The campaign to rewrite Oneida County zoning laws did not start with a public referendum. It began inside a county committee room with a 31-page draft proposing sweeping revisions to local land-use regulations. While the document appeared at a local level, its authors represented out-of-state interests rather than county planners.

This sudden focus on Northwoods municipal code followed a specific event. In 2021, conservationists secured a permanent easement for the 70,000-acre Pelican River Forest. The project guaranteed public access and sustainable timber harvests, but it also triggered a reaction from groups wary of government-funded land protections. These organizations categorized the easement as a loss of local jurisdiction and attempted to utilize the county's zoning authority to create a new layer of oversight for future conservation projects.

The American Stewards of Liberty (ASL) led this effort. Based in Texas, ASL defines itself as a property rights advocacy group. Their primary strategy involves a legal theory called "coordination."

ASL encourages rural county boards to update their comprehensive plans with language requiring state and federal agencies to align their actions with local policies before funding conservation projects. ASL argues this process grants local municipalities a significant role in federal and state land-use decisions.

The theory faces significant legal scrutiny in Wisconsin. Former Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a formal opinion stating that local coordination mandates cannot override state or federal law. He concluded that state agencies maintain primary authority over their own programs. Despite this legal challenge, ASL continues to promote the strategy as a valid method for rural counties to assert local preference over state-led conservation.

U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany facilitated ASL's presence in the Northwoods. Tiffany criticized the Pelican River Forest easement, arguing that permanent conservation could limit the regional timber industry. Reporting by the Wisconsin Examiner shows Tiffany collaborated with ASL Executive Director Margaret Byfield and Oneida County Board Chair Scott Holewinski to integrate the coordination framework into the county's planning process.

ASL further solidified its local standing by partnering with the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association. Together, these organizations submitted the 31-page revision of the Oneida County comprehensive plan. Key proponents on the County Board, including Holewinski and Supervisors Dan Hess, Bob Almekinder, and Billy Fried, moved to advance the document through the Planning and Development Committee.

The proposal aimed to formalize the county's role in land acquisitions. It inserted the coordination mandate into the primary planning document, requiring the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to seek county input before funding new forestry easements.

The draft also proposed significant changes to environmental language. It replaced the directive to "minimize impacts" on natural resources with a requirement to only "consider impacts." This shift altered the county's regulatory stance, moving from a mandate for protection toward a more flexible advisory role. Additionally, the draft sought to reduce requirements for environmental impact studies regarding metallic mining and encouraged the subdivision of private woodlands for development.

In December 2024, the Oneida County Conservation and UW-Extension Education Committee reviewed the proposal. Citing concerns over legal liability and the potential for conflict with state law, the committee voted to strike the ASL language. This decision halted the comprehensive plan update. The update remained stalled throughout 2025 as the county continued to operate under its existing land-use guidelines.

The zoning dispute highlights a fundamental choice between two economic models for the Northwoods. One model prioritizes the right to subdivide and extract resources, viewing land as a flexible asset for development. The other model treats the forest as a permanent utility that supports a $9 billion recreation economy and protects the water supply for 40,000 people.

Local resources can either fund the procedural friction required to challenge state conservation, or they can fund the infrastructure required to sustain the regional economy. As the April 2026 elections approach, most supervisors who championed the ASL framework—including Holewinski, Hess, and Almekinder—face no opposition on the ballot. The future of the working forest depends on which of these priorities the county chooses to value.

Sidebar: The 2026 Supervisor Races

The April 7, 2026, spring election will determine the future of the Oneida County Board. While the debate over the ASL "coordination" language remains a central policy conflict, the electoral landscape suggests little turnover for the proponents of the draft.

Of the five primary supervisors who moved the ASL language through the Planning and Development Committee, four are running for re-election without an opponent.

• Scott Holewinski (District 14): The County Board Chair and lead proponent of the ASL framework is running unopposed.

• Bob Almekinder (District 19): A key member of the Planning and Development Committee is running unopposed.

• Dan Hess (District 10): The 2nd Vice-Chair of the Board is running unopposed.

• Billy Fried (District 17): A consistent supporter of the coordination resolutions is running unopposed.

The only contested race among the ASL-aligned group is in District 12. Incumbent Mitchell Ives, who frequently co-sponsored the coordination ordinances, faces a challenge from Kyle Kilbourn.

This lack of electoral competition ensures that the coalition supporting the ASL framework will likely retain its majority on the board. While the Conservation Committee successfully struck the language in late 2024, the political weight behind the original 31-page draft remains largely unchallenged at the ballot box.