e-newsletter

Issue 4	www.uwsp.edu/cnr/landcenter/		February, 2006

From the Center The Land Use Guide is available on the Center web site in portable document format (.pdf). The guide is also available in paper copy. E-mail Cheryl Wagner of DOA to request a copy. Update of the Zoning Board Handbook continues. Workshops Zoning Board of Adjustment/Appeals - Beginning thru Advanced Feb 8, Wausau, 5:30-9:00 p.m. Feb 24, Green Bay, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Mar 3, Bristol, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Mar 10, Richland Center, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Plan Commission Implementation Feb 1, Ashland County, 3:00-6:00 p.m. More information will be posted to the workshops webpage as it becomes available. Conferences/Events Mar 1-3 - 2006 Annual Professional Improvement Conference of the Wisconsin Association of Land Conservation Employees, Madison Concourse Hotel Mar 30-31 - The spring conference of the Wisconsin County Code Administrators at the Stoney Creek Inn, Wausau Mar 31-Apr 1 - Conservation in Common � Actions and Strategies to Protect Your Rivers, Parks and Trails, Camp Matawa (Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest). April 5-10 - Join the Ultimate Land Use Study Tour and learn how growth management and farmland protection programs have been successfully implemented in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This rolling classroom bus tour is intended for elected officials, planning committees and all others involved in land use in Wisconsin. For additional information and a pre-registration form visit the UW-Extension Waupaca County website. Coordinated by UWEX Waupaca County and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. April 6-7 - Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference, Chula Vista Resort and Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Visit the WAPA website for more information. April 28-29 - Conservation in Common � Actions and Strategies to Protect Your Rivers, Parks and Trails, Holiday Acres Resort (4 mi. east of Rhinelander). If you have an article you would like to submit to the Land Use Tracker quarterly newsletter, contact Rebecca Roberts, Managing Editor, or mail your submission to: The Land Use Tracker Center for Land Use Education UW-Stevens Point 800 Reserve St Stevens Point, WI 54481 It should be 1,000 words or less; Be informative; Be of state-wide concern; And address a land use issue.		News From Around the State Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online - Milwaukee [Town of] Randall's rural feel favored Residents urge town to keep up legal fight Grants Available for Community-Based Wetland Restoration Projects NACo and the Five Star Restoration Challenge Grant Program project partners are currently accepting applications for the 2006 grants. The program provides modest financial assistance on a competitive basis to support community-based wetland, riparian and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities. Application deadline is Mar 30, 06. For more information and examples of past projects, visit NACo's Water Quality page or contact Erik Johnston at 202-942-4246. Considering a wood stove? How much land would it take to heat all Wisconsin homes with firewood? by Sam Williams, UWSP Forestry Major With steeply increasing prices of natural gas and heating oil many people are considering alternate fuels for heating their homes, whether it be corn, wood pellets, or the more traditional firewood. While corn and wood pellets are becoming more popular, firewood is still the most popular, and the fuel type being featured in this article. One question raised by increased wood burning for home heating is whether it can be done on a sustainable basis. The average home in Wisconsin uses about 92.2 million btus per year for heating, and one cord of wood contains an average of 21 million btus. That means it takes roughly 4.4 cords annually per home if wood is used as the only source of heat for that home. On a good site that is well managed, an acre of land in Wisconsin is capable of growing one cord per year. Given that Wisconsin has 2,084,544 homes, it would take 9,171,994 acres of sustainably harvested forests to heat all of the homes in Wisconsin. This is 57% of the 16 million acres of forest in the state. Devoting 9,171,994 acres of Wisconsin�s forestland to home heating might decrease the raw materials available for state�s paper, lumber and other wood product industries. Publications Protecting Water Resources with Higher-Density Development The environmental impacts of development can make it more difficult for communities to protect their natural resources. Where and how communities accommodate growth has a profound impact on the quality of their streams, rivers, lakes, and beaches. Development that uses land efficiently and protects undisturbed natural lands allows a community to grow and still protect its water resources. EPA. Paving over paradise: how land use regulations promote residential imperviousness This paper examines the influence of residential zoning and subdivision regulations on the extent and distribution of impervious land cover in Madison, WI. Specifically, an analysis of approximately 40,000 single-family residential parcels in the Madison region is presented to assess the impact of land development regulations governing lot size, lot frontage, front yard setbacks, street width, and the neighborhood street network configuration on total parcel impervious cover. Brian Stone, Jr, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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Copyright 2005-6, Center for Land Use Education, a joint venture of the University of Wisconsin-Extension Cooperative Extension and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point