State Land and Water Conservation Board: 2025-2026 Election

I am pleased to have been nominated for a second term on the Land and Water Conservation Board. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first two years on the board, especially meeting and working with all the amazing professional staff on LWCB, as well as my fellow board members. Everyone was very welcoming and encouraging. 

Also, it is a wonderful benefit to learn from all the amazing work being done around the state. Listening to and learning from all the counties’ various land and water management plans is not only helpful to me with my county planning committee, but it is a wonderful reminder of all the hard work being done every day, on the ground, to protect WI’s amazing natural resources. 

I am serving my 3rd term on the Sheboygan County Board. Currently, I am chair of our Planning, Resources, Agriculture and Extension Committee. Because of my background in natural resources, I obviously enjoy the committee’s work and hope to continue to serve as long as I am on the board. I have my undergraduate and master’s degrees from UW-Stevens Point in Natural Resource Management and worked in Environmental Education for over 20 years with various organizations including the DNR, UWEX and the UW system. 

I am also on our county’s Health and Human Services Committee, which I believe is a nice combination as many issues can overlap with things like environmental health, air quality, water quality, etc. 

I am also chair of the City of Sheboyan’s Sustainability Task Force, I serve on the City’s Marina, Parks and Forestry Commission, and I have been a long time member of Sheboygan County’s Deer Advisory Council. All of these activities as well as my career experience have given me a background to help meet the challenges facing our natural resources while keeping things non-partisan. 

I know there are always going to be challenges, and not just environmental issues like water quality, PFAS, and climate change mitigation, but every county faces the challenges of funding. It can feel hard to know how to prioritize with the funding you have. I like to think the LWCB is the “shot in the arm” for county soil and conservation staff, to know they are appreciated and that we understand and advocate to correct those challenges we all face. 

I hope I win the chance to serve on the LWCB for another two years. And let me also strongly encourage others to think about running for a term. The information you receive, and the connections you make are invaluable to anyone serving on your county planning and conservation committee and beyond. 

Thank you.

My name is Yogesh Chawla and I am the Dane County Board Supervisor for District 6 representing the near east side of Madison, WI. During my tenure on the Dane County Board, I have chaired the Land Conservation Committee and currently chair the Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. I also serve on the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board. 

My passion through these roles is to increase resilience to climate change while directly supporting our rural and farming communities. My district has the most waterfront on the County Board and I have worked diligently to reduce phosphorous pollution while providing beneficial programs to producers. I have supported increases in funding for programs including cover crops, harvestable buIer strips, and nutrient management plans. 

In 2018, Dane County had catastrophic flooding. I served on the Flooding Task Force and drafted recommendations for flood resilience including sediment removal to move water through the Yahara watershed faster. I also increased funding for a special flooding fund that focused on identifying land in the watershed for wetlands development to keep rain where it falls. 

PFAS pollution is an emerging statewide issue. During my tenure as EANR chair, I worked to publish all PFAS test results to the public, remove PFAS from firefighting operations at the airport and clarified an agreement with the Air National Guard to limit the scope of indemnification clauses. 

Many of the issues we face locally as municipalities are the same challenges our neighbors face across the state. My passion is to work collaboratively on the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board to protect our environment and develop solutions that are mutually beneficially to everyone in our ecosystem.

My name is Mike Hofberger and I have accepted the nomination for the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board from the Lake Winnebago Area Association. I believe that Land Conservation Committee (LCC) members should be fully utilized in Wisconsin’s conservation efforts and my experience qualifies me to best use the knowledge of an experienced LCC member to guide our conservation efforts.

I grew up on a dairy farm, graduated from Stevens Point with a degree in Resource Management (Conservation), married Gail and raised two children. I worked for the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) for about 37 years. I also retired from the Army Reserve after about 24 years of service.

My (our) fun activities include biking, pickleball, golf, kids, dog training, traveling, and church. I also enjoy hunting, fishing, maple syrup harvesting, and gardening.

I joined the Calumet County Board after retiring because I had the time and interest in land use. I am currently involved in all things conservation with Calumet County Land and Water Conservation and Wisconsin Land+Water.

My current Board activities include chair of the Calumet County Land and Water Conservation Committee; Calumet County Planning, Zoning, and Farmland Preservation Committee; and President of the Board of Directors for Glacierland RC&D. I am on the Board of Directors for Wisconsin Land+Water as well as the Executive Committee. I am also on the Agriculture, Environment, and Land Use Committee for Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA).

The Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board consists of 11 members, 5 of which are Governor appointed, 3 who are agency leaders, and 3 who are elected from Wisconsin Land Conservation Committees. I want to ensure that the voice of the LCCs is heard on the board.

To our valued Association members,

I would like to announce my intention to seek another term as your representative on the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board. Hearing and responding to your ideas and concerns, knowing open communication is the key to strengthening our organization, is my top priority. I appreciate your past support and take very seriously the trust you place in me. A few of my past and current relevant experiences which compliment the position are as follows:

-Past County Board Supervisor, Racine County
- Economic Development and Land Use, Planning. Zoning Committee
- Land Conservation Committee Chair; authored and passed numerous environmental related resolutions
-Public Works Committee
-County Ambassador to State Legislature, Wisconsin Counties Association appointment
- Racine Zoo Board – Operational Oversight; secured funding for major Zoo conservation projects
- Founding Chairman – Youth In Governance Committee, Racine County Youth Advocate Award
- WLWCA (Wisconsin Land+Water Conservation Association) Outstanding Supervisor of the Year
- WLWCA Legislative Committee
- WLWCA Executive Committee
- WLWCA Board of Directors Chair; leading organizational growth and strengthening financial management, Southeast Area LCC member
- Led successful effort to restore state conservation funding
- Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board, Vice-Chair, UW Committee on Research and Education
- NACD (National Association of Conservation Districts) Wisconsin Representative, National Outreach Chair, Urban and Community Conservation and Agriculture Committee, Vice-Chairman, Coastal Resources Committee, Water and Climate Committee, Secured 2025 NACD Summer meeting in Wisconsin
- Root River Watershed Restoration Plan committee; 200 sq. mile watershed initiative; 9-point EPA plan
- Led initiative to create PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) funding tool for green development, Appointed state PACE Commissioner
- Self-employed in numerous disciplines for over 30 years; created several professional training curriculums
- Land and Water Conservation Board member, carried resolution forward to support developing communities, supported efforts to include 9 key element plans, testified before Speakers task Force on Water Quality, leading bylaws change to recognize WLWCA members

My interest in environmental stewardship started over 40 years ago when I worked at a summer camp s a counselor for developmentally and physically disabled youth. Those campers and I worked together in a stream restoration effort on the grounds with that project winning a statewide conservation award. That experience motivated a passion for conservation which has lasted a lifetime. My wife Mary and I live in Racine next to Lake Michigan, raised children there, and have two beautiful grandchildren. It is my intention to leave a legacy of environmental stewardship that our family, Association and state can be proud of. I have been self-employed my entire adult life. Using those experiences to blend business concerns with environmental initiatives and my unique background around development programs I hope will help inform this Board through valuable perspective. I am proud of helping move the Land and Water Conservation Board in the direction of addressing climate resilience, urban conservation efforts, and proactive approaches to resource management. I hope to continue this work with your support. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Thank you, Monte

Monte G. Osterman

Wisconsin Land + Water, Board Chair

Greetings,

My name is Terry White and I am writing this as my letter of introduction as a candidate for the WI Land & Water Conservation Board. With the exception of working at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for almost 12 years, I have lived in Douglas County my entire life. I grew up having the woodlands and shorelands of Lake Superior and the St. Louis River Estuary as my playground. I served nine years on the Douglas County Board of Supervisors; while on the Board, I sat on the Land Conservation, Forestry, and Land and Development Committees. I currently sit on the Land Conservation Committee as well as the Reserve Advisory Board for the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve as an alternate. I have just been selected to serve on the “Great lakes Water Quality Board” for the International Joint Commission (IJC) and should soon be on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis River Alliance, as I’m told that they will vote me in at their next meeting.

I’ve been a member of the Lake Superior Bi-National Forum, Wisconsin Coastal Management Council, the Wisconsin Point Committee, and the NERR’s Reserve’s Advisory Board. I’ve been a Certified Wind and Solar Site Assessor as well as a Home Energy Assessor working with Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy Program. I worked on Douglas County’s Farmland Preservation Plan and the Watershed Planning Committee. In 2017 I received the “Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Lake Superior NERR for my help in remodeling their then new Lake Superior Estuarium.

My work continues with our Land and Water locally and I am also a Beekeeper, currently working 9 hives. I work in partnership with one of our local beef ranchers, letting him hay our fields in return getting black dirt for our gardens. We are looking into expanding my apiary by putting a couple hives on his farm to help with pollination.

I am a retired Millwright working out of Virginia, Minnesota, finishing my career as an Apprenticeship Instructor for Northern Minnesota and North Dakota. I am an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa and have grown up with land and water protection engrained in my lifestyle.

I look forward to working with the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association if given the chance and being elected to do so. Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

Sincerely,

Terry W. White

218-393-9418

twmillwhite60@gmail.com