Resolution to adopt the 2022-2042 Sauk County Farm Property Master Plan as an Appendix to the 2020-2024 Sauk County Outdoor Recreation Plan.

BACKGROUND:

The Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department has created the 2022-2042 Sauk County Farm Property Master Plan (Appendix A) to ensure the continued management of the site’s agricultural and natural resources, preservation of its historic features, and the transformation of the space into an educational resource for the communities of Sauk County. Over the next 20 years, the County Farm is envisioned to become an important educational resource for Sauk County residents of all ages and backgrounds to learn about regenerative, profitable, and resilient agricultural practices through on-site demonstration, research and collaborative partnerships. The master plan was designed for targeted collaboration between community stakeholders centered on the following goals: to create educational opportunities for Sauk County’s current and future farmers through community partnerships; utilize the space for agricultural demonstration and research; and pay homage to the history and people of the property. The County Farm will become a space where educational institutions, non-profit organizations, public agencies, and any interested person in Sauk County can converge to learn about farming and train the leaders who will carry forward our community’s agricultural legacy.

Additionally, the Plan is intended to expand upon the principles laid out in the Sauk County 2020-2024 Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP). Primary priorities throughout the planning process include further development of the County Park System; resource management and stewardship; partnerships; and economic development and tourism.

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 150-2019 adopting the 2020-2024 Sauk County Outdoor Recreation Plan was approved by the Sauk County Board of Supervisors on January 21, 2020; and,

WHEREAS, the four goals, or priorities areas of the CORP are identified as: 1) Further development of the County park system; 2) Resource management and stewardship; 3) Partnerships, and; 4) Economic development and tourism; and,

WHEREAS, The Sauk County Farm Property Master Plan intersects with the following priorities and objectives of the Sauk County Outdoor Recreation Plan; priority: further development of the County Park System, objectives: develop master plans for Sauk County properties;  priority: resource management and stewardship, objective: community education, and improved water quality; priority: partnerships, objectives: intersect with other units of government and non-government organizations (NGOs), and leverage recreational and planning grants; priority: economic development and tourism; and,