be given to the fund recipient; timing will be at the discretion of the Land Conservation Committee decided during the ranking process. 8) The fund recipient will provide the County Conservationist with a final report, including final expenditures, immediately following the completion of the project. If the project is not completed within 12 months, a 12-month report must be filed in addition to a final report. Projects consistent with the following county-adopted goals will have higher levels of support: Enhancing the natural character of Douglas County Protecting and enhancing surface water resources and natural habitat areas Protecting and enhancing the quantity and quality of groundwater supplies Non-chemical portions of invasive species planning, prevention, education, and control plans Encouraging alternative energy sources Renewing, re-using, and/or re-cycling efforts Promoting environmental education Encouraging ecological restoration Open, or beneficial, to all county citizens Installing conservation practices on the land Please return the completed Project Request Form to: Douglas County Land & Water Conservation 1313 Belknap Street, Room 206 Superior, WI 54880 Or: [EMAIL REDACTED]; Fax: [PHONE REDACTED] In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs, or disability. We operate in compliance with the equal opportunity policies and all applicable state and federal statutes and regulations relating to nondiscrimination in employment and service delivery.