Department Staff |
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Michele Sadauskas
County Conservationist
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Michele Sadauskas is the Oneida County Conservationist and joined the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department in 2011, as the Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator. Michele strives to develop landscape level projets that incorporate regional partners, especially those projects that involve native plantings!
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Sadauskas grew up on Pioneer Creek in Conover, WI and has a pasionate relationship with the water resources of the Northwoods. She graduated from UW-Stevens Point with majors in forest management and biology, focusig her studies on plant ecology.
Chubby
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She enjoys growing peppers, night photography, and is an advocate for pit bulls. She has owned two rescue pit bull mixes named Tsuga and Piglet and recently rescued another pit mix puppy-Chubby. You can reach her at [email protected]
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Stephanie Boismenue
Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator & Conservation Technician
Stephanie Boismenue is the Oneida County Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Coordinator and Conservation Technician and joined the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Team in 2014. She works closely with the public, lake groups, organizations, school groups, and partners to protect our freshwater natural resources, fisheries, recreational opportunities, health, and near shore property values from the introduction, spread, and detrimental effect of AIS.
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Stephanie provides AIS education, outreach, training, and technical assistance for Clean Boats Clean Waters, Citizens Lake Monitoring Network, Citizen Science programs, local and statewide AIS Campaigns, and AIS outreach programs such as AIS Bait Show, Dock Service Provider, Fishing Tournament, Waterfowl, and Ice Angler Outreach programs, She also assists lake groups with the development and implementation of AIS programs tailored to the diverse challeges of each lakes unique AIS issues and each lake groups unique needs.
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She is thrilled to work with so many wonderful citizens and lake groups who are passionate about the health of their lakes, want to learn more about their watersheds and what's below the surface, and turn their AIS awareness into actions that will protect their beloved lakes, rivers and wetlands from the detrimental impacts of AIS, now and for future generations.
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Some of her field work includes lake-wide AIS early detection and water quality monitoring throughout the county; AIS monitoring, management, control, rapid response, and hand removal; purple loosestrife biocontrol, AIS mapping and lake data management, aquatic plant and habitat inventory, and habitat restoration through sustainable land and water conservation practices.
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Stephanie's passion to protect our delicate freshwater ecosystems is influenced by her parents and a lifetime of explroring the woods and waters, camping, swimming, fishing, wilderness canoe trips in Ontario, kayaking Lake Superior, and SCUBA diving.
You can contact Steph at [email protected] or by calling the office at 715-369-7835. |
Clean Boats Clean Waters Watercraft Inspectors
In 2024, we had two Clean Boats Clean Waters Inspectors assisting our department. They have now returned to school. We hope they will be back in 2025. Thank you Jay & Lizzie!!
JoAnne Lund
River Grant Specialist & Special Projects Coordinator
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JoAnne joined the Oneida County LWCD team as the River Grant Specialist with the launch of the Great Lakes Stream Crossing Inventory in 2020.
This project strives to minimize environmental damage at roadway stream crossings by promoting more resilient and environmentally friendly construction. Efforts continued from 2021 to 2022 with completion of 308 surveys over 3 years. |
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JoAnne also conducted a pilot project on river mussel populations in Oneida County in 2021 and 2022. Twenty locations were sampled for freshwater mussels yielding a total of 17 species including the Elktoe mussel, a species of special concern in Wisconsin.
Her work continues into 2023-24 as the Special Projects Coordinator for the High Quality Waters Protection Project. Oneida County has some of the highest quality watersheds in the state and over 60 classified trout streams. Efforts include creating a lake classification system to develop protection guidelines related to usage stressors, and restoring connectivity of our waterways by working with landowners to improve stream crossings on private lands. |
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JoAnne’s formal education includes a BS in Zoology from UW-Madison and an MS in Insect Ecology from Texas State University-San Marcos. She has worked in many related fields for the US Forest Service including climate change research, native plants and pollinators, Monarch Butterflies, Northern Blue Butterflies, Spongy Moths, bats, bluebirds, loons, and wolves. She served for 3 years in the US Peace Corps in Burundi, central Africa as part of the Inland Fisheries Project.
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A Wisconsin native, JoAnne has a deep respect and appreciation for the natural environment. She enjoys kayaking, biking, back-country skiing, hiking, and nature photography. She is a yoga instructor and enjoys cooking and sharing good food with friends and family. You can reach JoAnne at [email protected] or by calling the office at 715-369-7835.
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Baerbel Ehrig
Lakeshore Restoration Specialist & Pollinator Coordinator
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Baerbel grew up in West Berlin, Germany and discovered her love for the outdoors after the Berlin wall came down in 1989. She came to the US as an exchange student and developed a deep respect and love for the beautiful nature of this country, and soon discovered that what you don't have, you yearn for.
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She developed her extensive knowledge of environmental sciences through studies and observation and received a Masters of Science degree (Msc) in Environmental Science from the University of Potsdam, Germany and specialized in soil science and climate change. She has built a deep understanding of the Northwoods' ecosystem through attending the Wilderness Guide Program at Teaching Drum Outdoor School in Three Lakes, WI. She has been involved in re-establishing native plant species in the region and the eradication of invasive species since 2006.
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In 2013, Baerbel conducted a terrestrial invasive plant species survey for the Town of Three Lakes. Since February, 2016, she has been part of the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation team as a Pollinator Project Coordinator and a Lakeshore Restoration Specialist. Since then, she has helped to increase habitat for pollinator species and worked with lake associations to help improve their water quality with restoration projects on their shoreline.
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Baerbel is a volunteer tracker for the Wisconsin DNR Wolf Population Survey and loves to do many outdoor activities like tracking, canoeing, swimming, and biking. She can regularly be found outdoors exploring. Contact Baerbel at [email protected]
Jonna Stephens Jewell
Administrative Assistant
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Jonna is the Land and Water Conservation office manager and takes care of departmental administrative tasks and other office duties. She started work with the University of Wisconsin Extension in February of 1982 and enjoyed a 30-year career in that office with particular emphasis on creative tasks, including brochure and newsletter design and publication.
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Although she officially retired from UW in 2012, Jonna returned to Oneida County in 2014 to assist our department during staff changes, and has been a valuable contributor to all of our projects and programs ever since.
Jonna especially enjoys the Annual poster contests that our department has been hosting for the past 14 years. Take a walk through the most recent photos of the 2024 Invasive Species Poster Contest page in the Courthouse Rotunda. |
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She serves as a Hodag Schools Foundation (HSF) Board member and when she is not in the office, she enjoys creating nature-based, artificial floral and feather arrangements and other creative projects. She welcomed a great granddaughter in May of 2022, and a new great grandson in April of 2024. You can reach Jonna at [email protected] or by calling 715-369-7835.
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