On Tuesday, the Marinette County Board reviewed a resolution to terminate its agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) concerning the Pike River. The Pike River, one of only five in Wisconsin with a Wild River designation, has raised concerns among residents who fear that ending the agreement might lead to logging along its banks. Officials indicated that the primary issue is the outdated nature of the current agreement, which has been in place since 1991. Retired Marinette County Forester Dan Mertz remarked, “For twenty of the 43 years, I was very involved in forestry management.”
Ryan Severson, DNR Northeast District forestry leader, says, “DNR Forestry provides nearly 3,000 hours of service to Marinette County every year, and we greatly value that partnership.”
Instead of voting to terminate the agreement, the board decided to refer the issue back to the committee to develop a new plan for the Pike River.
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