August newsletter

AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER WILL BE SHOWN AT THE MARCUS THEATER (Ward Ave. La Crosse) BEGINNING ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 11. This film drew two standing ovations when it was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. It’s an update, including the election of Donald Trump, to the award winning film, An Inconvenient Truth.

If you can, please attend (and take your friends, family, and neighbors). Find show times and get tickets at tinyurl.com/aislax (Friday before 5, seniors are $5)

OPEN STREETS IN LA CROSSE SEPTEMBER 3   As part of the annual Labor Day weekend La Crosse Bike Fest, the City of La Crosse will host its first OPEN STREETS event on Sunday, September 3 from noon to 4 p.m. La Crosse Open Streets is a partnership between the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation and Explore La Crosse with support from Downtown Mainstreet, Inc, the City of La Crosse and the La Crosse City Vision Foundation. The Coulee Region Sierra Club is also a sponsor.

Open Streets events create car-free spaces where people and families can exercise and play; at the same time, neighborhood businesses and vendors can engage the community and visitors in new ways. In La Crosse, the closed area will include Main Street from Ninth Street to Fifth Avenue South, Fifth Avenue from Main Street to King Street, and King to Fourth. The park-to-park event (from Burns Park on the East to Cameron Park on the west) will include artists, musicians, food vendors, retail activity, non-profit organizations and neighborhood groups. (And the Coulee Region Sierra Club!)

In addition, there will be a PROTECTED BIKE LANE (PBL) demonstration on Main (between Ninth and Seventh Streets) where people can see why PBLs are increasing in popularity around the world by providing bikes-only street lanes buffered from motorized vehicles by posts, blocks, planers, parked cars and/or other barriers, (This project is seeking
volunteers! Please email lacrossebybike-owner-at-yahoogroups.com) 

Open Streets is a worldwide movement modeled after Ciclovia, which began in Bogota, Columbia. Closing streets to car traffic promotes biking, walking and active living in the communal spaces that are otherwise dominated or made unsafe or unhealthy by moving and parked cars. Open Streets events are designed to be recurring and we hope that
this will be the first annual La Crosse Open Streets. 

If you would like to be involved as a volunteer, vendor, or sponsor, please contact Carolyn Dvorak (608 709-2945). You can follow updates at the event’s Facebook page: tinyurl.com/laxopnstrts

STILL Seeking BRF area members to help host Sierra Club display at the September 9 Green Life Expo in Black River Falls. Email crsierraclub-at-gmail.com! 

JOHN MUIR CHAPTER EXECUTIVE BOARD REP  Dave Wulf volunteered to represent the Coulee Region group on the state’s executive board but has had to step back temporarily due to health issues. Avery Van Gaard has stepped in to represent our group for now. The position may be shared once Dave gets back on his feet. Thanks to both for volunteering for this important position.

OCTOBER WATER ISSUES PROGRAM  The state Sierra Club  Water Team has released five papers highlighting Wisconsin’s most serious water problems (find them at sierraclub.org/wisconsin/protecting-water-resources). The Coulee Region group is working on a water quality program in October. More details in our September newsletter.

JULY'S BLACK RIVER CANOE TRIP  Thirty-eight kids and 'kids at heart' paddled, played, swam, camped on a sandbar, hiked up a waterfall, swam again, rolled down a sandbank, saw an eagle, learned a few things, paddled, swam, and played some more. Perfect weather. Fine water levels ranging from 1400 cfs to 1100 cfs. Sing-a-long, s'mores, and dramatic cloud displays, too. Thanks to Pat and Bobbie for organizing and leading this trip!!

COULEE REGION GROUP APPLAUDS MAYOR'S READY FOR 100 SUPPORT  In an August letter to Mayor Tim Kabat of La Crosse, the executive board of the Coulee Region group thanked the mayor for his support of the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 initiative and offered total support to help make La Crosse a 100% renewable city as quickly as possible. We hope the mayor will work with the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations and agencies in the area to work out an action plan and timeline.

CONNECT WITH US! online at tinyurl.com/crsierra, cr-sierra.blogspot.com, or crsierraclub-at-gmail.com. If you know of an environmental event or outing in your area of the Coulee Region group, please let us know so we can include it in our calendar. If your area needs support for an environmental issue, please contact us so we can activate our members.