April 14, 2022 at 1:43 p.m.
Getting to know Oneida County conservationist Michele Sadauskas
Getting to know Oneida County conservationist Michele Sadauskas
"We had friends whose mom was a schoolteacher," she said. "They came up in summer. Nanny rang the bell when she wanted to bring us home for dinner or lunch, and the rest of the time we were in the woods or in the crick." Fishing was one of her favorite activities as a child, too, she said.
Even at a young age Sadauskas wanted to teach. She did not know much about what it entailed, but she felt like that was something she would enjoy. She also really enjoyed the forest. She began taking classes to become a teacher, attending Nicolet College. It was then she decided that forest management was more her style, and took that route instead.
That decided, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where she earned degrees in forestry and plant ecology.
Stevens Point was her first choice for attending college, but she also looked at Northland College in Ashland, she said. She did not know as much about Northland, but she had a draw to Stevens Point. It was fairly close to home and it was known for its natural resources program. She started her college education at Nicolet College, which allowed her to stay even closer to home for that time. Then she went on into the field of forestry after graduating from Stevens Point.
"You know, I never really liked the work," she laughed. "I loved learning about it. I loved being and just playing in the forest, but when it got to marking timber and doing that technician stuff, it wasn't for me. I was missing the people aspect."
At that point, she knew it just wasn't the right fit. She took a few different positions for a time, not quite knowing where she would wind up.
She and her partner Laure moved to the Glidden area where Laure took a teaching job. That winter Sadauskas immersed herself in the outdoors, doing outdoor photography and enjoying being back up north. It was then that the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) coordinator position with Oneida County became available.
"That really seemed to be a great fit," she said. "It had my biology background, you know, I grew up on Pioneer Creek. I lived in the woods, and I got to work with people. It really fit that niche." The position was part time when she first started, she said. There was some discussion as to whether the position would be full-time or not. Ultimately, it became a full time position that Sadauskas truly enjoyed. It combined not only her love of the outdoors, but also gave her the opportunity to work with people and teach them about the outdoors as well.
In 2016, Sadauskas took the Oneida County conservationist position, which she holds to this day. She enjoys the position because of the diverse areas in which she works.
"You never know what you're going to get into," she said. "You never know what the question is going to be on the other end of the line." Some of the work is cyclical, such as grant application periods and adding summer staff, but even that work is different each time it comes around.
While the county has a land and water plan, Sadauskas said, there are so many projects that can fit into that plan. Sometimes the county's land and water committee is asking for certain projects to be tackled and other times it is residents of the county that spur on a specific project.
"The other component, that I was dearly missing when I started my forestry career was the people component," she said. "Not only my staff, but the clients, the land owners we work with and the partnerships that we have."
Any project that allows her to deal with plants, pollinators plants as well as beneficial insects are her favorites to tackle. She is also a numbers person and enjoys grant administration, which is a large part of her job. She estimated at least 30% of her time is spent on grants.
"Sometimes our biggest role is to be that liaison," she said of her department's mission. "You know, sometimes we're just answering questions. And sometimes we can answer those questions. But sometimes it's just getting that person to the right department, whether it's zoning or the DNR or WHIP, wherever we go from here. It is not often we get stumped. We can usually make that connection."
Lakeshore restoration and water quality are a major focus of the land and water conservation department. The department also has a robust aquatic invasive species program as well as a terrestrial invasives program.
Sadauskas is also the head of the steering committee for the Wisconsin Headwaters Invasives Partnership (WHIP), which is focused on terrestrial invasive species. She said WHIP was just starting out at the time that she started as the AIS coordinator. At that point she did not have a lot of involvement, but Jean Hansen from the department was involved, so it was always on Sadauskas' radar.
"It's another good fit," she said of her role as the steering committee chair. "It's not like I play a humongous role because everybody comes together as a group. With Rosie Page leading as our coordinator, it's our job to kind of guide her when she needs guiding. But Rosie is a go-getter."
Sadauskas is not all work and no play, however. She has many outside interests, all of which involve the outdoors in one way or another. She is a plant nut and loves to garden.
"I like to grow," she said. She has her own small greenhouse on her property where she grows just about anything. Sweet potatoes have been a favorite lately, she said, of which there are hundreds of varieties. They come in any color imaginable, she said. Peppers, tomatoes, peas, Brussels sprouts - all of those things might be found in the raised beds at her home.
The other hobby she loves is night photography. She loves being out at night along streams or lakes. When the skies are clear she can usually be found outside with her camera. Some of the shots she captures can take hours to achieve, she said, but the results are worth the time.
"Maybe I'm just a space junkie," she said. "I just like the stars. I like astronomy."
She also enjoys time playing with her three dogs. She is a huge pit bull advocate, and has been for years. When she adopted her first pit bull years ago, she said she did not fully understand the stigma behind the breed.
"When we adopted our first pit bull back in Point, we were clueless as to the stigma," She said. The dog had scars down his back from previous cruelty, and was just ready for someone to care for him. "People were walking across the street. They were holding their babies tighter. It was all there." At that point she became an ambassador for the breed.
When asked what she felt would surprise people about her if they did not know her well, she came up with a podcast. She said she absolutely loves the podcast "Sasquatch Chronicles."
"Sometimes I wonder how I listen to this stuff and feel at peace in the dark under the stars," she laughed. She said she loves the witness accounts and finds them fascinating.
The main thing she wants people to know about her job is that her department is there to help. When people have an issue or a problem on their land or shoreline, she and her staff can help them find solutions.
"I'm approachable," she said of her position as county conservationist. "I love to answer questions and help people."
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].
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