$4.1 million awarded to Gile Flowage land project

By P.J. GLISSON

[email protected]

GILE, Wis. — Iron County has been awarded a $4.1 million federal grant that will allow the Gile Flowage Land Conservation Project to acquire 1,055 acres of undeveloped property.

Eric Peterson, the county’s forestry administrator, told The Globe on Tuesday that he expects most of the funds to be used to purchase desired property from Xcel Energy. He added that any remaining funds would go toward restoration of the land.

“It’s primarily scattered land around the east, south and west sides of the Flowage,” said Peterson.

“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recommended $75 million to support coastal habitat restoration and conservation in partnership with state coastal management programs and national estuarine research reserves, with funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act,” said a Monday press release from Peterson’s office.

“The objective of this funding is to increase resilience through landscape-scale habitat restoration in coastal ecosystems nationwide, and to promote coastal resilience in underserved coastal communities, as well as those most vulnerable to climate impacts,” said the notice.

Regarding whether the local grant is the largest amount of money ever allotted to Flowage, Peterson added on Tuesday, “I would make that assumption.”

He said the grant was pursued as a joint effort among three parties: his own department, the Friends of the Gile Flowage and Wisconsin Coastal Management.

“We’re probably in our fifth year of trying to get funds,” said Peterson, adding that a letter of intent had been sent in August 2023, followed by the grant application in January.

He emphasized that the county’s only contribution in the land acquisition will be his own time.

“This is one of two projects selected in Wisconsin and one of 30 in the country,” said Peterson. “It’s a pretty significant project.”

The other project chosen in Wisconsin was for river restoration work in Fort Washington in the southeast part of the state.

The press release said that the Gile project aims “to provide long-term conservation of critical habitat in Lake Superior’s coastal zone.”

In addition, the report said, “The acquisition will add to a contiguous block of county-owned land that is managed for conservation values, including habitat corridors, climate resilience, and public access. The project will support underserved and tribal communities by ensuring permanent public accessibility to the land and protecting treaty rights usage by the Lac du Flambeau and Bad River Indian reservations.”

Peterson said Tuesday, “The tribes have their hunting, fishing, gathering rights within this territory, so this adds land for them.”

“On behalf of the Friends of the Gile Flowage, we are grateful for NOAA selecting this project,” said Cathy Techtmann, president of the Friends of the Gile Flowage. “This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now makes it possible to protect the Flowage’s unique conservation values, increase the climate resiliency of adjacent underserved and economically disadvantaged communities, protect treaty rights access for neighboring bands of the Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, and ensure equitable public access for this unique Lake Superior coastal zone waterbody in perpetuity.”

Moreover, added Peterson, “This acquisition will provide additional public access and passive recreational opportunities while continuing to promote existing public usage.”

Peterson said the grant does not officially begin until Aug. 1.

First, he said, the federal government must do permit reviews on all projects funded throughout the country.

Then, appraisals and title work will occur locally.

“It’s probably going to be sometime in 2025,” he said in relation to the land acquisition being complete.

Peterson said the Flowage project is part of a 15-year comprehensive land use plan that the county started in 2020.

He said there are no other goals for the Flowage at this time.