BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2017 VOL. 55 NO. 45 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
CHECK OUT WATERCROSS ACTION PHOTOS ON PGS. 13-14
Gypsy moths defoliate 60 acres of private land SEAN DEVLIN EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
SEAN DEVLIN | SENTINEL
2017 Gandy Dancer Airshow The Gandy Dancer Airshow in Siren went off without a hitch as people lined the runway at the Burnett County Airport. The show started off with a little patriotic parachute ride.
40-year-old woman dies after falling into river Polk County— Staci Marie Meehan, 40, Balaton, Minn., after going under water in the St. Croix River was hospitalized at the Osceola Medical Center and later transferred to Regions Hospital by helicopter. Deputies were called just after 1:30 p.m. Saturday and informed of a possible drowning. The call was tracked and led Osceola fire and ambulance services by boat to a location south of the Osceola boat landing. Upon arrival, Meehan was located and already receiving CPR. Meehan, who was camping on an island on the Wisconsin side of the river, was walking in the water when she fell and went under. A release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Department said Staci Marie Meehan of Balaton died at 2:39 a.m. Sunday. Sean Devlin, Editor
Webb Lake couple files complaint in suit against county, town, officer
TOWN OF DEWEY— Over the course of two and half months, Rachel Swanson’s property fell victim to the defoliation of 60 acres of high value trees by foliage chomping gypsy moths. Her trees look as though winter is on its way. Gypsy moths are an invasive species first introduced to the United States in 1869 by entomologist E. Leopold Trouvelot. The species was brought to New York in the hopes that by breeding the gypsy moth with the silk worm, a stronger, more weather resistant silk would be produced. Unfortunately, years later, it was discovered gypsy moths are extremely destructive to landscapes by their defoliation eating habit. Nearly a century later, gypsy moths were spotted in eastern Wisconsin. As caterpillars, these insects have hairy bodies with blue and red spots. When hatched, gypsy moths can grow up to three inches long within six weeks. Forest Health Specialist Paul Cigan recently observed Swanson’s property noting an isolated gypsy moth outbreak with severe to light defoliation across 60 acres. “A seven-acre block of 15-year-old aspen sustained over 75 percent defoliation. Defoliation occurred on aspen, birch, white and red oak, red maple, and red and white pine. Life stages ranged from third instar larvae to adults, with late instars and pupae being the most abundant stages,” he said. The state is separated into quarantine and non-quarantine counties. Fifty of Wisconsin’s counties fall under the category of quarantine in which there are high volumes of gypsy moths. These counties can choose to partner with the DNR to receive aerial sprays to suppress the abundance of gypsy moths. See map below. SEE GYPSY MOTHS, PAGE 6
BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
WEBB LAKE—A Bayfield couple has filed a formal complaint in U.S. Federal District Court of Western Wisconsin requesting a jury trial in a civil suit against Burnett County, a county sheriff deputy, the Town of Webb Lake and its board chairman Steve Austin. Edward and Janet Batton, who own a second SEE WEBB LAKE, PAGE 7
Quarantined areas shown in red, non-quarantined areas in white.
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