ESCANABA — Under the management of the Delta Conservation District (DCD), Delta County’s parks did well financially in the county’s 2018-19 fiscal year. DCD Executive Director Rory Mattson delivered his annual report on the district’s performance during a meeting of the Delta County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.

“Many years ago, as you well know, Commissioner (David) Rivard asked for a report after every year … it’s always a pleasure to come up, introduce the board and the employees, and also go over what we did in the parks and the conservation district for the county in the last year,” Mattson said at the start of his presentation.

Mattson’s presentation included a look at the recent financial performance of the county’s parks, which the DCD has been responsible for managing for nine years. During the 2018-19 fiscal year — which ran from Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2019 — the parks’ total revenues were listed as $353,058, including its annual county appropriation of $50,000. Expenses for the parks were recorded as being $327,307, resulting in $25,751 the district carried over to the current fiscal year.

According to Mattson, the DCD has also been heavily involved with non-parks-related activities.

“Conservation districts — there’s 79 in the state, but we’re probably one of the most aggressive,” he said.

The district provided on-site assistance to 280 forest landowners, worked on forest management plans for 56 landowners, worked on 179 forestland projects, did timber harvests for 63 landowners, assisted 58 farmers and worked on 19 agriculture projects in the 2018-19 fiscal year. Its efforts related to forestry and wildlife had a total economic impact of $3,589,609 in the past fiscal year, and its efforts related to agriculture had a total economic impact of $609,186.

Mattson spoke about upcoming meetings the DCD will hold for local landowners over the coming months, as well.

One of these meetings, scheduled for April 21, will serve as the kickoff for a new initiative targeting landowners who own 20 or more acres of forestland. Tax incentives, project money, certifications and state exemptions these landowners can take advantage of will be discussed at the April 21 meeting.

Other upcoming DCD landowner meetings include a meeting about high water levels on April 30, a meeting about alternatives to artificial feeding and baiting on May 4 and a meeting about timber sales on May 5. All of the meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in room 952 of the Joseph Heirman University Center at Bay College.

Rivard expressed his gratitude to Mattson and other employees and board members of the DCD for their hard work.

“Rory, you’re the head of this, I thank you, but please express it to your staff and to the board,” he said.

In other business, the board of commissioners:

– signed a revised contract with Cross General Contracting, Inc. for the remodeling of the Friend of the Court office at the Delta County Courthouse. The project is expected to cost $107,600.

“We had taken the original bid and estimate and met with them, and we’ve whittled it down quite a bit,” County Administrator Emily DeSalvo said.

– approved a request made by Delta County Airport Manager Andrea Nummilien for access to Hannahville 2 percent grant funds. The money will be used to promote an air show the Yankee Air Museum is planning to put on at the airport.

– authorized the filling of the district court’s criminal clerk position.

– established a financial hardship policy.

– approved Emergency Management Coordinator Paul Geyer’s submission of an application for a $1,500 Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant through the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Department.

– officially acknowledged a Freedom of Information Act appeal it received from Ron Beauchamp regarding county election data.