November newsletter

 

VOTE November 5. Find your voting details at https://myvote.wi.gov

NOVEMBER 16 - BLUFFLAND WORK DAY on Stry Prairie, Miller Bluff, La Crosse from 8 a.m. to noon.  Friends of the Blufflands (FoB) and the Coulee Region Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts schedule many opportunities for volunteers to help ensure the perpetuation and recovery of important local areas. The work day starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at noon, but times could change as the weather turns cold and participants may volunteer as it fits their schedules. The site is steep, but there are options to work on flatter sections. Wear long pants, sturdy shoes, and bring water and a snack if desired. Tools will be supplied, but if you have a favorite pair of hand pruners or loppers, bring them. To participate with CRSC, please register by November 14 at https://tinyurl.com/CRSCFOB1116 or by calling 608-315-2693. The meeting point is at the end of Rim of the City Road. Location details will be sent to those who register and we will notify registered participants if schedules change.

NOVEMBER 12 - BOOK CLUB - Winter Counts     The Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter’s book club will meet from 7 to 8 p.m. on November 12 to discuss the new crime thriller Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. Winter Counts is a propulsive crime novel and a wonderfully informative book about life on Rosebud Reservation. Learn more and register to participate at https://tinyurl.com/WISC-1124Book.

NOVEMBER 13 - CHAPTER AWARDS!     Every year, the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter recognizes some of our many wonderful volunteers and community leaders for their dedication, passion and leadership. We could not do our work alone, and celebrating our award winners is one of the best parts of our year. This virtual ceremony will allow us all to be together and celebrate these environmental leaders from across the state. RSVP for this online event at https://tinyurl.com/WISC-24Awards or by calling 608-315-2693.

CRSC BOARD ELECTIONS      We are seeking candidates for the Coulee Region Sierra Club board. Elections will be in December. New terms begin in 2025. Terms are two years. The board meets monthly and plans club activities and events. If you are interested in serving your club, please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com OR call or text 608-315-2693 by November 15 with your name and a statement about why you are interested and your pertinent experience. If you need more information before deciding, please email, call, or text us. We encourage club members living outside the La Crosse area to self-nominate, but everyone is welcome to run. Members will get voting instructions, by email or postcard, later in November with online voting available from November 25 through December 30 and a paper ballot, to print out and mail, in the December newsletter. Please consider serving your club so we can remain strong, active, and effective in the new year!

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS     For spring 2025, CRSC will offer grants of up to $200 each for environmental education projects to schools or community organizations involving young people at the elementary and middle school level within the CRSC region: Crawford, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Trempealeau, and Vernon counties.
Applications may be completed online, emailed or mailed. The deadline for applications is January 5, 2025 with awards by January 31. Learn more: https://sierraclub.org/wisconsin/coulee/Education. Funding for this program is possible thanks to an annual grant from the Paul E. Stry Foundation, shared dues from club memberships, calendar sales, and donations made by community members. To donate, email CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call 608-315-2693. 

NOVEMBER 18 - FILM - PEOPLE AND WOLVES     On Monday, November 18 at 7 p.m., the Wisconsin Chapter will host an online screening of this new 30 minute documentary. After the film, there will be an interactive Q&A session with the producer & director as well as several members of the cast. RSVP to attend: https://tinyurl.com/WISC-1119WolfFilm

OCTOBER EVENTS     Thank you to those who participated in Week Without Driving, September 30 through October 6. Our October 5 Transit to Trails outing was postponed due to lack of sign ups. We will try again in spring. On October 8, four CRSC members helped pick up litter along River Valley Drive. Thank you! On October 23, Kathy Allen, our Board Chair, tabled at a UWL event about the environmental plans included in Project 2025.  

MORE NOVEMBER EVENTS

• 11/ 2: Waterfowl Fall Migration Celebration 9 - 11 am Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge Observation Deck https://trempealeau.net/events/waterfowl-fall-migration-celebration
• 11/ 6: Enviro Wednesday at the Nature Place, La Crosse 6:30 pm
• 11/ 8-14: Jackson in Action fall hike at Skyline Golf Course https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/jackson-in-action-2024-fall-hike-series/2024-11-08/
• 11/ 8: Fundraiser for Mississippi Valley Conservancy. 5:30 p.m. at The Radisson, La Crosse. https://www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events/fall-fundraiser-2024
• 11/ 9: Waterfowl Observation Day 10 am - 2 pm Brownsville, MN https://explorelacrosse.com/event/waterfowl-observation-day-3/
• 11/10: Films: Kiss the Ground and Common Ground at the Rivoli in La Crosse hosted by Habitat for Humanity. More details at https://habitatlacrosse.org/events
• 11/10: Science Cafe - Eye in the Sky 6 p.m. JavaVino, La Crosse. https://www.uwlax.edu/calendar/?e=31063
• 11/13: La Crosse Area Planning Committee Metropolitan Transportation Plan Update Open House. 4 to 6 p.m., La Crosse County Admin Building, 6th & State Street, La Crosse. https://www.lacrossecounty.org/metropolitan-planning-organization/planning-and-programming/metropolitan-transportation-plan
• 11/14: Film: Warrior Lawyers 5:30 pm Rm 196 Viterbo School of Nursing https://tinyurl.com/uwlenviroeventslist
• 11/19: Wisconsin Chapter webinar on Regional Transit Authorities - What are they? What’s their history in Wis-consin? How can they help improve public transportation in our state? 6:30 p.m. ONLINE. Register at https://tinyurl.com/WISC-RTAWebinar 

Review - An Invitation to Wonder: Waubesa Wetlands by Emily Grandy

Situated on the southeast corner of Lake Waubesa, not twenty minutes from downtown Madison, lies a hidden sanctuary of life. Waubesa Wetlands is one of the highest-quality and most diverse wetlands remaining in southern Wisconsin, and it is inhibited by one curious man. 

Calvin DeWitt has been living with his wife Ruth on the edge of this ancient marsh for over fifty years. It was Cal who worked with his neighbors to establish the marsh into a 1000-acre nature preserve. He later used the wetland as an outdoor classroom to teach hundreds of UW-Madison graduate students. 

In the spring of 2020, his grandson, Ben Albert, set out to document and to explore his grandparent's backyard. In his deeply personal first documentary film, “An Invitation to Wonder: Waubesa Wetlands”, Ben Albert recalls the curiosity and awe he experienced there as a child. His hope was not only to discover the marsh’s extraordinary, challenging beauty but to understand his grandfather’s relationship with this particular wetland.

It was a difficult filming process: everything’s wet and muddy, mosquitoes swarm, and the peat is unimaginably deep and unstable to walk on. A wetland is a humbling environment. But with humility, and a little help from his grandfather, Ben Albert came to appreciate the age and complexity of this preserve, and all the wondrous life it supports. In making this film, he also hoped to spread the message “that if you want to be awed by the natural world, you must only go as far as your own backyard.”

You can learn more and watch a trailer at https://www.wisconservation.org/waubesa-wetlands-film 

NOVEMBER 17 - RETHINGING THANKSGIVING WEBINAR at 3:30 p.m. https://www.mobilize.us/surj/event/727474/

CRSC BOARD MEETINGS The CRSC board meets monthly online and members may attend. Email CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call 608-315-2693 for the Zoom access information. The next meeting is November 25 at 6:30 p.m

 

October Newsletter

 

WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING, SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6     What is life like for those who don’t or can’t drive? How do non-drivers get to work or school, shopping and appointments? How does our car-centric society impact youth, elders, those with disabilities, and others who can’t afford or don’t want to drive a car?

From September 30 through October 6, national Week Without Driving (WWD) will highlight these and other questions and give us all a chance to learn and reflect. How do our transportation policies, budgets, and priorities impact the schedules, choices, finances, and health of non-drivers? How do they impact our communities budgets and our environment?
In Wisconsin, about 31 percent of residents are non-drivers according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). In the City of La Crosse, up to 40 percent of individuals who are 15 or older don’t drive, and in Grant County, it’s 10 to 20 percent, WisDOT estimates. 

The WWD Challenge asks participants to pledge to try not driving their car for a week. In some places it’s easier than in others. And, many will find they must drive because there are not other options. But that’s an opportunity to consider how a non-driver would cope with a “must drive” situation and to imagine a system where driving is a luxury.
For Wisconsin Sierra Club members, it’s also a chance to examine how our current system is related to the issues we have been working on, including oil and gas pipelines, plastics and environmental racism, air and water pollution, access to wild and public lands, and more.
Learn more about Week Without Driving and sign up to take the challenge at https://weekwithoutdriving.org and, if you live in the La Crosse area, join CRSC and more than a dozen other organizations, agencies, and businesses in local WWD events and activities (learn more at https://tinyurl.com/LaXWWD24). 

OCTOBER 5 - TRANSIT 2 TRAILS     On Saturday, October 5, the Coulee Region Sierra Club will host another Transit 2 Trails outing. We’ll catch an MTU bus at about 9:30 a.m. at the Grand River Station Transit Center, 314 Jay Street in La Crosse and travel to a local trail, returning at about 11:30 a.m. 

More details will be provided to those who register. You do not need bus experience to participate and MTU bus fare is FREE during Week Without Driving! This is a great chance to hike and try out the bus!

If you require accommodations to participate, please note this on the registration form at https://tinyurl.com/CRSC-T2TRegister or email us at CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call or text 608-315-2693.

OCTOBER 15 FILM - REGENERATING LIFE     Join Wisconsin Chapter friends and members for an online film screening on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 p.m.
Regenerating Life takes an ecological approach to unpacking the social and environmental crises that confront us, shifting the prevailing climate change story, and offering new, attainable solutions. Register for the screening at https://tinyurl.com/WISC-RegenFilm

CLEAN ENERGY CREDITS AND YOU     On September 24, we heard from Quinn Rowe, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, about how individuals can take advantage of federal clean energy credits and incentives to save money and energy while reducing carbon emissions. Quinn talked about the different programs available and income levels that could allow some families to get up to $14,000 worth of sealing, insulating, and appliance upgrades for no charge.

The program was not recorded, but Quinn has provided this summary and there’s more information at the WCV web page: https://conservationvoters.org/priority-campaigns/clean-energy-plan

President Biden's Affordable Clean Energy Plan is the largest investment in clean energy in world history, dedicating a whopping $370 billion dollars to help homeowners, renters, local governments, schools, small businesses, and others to transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy. This is done through incentives, lowering the costs of clean energy and energy-efficiency home improvements. There are three major incentives that homeowners are eligible for – the clean energy tax credits, the HOMES rebate, and the HEAR rebate.

The clean energy tax credit is the first and largest of the three benefits, covering clean energy generation, energy efficiency upgrades, and electric vehicles. With this, there is a discount of up to 30 percent on solar panels, heat pumps, battery storage, insulation, windows, efficient appliances, and more. Consumers are able to save up to $7,500 with a point-of-purchase tax credit for new electric vehicles, and up to $4,000 for used electric vehicles. To take advantage of this tax credit, check to see if your purchase is eligible with a contractor or through the IRS' site; save the receipt from your purchase; fill out IRS Form 5695; and deduct the tax credit from your federal taxes. Not only will you save on the home improvement, but your monthly energy costs will go down too! The clean energy tax credit is a part of the federal tax code until 2032, so its benefits will be long lasting.

The HOMES rebate is the most recent benefit to be rolled out, with Wisconsin being the first state to release the rebate! The HOMES rebate is focused on improving household energy efficiency, so things like Energy Star appliances, home insulation, heat pumps, windows, and exterior doors are covered. Eligibility for this program is based on household income, but homeowners could be eligible for a rebate of up to $10,000. The HOMES rebate requires a home energy assessment, in which a licensed contractor will conduct a series of tests around the household to see what improvements could be made to improve the home's energy efficiency. Once figuring out which improvements work best for you, you apply for the rebate through Focus on Energy. Once they accept your application, the rebate is applied at the point of purchase, meaning that you will save big on these upfront costs! 

The third rebate is HEAR, which is expected to be rolled out sometime in October. While the HOMES rebate is focused on whole-home renovations, the HEAR rebate is more focused on smaller improvements. Things like Energy Star appliances, home insulation, heat pumps, windows, and exterior doors are all covered by HEAR as well, but it's more focused on buying just one appliance or improvement as opposed to a whole-home renovation. Like HOMES, HEAR has income eligibility, in which eligible beneficiaries can get up to 100 percent of the purchase of many of these minor improvements. Like HOMES, you apply through Focus on Energy to receive the rebate before purchasing the appliance. Once approved, the HEAR rebate will be applied at the point of purchase. Unlike the clean energy tax credits which are available to everyone until 2032, the HOMES and HEAR rebates are first-come, first-served. 

The federal government allocated nearly $150 million to the State of Wisconsin to fund the HOMES and HEAR rebates, meaning that it’s paramount that information about these programs is shared as quickly and as widely as possible. We want every Wisconsinite in every corner of the state to take advantage of these benefits as soon as possible!

This is all very exciting information, and it can be difficult to know where to start looking. Wisconsin Conservation Voters has a dedicated website with all of this information and more. It includes an energy-savings calculator, municipal-specific programs, a list of contractors certified to know all about these benefits, and tons of stories of Wisconsinites utilizing the benefits from President Biden's Affordable Clean Energy Plan. 

If you have any questions about any of these benefits, please feel free to reach out to me, Quinn Rowe, Federal Clean Energy Campaign Manager with WCV, at quinn@conservationvoters.org or at 715-204-9024, and I can guide you in the right direction. I hope you are all able to take advantage of these great cost savings benefits and can help us fight for a clean energy future! 

ELECTIONS     The Wisconsin Chapter has endorsed state candidates in the November 5 election. To learn more about it, please visit https://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/blog/2024/09/sierra-club-2024-endorsements

Absentee-in-person voting begins on October 22 in most Coulee Region municipalities. Please check with your Clerk or get more information at https://myvote.wi.gov

CRSC BOARD ELECTIONS     We are seeking candidates for the Coulee Region Sierra Club board. Elections will be in December. New terms begin in 2025. Terms are two years. The board meets monthly and plans club activities and events. 

If you are interested in serving your club, please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com OR call or text 608-315-2693 with your name and a statement about why you are interested and your pertinent experience. If you need more information before deciding, please email, call, or text us.

We encourage club members living outside the La Crosse area to self-nominate, but everyone is welcome to run. We will publish information about voting by mail and online in November and candidates’ statements and ballots in December.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS     For spring 2025, CRSC will offer grants of up to $200 each for environmental education projects to schools or community organizations involving young people at the elementary and middle school level within the CRSC region: Crawford, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Trempealeau, and Vernon counties.
Applications may be completed online, emailed or mailed. The deadline for applications is January 3, 2025 with awards by January 31. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/wisconsin/coulee/Education. 

Funding for this program is possible thanks to an annual grant from the Paul E. Stry Foundation, shared dues from club memberships, calendar sales, and donations made by community members. To donate, email CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call 608-315-2693. 

VERNON ELECTRIC SOLAR FARM     Vernon Electric Co-op’s new Bluff Prairie Community Solar Farm near De Soto, developed by OneEnergy, LLC, is ready for subscribers.
The annual cost per 1 kWh subscription is $50, with availability based upon previous energy use. Subscribers should see a 12% return on investment after the first year. Learn more at https://vernonelectric.org/bpcs

 OCTOBER 8 HIGHWAY CLEANUP     Our fall highway cleanup will be on Tuesday, October 8 at 5:30 p.m. Please meet at the water pumping station just west from the Gillette Street/River Valley Drive intersection to get your bags, gloves, and safety vests.
If you have questions, please call us at 608-315-2693.

BIKE FRIENDLY SURVEY     The City of La Crosse recently applied for Bicycle Friendly Community status from the League of American Bicyclists! As part of their review process, the League wants your input on bicycling in La Crosse. If you’ve ever biked here, please take a minute to complete this survey and share your input: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFC_2024 

Help the League of American Bicyclists gain a better understanding of local bicyclists’ experiences and perceptions of bicycling in La Crosse.  The survey is open until October 15.

OCTOBER GLOBAL BIRDING BIG DAY     #BIRDSUNITEOURWORLD  October Big Day is an opportunity to unite around our shared love of birds. Last October, nearly 36,332 people from 191 countries submitted 83,735 checklists with eBird, demonstrating the power of birds to bring people together. 

Each year more and more participants join in this global celebration. You can join in all of Global Bird Weekend on October 11, 12, and 13, and submit your sightings - but remember October 12 is the BIG DAY! Learn more at https://globalbirding.org/

CRSC BOARD MEETING     CRSC board meets monthly online and members may attend. Email CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call 608-315-2693 for the Zoom access information. The next meeting is October 29 at 6:30 p.m

TRANSFORMATIVE REC GRANTS     From Wisconsin Sierra Club, Sept. 6, 2024:

Yesterday President Biden was in Westby Wisconsin at the Vernon County Electric Co-op to announce some big news for all Dairyland Power Co-op customers and Wisconsin residents.
President Biden’s climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, provided a historic $7.3 billion funding for carbon reductions through the USDA’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program.  This is the largest investment in rural electricity since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936.

Yesterday, the White House and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the winners of the grants and loans.  16 rural electric cooperatives, including Wisconsin’s Dairyland Power Co-op, will receive funding.  The New ERA program will fund investments in renewable energy, storage, transmission, and large-scale emissions reductions. This funding will allow these leading electric cooperatives—serving one-fifth of rural Americans—to accelerate the adoption of affordable and reliable clean energy, improving resilience and lowering costs for their members.

Dairyland Power Co-op will receive almost $573 million to procure 1,080 megawatts (MWs) of clean energy, including power purchase agreements for four solar installations and four wind power installations across rural Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. 

What this massive investment means:

• Dairyland customers’ electric rates are estimated to lower by 42 percent over 10 years than they would have been without the New ERA funding.
• The award will drive an estimated $2.1 billion in clean energy investments throughout the region
• Pollution will be reduced by an estimated 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually– the equivalent of taking 729,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road every year– or 90 million tons over the lifespan of the projects.  

Thank you, President Biden for bringing these investments to Wisconsin!

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Read more about the role the Sierra Club played in this historic program at https://www.sierraclub.org/articles/2024/09/transformative-energy-grants-pull-back-curtain-rural-renewable-enthusiasm

MORE OCTOBER EVENTS:

• 10/ 1: Week Without Driving Walk Audit 3 p.m. UWL Whitney Center https://www.uwlax.edu/calendar/?e=31120
• 10/ 1: Riverland Energy Co-op Member Appreciation Day 4 to 7 pm Onalaska Omni Center https://www.riverlandenergy.com/member-appreciation-day-2024
• 10/ 2: Hear Here Community Hangouts & Third Spaces Bike Tour 5 to 9 p.m.  Start at Pearl Street Brewery, 1401 St. Andrew St. https://www.uwlax.edu/calendar/?e=30944
• 10/ 2: Week Without Driving Drift Cycles Demonstration and Bike Ride 6 p.m. The Nature Place, Myrick Park. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=978472030991441&set=a.694476096057704
• 10/ 2: Salt Smart! presentation 7 p.m. The Nature Place, Myrick Park https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=978472030991441&set=a.694476096057704
• 10/ 4: Kickapoo Valley Reserve Annual Pasta Supper Fundraiser http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Annual-Events/DamChallenge/
• 10/ 5: Wisconsin Bike Fed Free Teaching Safe Bicycling clinic 12:30 to 5 p.m. Black River Beach Neighborhood Center, 1433 Rose Street, La Crosse lacrosseata.blogspot.com/p/week-without-driving.html
• 10/ 5: KVR Dam Challenge Triathlon http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Annual-Events/DamChallenge/
• 10/ 9: The Status of the Black River Fishery 6:30 p.m. Lunda Center, Black River Falls https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/status-of-the-black-river-fishery-the-hub/
• 10/9, 10, 17, 19, 25, 26: Volunteer for the Wild with Mississippi Valley Conservancy. Various locations. https://mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events/october-2024-volunteer-wild
• 10/11: Science Cafe - More Water More of the Time 6 p.m. JavaVino La Crosse https://www.uwlax.edu/calendar/?e=31061
• 10/12: Born Learning Trail Grand Opening 11 a.m. 120 N. Wataer St., BRF https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/born-learning-trail-grand-opening-ribbon-cutting/
• 10/12: Prairie Stargazing from 7 to 9 p.m. at Tunnelville Cliffs. mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events/2024-prairie-stargazing-walk
• 10/14: Indigenous Peoples Day 11 to 6 pm in downtown La Crosse https://ho-chunknation.com/events/la-crosse-indigenous-peoples-day/
• 10/18-24: Jackson In Action Fall Hike at Lunda Community Park https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/jackson-in-action-2024-fall-hike-series/
• 10/22: Inspiring Sustainability Awards 6 p.m. La Crosse Distilling Company. Tickets: https://www.sustaininstitute.com/upcomingevents

Save money, reduce carbon emissions, take action!

 

Join CRSC in welcoming Quinn Rowe of Wisconsin Conservation Voters for an online program about energy and money savings available through Clean Energy incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act.

From credits for renewables, to incentives for efficiency, the act offers a decade of reasons to make the switch. We'll learn about 

• Clean Energy: 30 percent tax credit on solar, heat pumps, geothermal, and battery storage
• Electric Vehicles: Up to $7,500 point-of-purchase tax credit for new vehicles, up to $4,000 for used vehicles
• Energy Efficiency: 30 percent tax credit on insulation, windows, appliances, heating and cooling, and more
• Incentives and resources for renters and landlords
• Home energy audits and Focus on Energy programs

This is an online program available on Zoom and by phone dial-in. To register, please visit https://tinyurl.com/CRSC-WCV-IRA-092424 OR call 608-315-2693
 

September Newsletter

 

Clean Energy Benefits and YOU with Quinn Rowe, Federal Clean Energy Campaign Manager, Wisconsin Conservation Voters. September 24 at 7 p.m. Register for this ONLINE program at tinyurl.com/CRSC-WCV-IRA-092424     Interested in protecting our environment while saving money on home improvements? Join Wisconsin Conservation Voters for a presentation that details the significant cost-saving benefits available through the Inflation Reduction Act. We will hear about tax credits and rebates available to homeowners and renters for clean energy and energy-efficient home upgrades. Reduce carbon emissions and save money! Register for the link. Call 608-315-2693 or visit https://tinyurl.com/CRSC-WCV-IRA-092424

SIERRA CLUB BOOK CLUB - SEPTEMBER 3     Join Sierra Club friends from around the state at 7 p.m. on September 2 as we discuss the book, Paper Valley: The Fight for the Fox River Cleanup by David Allen and Susan Campbell. This true story of struggle, perseverance, and success inspires hope for environmentalists and  offers practical knowledge and solutions for those fighting opponents of environmental cleanup and restoration. Register at https://tinyurl.com/wiscbooks0924

CROWN JEWELS - SEPTEMBER 11     Join the Wisconsin Chapter for a virtual screening of the new documentary Crown Jewels: How Humanity Could Save 100 Million Trees. 
After the documentary, participants will have time to write and submit comments on the National Old Growth Amendment that could help protect mature and old growth trees.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/WISC-Jewels  

WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING - SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6     If you can drive or afford a car, you may not understand what it’s like to rely on walking, rolling, transit and asking for rides. But, this is everyday life for nearly a third of people living in the U.S. and Wisconsin. Week Without Driving (WWD) is an opportunity to imagine how we can do better for access, equity, safety, and the environment. Join this national event by taking the WWD Challenge (www.weekwithoutdriving.org/join). If you are in the La Crosse area, join us for a week of WWD events and activities. CRSC will host a Transit 2 Trails event as part of WWD on Saturday, October 5 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. More details about this and other WWD events will be posted in the October newsletter and at the La Crosse WWD web page: https://tinyurl.com/LaXWWD24 

On September 30 at 7 p.m. the La Crosse Public Library will host a book chat with Anna Zivarts, author of When Driving is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency. The online program starts at 6:30 p.m. and is open to anyone wherever they live. Register at tinyurl.com/093024-LPLBookChat or by calling 608-789-7122 or emailing libraryhelpdesk@lacrosselibrary.org.

CLEAN ENERGY REVOLUTION TOUR     by Emily Grandy          On August 2, the Climate Action Campaign’s Clean Energy REVolution tour stopped in La Crosse as part of a six state, six week initiative to highlight and celebrate key investments delivered by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). CRSC chair Kathy Allen spoke at the press event, along with elected leaders and solar energy company representatives. She noted that the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter has long advocated to accelerate the transition to 100% clean, renewable energy which lowers Wisconsinite’s energy bills, keeps more money in our local economies, and promotes a cleaner, healthier future. Already the BIL and IRA are benefiting rural areas, like those in the Driftless Region that have been hit hard by extreme weather events driven by the climate crisis. The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is investing over $27 million in Wisconsin, to support 15 rural businesses in adopting or expanding clean energy. One of the recipients is Linda’s Bakery of West Salem, which will use a $161,000 REAP grant to install a solar energy system expected to save them over $34,000 annually in electrical costs. Five school districts in western Wisconsin have already received $3.8 million in rebates for electric buses, with many more, including La Crosse, planning to apply. A video recording of the La Crosse press event is available at https://www.facebook.com/actonclimateus/videos/994351438845867. Visit the REVolution Tour website at: actonclimate.com/climate-wins-in-wi-2

CRSC HIGH SCHOOL STEWARDSHIP AWARD     The Coulee Region Sierra Club presented its 2024 High School Environmental Stewardship Award to Logan High School's Rachel Greany at The Nature Place in La Crosse on August 8. This award recognizes the achievements of a high school junior or senior who demonstrates leadership, action, and environmental stewardship, and who understands the importance of civic engagement in protecting our environment. Rachel served as president of her school's Ecology Club and led efforts to raise awareness about recycling and food waste. She has also helped in the school's greenhouse, with trash cleanups, and with invasive buckthorn removal. In her application, Rachel wrote, "Environmental stewardship evokes a sense of responsibility and empowerment in me and I look forward to investigating and implementing additional environmentally supportive actions in my lifestyle and in the local community.” Congratulations, Rachel!

ORDER 2025 CALENDARS SOON     Please call or text Maureen Kinney at 608-797-8442 no later than September 15 to reserve your 2025 Sierra Club wall ($19) or engagement ($20) calendars.  The money we raise from calendar sales helps fund our local initiatives, including events and environmental education grants and awards.

YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION GRANTS     In April 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the Youth Climate Action Fund to provide technical assistance and funding for 100 mayors to activate young people ages 15 to 24 to design, produce, and govern urgent climate solutions in their cities. Each mayor received $50,000 to distribute as microgrants for youth-led climate initiatives with the possibility of an additional $100,000 over the next year for more similar projects. The City of La Crosse received one of the Bloom-berg grants and is now allocating funds for the first round of projects. They are expecting to receive additional grant funds next year. CRSC would like to sponsor a youth climate action for the second round of microgrants. If you  are interested in learning more, joining a Sierra Club Youth Climate Action initiative, or getting help with a microgrant application, please text or call us at 608-315-2693 or email CRSierraClub@gmail.com.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT REPORTS

Longfellow Middle School, La Crosse     by Clint Grabhorn        In late June, Longfellow Middle School's Outdoor Adventure Club was able to host a week-long Backpacking 101 summer school enrichment course for students in 6th through 8th grades. Students spent two days learning about camping gear and the skills required to safely participate in a back country camping trip! These skills include setting up our new backpacking tents, filtering and boiling water, organizing essential gear, and preparing for our rainy day hikes. During the remaining three days of the summer camp, students applied their new skills during a multi-night backpack camping experience at Yellow River State Forest near Harpers Ferry, Iowa. This trip challenged students, but offered many fun and meaningful memories. We hiked, fished, swam, played yard games, built campfires, tended to our camps, and finished the final leg of our trip hiking back to our bus through a gentle stormfront. Students rose to every challenge and felt great reward in their accomplishments in the outdoors. This experience was made possible through the contributions of organizations like yours. 

Westview Elementary School, Platteville     I am writing to thank you for your award of grant money. My name is Brooke Brockman and I teach first grade in Platteville. Thanks to you, my team received money to purchase grow lights and cups with domed lids to start our milkweed plants. A few years ago, I read an article about communities planting milkweed to help monarch butterflies. While I didn’t act on it right away, I kept the idea nearby. When I became aware of your grant opportunity, I went back to the milkweed for monarchs idea. One of our reading units is Plants, in which we learn about different kinds of plants, their habitats, how they protect themselves, and their life cycles. I remembered the milkweed article and discussed it with my team. I had access to milkweed seeds and thought we could plant the milkweed plants along the Rountree Branch Trail, which is in Platteville. My team was on board, so I was partnered with a member of the Platteville Community Arboretum (PCA). The PCA’s mission is to connect the Platteville community to the Rountree Branch corridor, through recreation, conservation, and environmental education. This project was a win for all of us! In March, after spring break, we planted seeds, and students began to observe their plants daily. Every morning, they went right to the cups to see how much they had grown. The students regularly told me which plants they thought needed to have their lids removed because they were growing so well. We were out of school earlier than usual this past school year, so we planted our milkweed in early May. The first graders were both excited and proud to plant their milkweed seedling and water it. This project helped our students learn about the importance of milkweed and about its life cycle. Without your grant, the first graders would not have been able to have had this wonderful experience. Thank you, again, for making this possible.

CRSC BOARD ELECTIONS     We are seeking candidates for the Coulee Region Sierra Club board. Elections will be in December. New terms begin in 2025. The board meets monthly and plans club activities and events. If you are interested in serving your club, please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com OR call or text 608-315-2693 with your name and a statement about why you are interested in being on the board and your pertinent experience. If you might like to run but need more information, please email, call or text us. We encourage club members living outside the La Crosse area to self-nominate, but everyone is welcome to run. We will publish candidates’ statements in our November newsletter along with information about voting by mail and online in December.

PEOPLE POWER - MICROGRIDS     In 1995, a little village in Germany started an energy revolution. Since the first student visionary planted four wind generators on farmer co-op land, Feldheim has become a self-sufficient “energy village” and a model for other rural towns in Germany and around the world. Four generators grew into a renewable microgrid, a small network of electricity users who generate and share electricity, with more wind generators, solar arrays, a biomass plant. and a community battery bank providing heat and electricity for residents’ homes, businesses, and transportation needs. Excess electricity is sold to the national grid. Residents’ energy costs are substantially lower and the system is resilient and reliable. This short 2017 CBC video (https://youtu.be/uK-L6vsAMcU) and this 2022 Deutsche Welle report (https://youtu.be/tE0-ki-CBfs) describe how it works.

In the United States, many clean energy advocates who are members of Rural Energy Cooperatives (RECs) are struggling with backward co-op policies, lack of democratic control, rising costs, and unreasonable fees as described in this February 2024 article in AGATE magazine (http://www.agatemag.com/2024/02/small-co-ops-lag-in-clean-energy-production). “Pat Schmieder joined the Two Harbors co-op board in 2020 with ambitious ideas about moving to cleaner sources of electricity, but she soon found herself bogged down in fights over restricting member-owner input at monthly board meetings and the unequal size of the districts that each member of the board served. The co-op covers a large area …  and the five districts were wildly imbalanced in terms of population … Schmeider and others realized this was making it difficult to elect board members interested in change.”

A January 2024 Rocky Mountain Institute article (rmi.org/clean-energy-investments-for-rural-america-are-booming) discusses the challenges RECs have had accessing support for transitioning to renewables and the benefits and promise of the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program which was established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), “the federal government’s largest investment in rural electric systems since the New Deal.” Will these new supports and incentives be enough to turn co-ops away from more fossil gas plants and new nuclear installations?

In the meantime, in mid-June, the Vernon County Energy District held a public information session to explore the feasibility of a microgrid in La Farge. The feasibility study is part of a grant program by Vernon County Energy District, imagining a more resilient future where community residents own their own power through solar plus battery storage.
An article in the Wisconsin Independent  describes how the state’s Thrive Rural program is supporting the study, along with economic development projects in nine other communities. (wisconsinindependent.com/infrastructure/wisconsin-rural-communities-will-get-boost-under-new-state-program)

Could La Farge become a Feldheim-like model for other rural midwest communities and forge a new path for energy self-reliance and freedom from fossil fuels?

MORE SEPTEMBER EVENTS

• 9/ 4: Leaf It! at The Nature Place, Myrick Park, La Crosse. 7 p.m. https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/enviro-wednesdays-3-2024-09-04/
• 9/ 7: Mushroom foray in Readstown 10 a.m. https://www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events/2024-mushroom-foray-readstown
• 9/ 8: Norskedalen Twilight Tour at 5 p.m. Reservations required: https://www.norskedalen.org/events/twilight-tour-farmto-table-dinner/
• 9/11, 18, 25: Hiking for Fitness in BRF at 5:15. Register: https://www.jacksoninaction.org/hikerfitness
• 9/14: Friends of the Black River Paddle at noon Hatfield Whitewater Release. RSVP required: https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/friends-of-the-black-river-2024-paddle-events/2024-09-14/
• 9/21: Fall Foraging at 11 a.m. at Wright Memorial Library, Trempealeau. https://swmlibrary.org/events/foraging-in-the-fall
• 9/27: Wazee Lake Hike in Black River Falls. Details at https://www.jacksoninaction.org/fallhike
• 9/28: Explore the night sky at Perrot State Park from 6 to 8 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/97461 

WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST     The World Migratory Bird Day Photography Contest, presented by Environment for the Americas will focus on the vital role insects play in sustaining migrating birds. Learn more about the program and the contest, including how to enter and prizes at www.tinyurl.com/wmbdpics24  Deadline for submissions is September 30.

August Newsletter

 

= AUGUST 3-4 KID-FRIENDLY BLACK RIVER CANOE TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELLED =

AUGUST 2 CLEAN ENERGY TOUR     The Clean Energy REVolution Tour is coming to La Crosse’s Copeland Park (near Oktoberfest shelter) on Friday, August 2 at 9:30 a.m. for a press event featuring local climate action leaders and a 100% electric-powered RV, equipped with rooftop solar panels. Join the fun and record a personal video about why you're enthusiastic about the clean energy revolution. Grab a free tour t-shirt by arriving early. The REV is more than just a vehicle; it represents the significant progress we’re making thanks to the historic Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These landmark policies are fueling a clean energy jobs boom, improving our air and water quality, and addressing the climate crisis head-on. As our communities face extreme weather, from intense heat and major storms to severe droughts and wildfires, it’s crucial to highlight the vital investments driving nationwide growth and opportunity. The Clean Energy REVolution Tour, sponsored by several climate organizations, demonstrates how these investments are fostering healthier, safer communities through new climate and clean air standards. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/climateactioncampaign/event/651064/

AUGUST 13 PARTISAN PRIMARY                                                                                            An important statewide election is coming up on August 13. Please make sure you read up on the candidates and issues and are registered to vote! Visit https://myvote.wi.gov for more information about your ballot. August 13 Ballot Questions The BlueGreen Alliance, which the Sierra Club Wisconsin is a member of, has joined "Wisconsin Votes No", a registered referendum committee committed to defeating Questions 1 and 2 (constitutional amendments) in the August 13 election. Other members of the committee include Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Evergreen Action. Learn more about the ballot questions and find a fact sheet you can share with family and friends at https://www.wivotesno.org

TEAM SIERRA FUNDRAISER     Wisconsin Sierra Club teams, volunteer Club members from around the state who work with Sierra Club staff, are the engine behind many of our important campaigns. Once a year, we have a Teams fundraiser to  help with outreach, training, and events. Please consider donating between now and September 2. Here are the teams and their individual goals:

🐺 Wildlife team: $2,000 goal https://agpqtesy.donorsupport.co/page/wildlife
🌊 Water team: $500 goal  https://agpqtesy.donorsupport.co/page/water
☀Beyond Coal/Carbon team: $950 goal  https://agpqtesy.donorsupport.co/page/coal
 🩵 Tar Sands team: $300 goal  https://agpqtesy.donorsupport.co/page/tar-sands
🌲 Lands team: $750 goal  https://agpqtesy.donorsupport.co/page/lands
🚌 Transportation team: $2,000 goal  https://agpqtesy.donorsupport.co/page/transportation

Learn more and find the link to donate to all teams: https://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/blog/2024/07/support-our-work-through-team-sierra-september-2

LINE 5 COMMENTS DEADLINE EXTENDED     The comment period for Line 5 has been extended to August 30, so you still have time to write and submit comments to the Army Corps of Engineers about Enbridge Energy’s plans to continue moving oil through northern Wisconsin. The dangerous pipeline threatens the water, sustainability, and livelihoods of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, trespassing on their land and ignoring their sovereignty. Enbridge is trying to expand that pipeline and operate it for years to come.
Learn more about the issue and how to submit comments at https://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/blog/2024/06/your-comment-needed-stop-line-5

AUGUST 17 GARDENS & GAZING     On Saturday, August 17, 2024, the popular Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) grounds tour with ridge top hike and stargazing will again be offered by Mississippi Valley Conservancy, in partnership with the FSPA and the La Crosse Area Astronomical Society, Located at Villa St. Joseph on St. Joseph’s Ridge, this event is part of the 2024 “Linked to the Land” series of outdoor activities sponsored by Olson Solar Energy and WXOW News19. This annual event offers a family-friendly experience with the unique opportunity to visit the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration property and enjoy the views and night skies of the ridge. There will be a garden tour, a hike, and an evening with a guide who will talk  about the wonders of the night sky. REGISTRATION REQUIRED! https://mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events/gardens-and-gazing-st-josephs-ridge

TABLE AT AUGUST 18 BLUFF BASH     The Coulee Region Sierra Club will table at the City of La Crosse Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department BLUFF BASH, an outdoor recreation celebration! The event will be from 4 to 7 p.m.  at the Upper Hixon Forest trailhead on County FA in La Crosse. If you can help table for our club, please email us at CRSierraClub@gmail.com OR call 608-315-2693. NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!
What to expect at this FREE community event:
•    Live Music: Bryce Thomaschefsky will be entertaining with his vocal talents.
•    Trail Tours: A guided trail tour to Zoerb Prairie will be hosted by Friends of the Blufflands.
•    Food Trucks: Taco Town & Batter and Brews will be on site serving up delicious dinners & desserts!
•    Family Activities, local outdoor organizations, yard games and more! 

ORDER 2025 CALENDARS SOON     Maureen Kinney will order 2025 Sierra Club calendars in September. We are ordering fewer calendars this year, so, if you want one, please call or text her at 608-797-8442 no later than September 15 to reserve yours!  Wall calendars are $19 and engagement calendars are $20. The money we raise from calendar sales helps fund our local initiatives, including events and environmental education grants and awards.

YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION GRANTS     Seeking Sierra Club youth, ages 15 to 24, to design and implement climate solutions for the City of La Crosse Climlate Action Plan. The Youth Climate Action Fund is offering microgrants to make projects happen this year. If you are interested in a Sierra Club youth microgrant project, please email us or call or text 608-315-2693.

RURAL POWER COALITION     Last month we shared a story from a Riverland Power Co-op member about the undemocratic changes made to reduce incentives and benefits for those who install solar. Not only did the co-op add a “peak demand” charge for solar production, but they also changed their solar “true-up” schedule to monthly, so that those who installed enough solar to meet winter needs from overproduction in summer will lose out. 

But Riverland is hardly the only Rural Electric Co-op (REC) to seek ways to discourage installation of renewable energy. Other Coulee Region REC members have complained about a lack of transparency, difficulty getting member-owner voices heard, and undemocratic practices. In fact, this is an issue across the country.

The Rural Power Coalition (RPC)  is a grassroots group whose mission is to elevate rural communities as leaders of a just and clean energy transition across the United States. “We advance this mission through member-owner engagement, clean energy investment on inclusive terms, and federal policy advocacy.” (https://www.ruralpower.us)

Currently, the priorities are ensuring federal clean energy funding includes RECs and rural residents. They are also educating about and supporting agrivoltaics (solar over crops and/or livestock). But, they also have a rich resource library that includes the REC Toolkit to help members learn about, understand, and work to take back control of their co-ops. 

Electing good board members is not easy and requires planning and organizing. The Vernon Electric Co-op, for example, has a 10 member board. Board terms are three years and board elections are staggered so each year, three or four seats are up for election. But, the process starts with members choosing potential board candidates. While a co-op district committee group selects at least two board candidates, candidates may also be added by member petition.

With everything going on in life and politics, one more complicated, time-consuming thing may seem daunting. Our call last month for Riverland Co-op members to help question their new policies received zero responses. But, if we believe that transitioning to clean, renewable energy is a high priority for climate, environment, and family finances, we may need to carve out a little time to work together and challenge the status quo that continues to promote and invest in dead-end fossil fuel projects and policies that delay the changes.

If you’re a Riverland member, please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call 608-315-2693 to help with the group ask for policy clarification. If you’re in another REC, find out how your co-op elects board members and when your next annual meeting is.

MORE AUGUST EVENTS

• 8/ 3: Nature Saturday at The Nature Place, Myrick Park, La Crosse. 9:30 a.m. https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/nature-saturday-2024-08-03/
• 8/ 3: Perrot State Park Snake Discovery at 4 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/97041
• 8/ 3: Perrot State Park The Unhuggables at 7 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/97036
• 8/ 3: Wildcat Mtn State Park - Night Sky at 8:30 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/90316
• 8/ 6: March for Democracy in Madison. 4 p.m. https://tinyurl.com/WISC-M4D
• 8/10: Friends of the Black River Summer Paddle  at noon Hatfield Whitewater Release. RSVP required: https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/friends-of-the-black-river-2024-paddle-events/2024-08-10
• 8/12-13: Perseid Meteor Shower peak between 10 p.m. and dawn. https://tinyurl.com/24Perseids
• 8/12: Guided Forest Bathing walk from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Nature Place, Myrick Park, La Crosse. Fee. https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/guided-forest-bathing-walks-2024-08-12
• 8/15: Mississippi Speed Record - An Epic Adventure  film premiere at the Rivoli in La Crosse. 7:15 p.m. https://www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events/mississippi-speed-record-epic-adventure
• 8/17: Perrot State Park Life of the Ancient Ones - Mound Builders at 7 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/97006
• 8/24: Friends of the Black River Clean Up Day from 8 to noon at Al Young Park, Black River Falls. https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/friends-of-the-black-river-2024-paddle-events/2024-08-10/
• 8/27: What is an RTA and Why Do We Need One? Regional Transportation Authorities webinar, 7 p.m. Online. https://tinyurl.com/WISC-RTA

July newsletter

 

AUGUST 3-4: KID FRIENDLY CANOE TRIP ON THE BLACK RIVER     The very popular kid-friendly overnight canoe-camping trip  on the Black River (Irving to North Bend) is  back! This longstanding annual trip is open to families with kids and to the young-at-heart. Trip leaders will take it slower, stop to play/swim, and explore along the way. Hike up a little waterfall, sleep on a sandbar, and engage in creative outdoor play. This year’s trip will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 3 and end at 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 4 (Times are tentative).
Participants must provide their own boat(s), gear, drinking water, and food. All camping gear, food, and water must fit in your boat(s). Each individual or family group is expected to be able to set up their camp and provide their own meals on the trip. The cost to participate is FREE.
This is an EASY level (moving water with camping) trip, but each boat must be able to navigate a nine to ten mile stretch of river each day. There are no rapids on this stretch. Everyone must wear a good-fitting PFD (life jacket) whenever they are on the water. A carpool shuttle option will be available right before the trip starts, and right after the trip concludes. (Carpool transportation is at the sole risk of the participants.) All registered trip participants will be notified if the trip is canceled. Participants MUST pre-register with the trip leaders, Carol and Kevin Olson, by emailing olsonfam44@rucls.net or calling 608-963-2688 or 608-963-2678. 

LINE 5 COMMENTS     If you missed the Sierra Club’s  Line 5 comment workshop in La Crosse on June 25, you still have time to write and submit comments to the Army Corps of Engineers about Enbridge Energy’s plans to continue moving oil through northern Wisconsin.

Right now, a dangerous pipeline threatens the water, sustainability, and livelihoods of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, trespassing on their land and ignoring their sovereignty. Now, Enbridge is trying to expand that pipeline and operate it for years to come, putting at risk the water, fish, plants and animals, humans, and so much more, with the threat of an oil spill. The Biden Administration is taking comments on Enbridge's proposal and they need to hear about the dangers of the pipeline and the need to deny permits for the reroute. Comments are due by August 4.

Learn more about the issue and how to submit comments at https://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/blog/2024/06/your-comment-needed-stop-line-5
For a deeper look at the issue, you can now stream or buy the new documentary BAD RIVER at https://www.badriverfilm.com/order. This link also provides information about hosting a community screening.

JUNE 1 TRANSIT 2 TRAILS     While the rain on June 1 kept us from our intended hike,  it did not dampen the spirits and will of eight Sierra Club friends and members to take a hike. Transit to Trails events are part of a national Sierra Club initiative to highlight recreational and natural areas that are available by public transportation or need better transit options to be accessible for all.

With a last minute substitution due to wet conditions at the planned site, we welcomed Cassie Steiner-Bouxa, Senior Campaign Coordinator with the Wisconsin Sierra Club, as our trip leader. Most of us met at the La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility (MTU) Grand River Station Transit Center in downtown La Crosse to catch a regular MTU route. A couple of participants hopped on the bus as it passed closer to their homes. Our substitute site, the Hass Tract Trail near La Crosse County’s Hillview Health Care Center, proved to be perfect for conditions as the forested sections helped shield hikers from the occasional light drizzle. This location also offered a less strenuous alternative–the trails at Chad Erickson Memorial Park. A donation by Kwik Trip, arranged by CRSC board member Carol Miller, resulted in fruit and cookie snacks for hikers. Participants regrouped at Chad Erickson park to walk the few blocks back to the bus stop and our trip back to the Transit Center. Following the trip, a few hikers had lunch at Pickermans, right across from the Transit Center, to discuss the event and upcoming Sierra Club programs. We hope to host or co-sponsor more Transit to Trails events, including a hike on the La Crosse River Conservancy trail, our original destination.
Learn more about this important initiative, at https://www.sierraclub.org/outdoors-all/transit-trails

JUNE 5 CLEAN ENERGY RALLY     A group of Sierra Club clean energy advocates and Rural Electric Co-op members gathered in front of the La Crosse Center on June 5 as Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) held its annual meeting inside. The group encouraged meeting attendees to ask DPC to move away from fossil fuels and ask questions about  plans to move ahead with construction of a fossil gas facility, Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC), in Superior, Wisconsin. They also want DPC and its member co-ops to be more transparent and democratic in their decision-making and operations. Sierra Club and co-op members spoke to these issues during a press event. You can read more about the issues  in the Sierra Club’s press release (https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2024/06/coalition-demands-dairyland-power-cancels-plans-ntec) and view local media coverage at these links:

• https://www.wxow.com/news/annual-dairyland-power-cooperative-meeting-sees-good-turn-out-protesters/article_f5fc31d6-2378-11ef-9f6f-cf5b8312c42c.html
• https://www.news8000.com/news/environment/energy-activists-protest-building-of-gas-power-plant-in-superior-wisconsin/article_c3c64e0e-235a-11ef-bd69-d767db07285c.html
• https://www.wizmnews.com/2024/06/05/dairyland-speaks-of-adding-solar-wind-and-preparing-for-nuclear-in-region-at-meeting-in-la-crosse/

 CRSC POTLUCK     Members and friends of the Coulee Region Sierra Club gathered at the amazing Goose Island County Park on June 18 to talk, plan, network, and eat delicious food. The weather was mild, the river was beautiful, and the conversations were intense! Thanks to those who attended and contributed!

JULY 16 HIGHWAY CLEANUP     Join Sierra Club friends as we clean up l along “our” stretch of River Valley Drive on Tuesday, July 16. We’ll meet  at 6 p.m. at the pumping station just west of the Gillette Street and River Valley Drive stop light to get bags, gloves, and vests and work for about an hour. After the cleanup, there’s an optional gathering at Rudy’s on La Crosse Street. 

AUGUST 13 PARTISAN PRIMARY     An important statewide elections is coming up on August 13. Please make sure you read up on the candidates and issues and are registered to vote! Visit https://myvote.wi.gov for more information.

RECs AND CLEAN ENERGY     Rural Electric Cooperatives (RECs) were established during the Franklin Roosevelt administration to bring electricity to rural residents across the country. In the 1930s, most rural homes were without electricity making life difficult and discouraging business development and other economic opportunities in these areas. Even after incentives were authorized, investor-owned utilities weren’t interested in expanding to rural areas, so the federal government turned to farmer cooperatives to move the process forward.

Cooperative principles, laid out by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in 1844, aimed to give the power of decision-making and equitable financial benefits to co-op members rather than outside investors or individuals who have less interest in the services provided than the profits generated.

Modern RECs are supposed to be governed by these cooperative principles: open and voluntary membership; democratic member control; member economic participation; autonomy and independence; education, training, and information; cooperation among cooperatives; and concern for community.

Unfortunately, many REC members have found co-op boards to be unresponsive to new conditions such as the climate crisis, undemocratic in practice, and, apparently,  in some cases, uninterested in playing a role in moving forward with cheaper, cleaner, climate-friendly renewable energy.

There are many aspects to these issues which we hope to cover over the rest of the year. The June 5 Clean Energy rally aimed to highlight the lack of democratic control and lack of concern for community.

Another area of concern is lack of support for owner-member renewable energy installations. While some RECs are  investing in community solar gardens and battery storage, many are also) actively discouraging individuals from installing their own grid-tied systems. Here is a report from a Riverland Energy Cooperative member. 

Riverland Energy Co-op (serving Buffalo,Trempealeau and portions of La Crosse counties) just announced new rates and policies that will completely discourage any members from acquiring new solar energy systems on their homes or properties within the REC system. 

Many studies have shown that solar customers have a positive impact on local utility finances because they reduce electricity demand and, therefore, the tremendous expense of adding capacity. In simple terms, the excess energy provided back into the REC grid from solar customers goes directly to supplying our neighbors demand and, most often, during the exact times of day when demand is the highest.

Up until now, Riverland has used net metering, the fairest rate system, that allows members to calculate their potential payback period for a solar system and encourages new solar production by members. Net metering enables customers who generate electricity from their own solar systems to receive a full value bill credit for any energy they export to the grid. Now, Riverland has announced hugely regressive new solar rules and rates, supposedly in the interest of fairness. They will no longer support net metering and plan a minimal payback for the energy solar customers provide into the system. 

The very worst part is the new demand charge. While Riverland proposes to reduce peak demand, it now considers solar output as a demand on their system and will charge a “bidirectional demand fee” of $1 per kW based also on the largest solar output, not just on consumption. This misguided policy is grossly unfair to their existing solar members and will also greatly reduce any fiscal reason for members to install new solar systems.

Wisconsin needs all the clean solar power we can generate to help combat climate change and these regressive policies will move us in exactly the wrong direction. If you are a Riverland member, I urge you to contact the manager and your board representative and ask them to completely reconsider this new direction.

Riverland board members and the management team (but no contact information) are listed here: https://www.riverlandenergy.com. Please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call 608-3158-2693 for more information.

This 2015 article by the Energy and Policy Institute (https://energyandpolicy.org/edison-electric-institute-campaign-against-distributed-solar) documents the utility industry’s campaign to block home solar. “The rapid growth and emergence of solar energy in the electricity market along with net metering policies have caused investor-owned utility companies and their trade association, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), to create a strategic campaign to prevent distributed rooftop solar energy from gaining more share of the market. … Documents show the detailed plan to convince regulators, lawmakers, and consumers that distributed rooftop solar is unfair to other rate-payers.” 

Co-ops are supposed to benefit their members. We need to counter disinformation among members and elected officials. Next month we’ll have ideas for taking action to promote clean energy in your REC.

MORE JULY EVENTS     

• 7/ 1,  2, 8, 15, 22, 29, 30: Friends of the Blufflands workdays in La Crosse area. Email  for details: jonathanrigden@me.com
• 7/ 5, 19: Nightlife & Stars 8:30 to 10 p.m. at Kickapoo Valley Reserve. http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Calendar
• 7/ 6: Terry the Storyteller at Wildcat Mountain State Park at 7 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/88701
• 7/ 8: Guided Forest Bathing walk from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Nature Place, Myrick Park, La Crosse. Fee. https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/guided-forest-bathing-walks-2024-07-08
• 7/ 9: The Nature Place One Year Anniversary Open House, Myrick Park, La Crosse. From 10 a.m. to noon. https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/tnp-open-house-celebrating-1-year-of-growth
• 7/13: Mississippi Valley Conservancy Bat Ecology Cave Tours at Kickapoo Caverns near Wauzeka. https://www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events/0930-bat-ecology-cave-tour
• 7/13: Paddle in Lunda Park for kids and adults from 4 to 6 p.m. https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/paddle-in-the-park-with-friends-of-the-black-river
• 7/13: Raptor program at Wildcat Mountain State Park. 8 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/89681
• 7/20: The Unhuggables at Wildcat Mountain State Park. 7 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/90116
• 7/26: Music in Wildcat Mountain State Park at 7 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/88706
• 7/27: Campfire cooking at Castlemound Playground, Black River State Forest. 1 to 3 p.m.  https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/campfire-cooking
• 7/27: Shakespeare in Perrot State Park - Midsummer Night’s Dream. 1 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/93286
• 7/29: Butterflies. Wildcat Mountain State Park. 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/95581
• 8/ 3: Karst Exploration - About Springs 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Soldiers Grove Public Library. https://www.crawfordstewardship.org/karst-exploration-2024/

 

June newsletter

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 1: TRANSIT 2 TRAILS   The Sierra Club’s national Transit 2 Trails 4 All campaign aims to highlight lack of access to local, state,and national recreation and wild areas for nondrivers, and advocate for more cleaner, safer transportation options. CRSC is hosting its first ever T2T event with Wisconsin Sierra Club’s Senior Campaign Coordinator, Cassie Steiner-Bouxa on Saturday, June 1, National Trails Day! We’ll meet at the Grand River Station Transit Center, 314 Jay Street, La Crosse a bit before 8:30 a.m. and catch the MTU #2 bus to get to the trailhead near HIllview Health Care/Hass Park on La Crosse’s south side. Then, we’ll hike
on the Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s Hass Tract trail before we catch the 11:00 a.m. bus back to the Transit Center. NO BUS EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! We will have guides available and send details when you register. Email us or call 608-315-2693 for more information. Register so we can send details and contact you if plans change at tinyurl.com/LaXT2TRegister or by calling.

TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. CRSC SUMMER POTLUCK at GOOSE ISLAND SHELTER 3.  Make or buy some delicious food to share, grab your personal picnic kit (plate, utensils, cup or bottle), and bike, carpool or drive to Goose Island Shelter #3 on Tuesday, June 18 starting at 5:30 p.m. The club will supply beverages. The shelter is near the river so bring your bug stuff, too. We’ll have activities for children and adults, news about current Sierra Club campaigns, and some surprises! Ride your bike, or, If you are driving, consider offering a carpool ride - use this link: groupcarpool.com/t/0gz93w to add your vehicle or to
seek a ride, or call 608-315-2693. You do not need to be a Sierra Club to attend, though the Sierra  Club is doing some pretty important work and welcome new talent, energy, passion, and ideas. Bring your friends and family, too! 

JUNE 5 - RALLY FOR CLEAN ENERGY!  We need clean renewable energy, not dirty fossil fuels! Please join us at a rally outside of the Dairyland Power Cooperative annual meeting calling for Dairyland to commit to:
•    No new fossil fuels or dirty energy including gas like the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC) or wasteful and expensive nuclear reactors
•    Retire all coal like the existing Madgett Coal Plant
•    Invest in affordable clean energy and renewable solutions like wind, solar and battery storage

Bring: Comfortable shoes, weather appropriate clothes, signs about NTEC (we will also provide some) Speakers will begin at 10:45 a.m. RSVP at  https://tinyurl.com/June5-NONTEC
Want to learn more about the NTEC campaign? On May 23, our group chair, Kathy Allen, joined members of Neighbors Against NTEC for an educational webinar about the plant and its connection to Dairyland Power Cooperative. Watch the recording here: https://www.facebook.com/CRSierraClub/videos/812753133758314 

JUNE 4 LINE 5 HEARING. On June 4, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will hold a public hearing in Ashland, Wisconsin regarding a forthcoming environmental assessment (EA) of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline expansion, and the May 20, 2024, USACE Draft Combined Decision Document.

This is an opportunity to tell the USACE and the entire Biden administration about your concerns around the Line 5 pipeline. Enbridge Energy, a multi-billion dollar corporation, is moving oil dangerously through northern Wisconsin every day illegally in trespass, violating the Bad River Band’s sovereignty. They are trying to expand that pipeline and operate it for years to come, putting at risk the water, fish, plants and animals, humans, and so much more, with the threat of an oil spill. You can help stop them by participating in the upcoming public input opportunities.

Please consider adding your comments online or in person by attending and speaking at the hearing. The Sierra Club is arranging buses and car pools and can help prepare those who wish to speak. Learn more about getting to and participating in the Line 5 public hearing at https://tinyurl.com/June4-Line5Hearing

Written comments may be submitted at any time to CEMVP-WiL5R-CDD-Comments@usace.army.mil before the expiration date of the DCDD comment period, which will be 31 days after the June 4, 2024 public hearing (July 5, 2024). Additionally, written comments may be submitted in person durin the public hearing. All written comments received will be included in the administrative record on this action. Please note that all verbal and written comments, including names and addresses, become part of the administrative record, and may be available to the public under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. If you are unable to submit comments via email, you may send your written comments with a postmarked date no later than July 5, 2024, to the following address:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District, Regulatory Division
332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101-1678

If you have any questions concerning this Public Notice, please email the address shown above, or contact the Corps by phone at 1-651-290-5525.Comments will not be accepted via phone or voicemail.

The Wisconsin Chapter Sierra Club will host Line 5 related comment writing parties around the state in June. The La Crosse comment party is on Tuesday, June 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. with the location to be determined. RSVP here for details: https://tinyurl.com/LaXLine5Comments

CLIMATE ACTION IN A RIVER CITY. On Tuesday, May 21, La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds spoke at a virtual gathering on Climate Action in a River City. Mayor Reynolds addressed the Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations (“The Treaty”) which he attended in Ottawa earlier this year, and his role as co-chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI). Both efforts are addressing the pollutants—specifically plastics—that end up in our waterways. Given that the Mississippi River watershed extends through 31 states and two Canadian provinces, waste from much of Middle America has the potential to reach the Gulf of Mexico and beyond, diminishing human health and water quality on an enormous scale.

An essential component of The Treaty, as well as the COP 28 Climate Conference (which Mayor Reynolds also attended as co-chair of MRCTI), involved bringing local government representation into negotiations to make global ideas actionable at a local level. As the only U.S. mayor in attendance at the Plastics Treaty Negotiations, Mayor Reynolds represented not only the voice of La Crosse but every municipality in America. The Treaty is meant to create a legally binding approach to eliminate unnecessary single-use and short-lived plastic products. Treaty development remains ongoing until the next session later this year.

Meanwhile, Mayor Reynolds recently directed City of La Crosse departments to complete plastics "self-audits" to make sure the city is not contributing to the problem. Reducing local plastics usage down to those currently recyclable, and eliminating Styrofoam/styrene, are two clear paths toward reducing pollution in the watershed.

Mayor Reynolds also discussed how the City's Climate Action Plan is further deploying natural infrastructure to mitigate the effects of climate change. Wetland restoration efforts are underway to offset the effects of flood and drought. By utilizing EPA grants to build lift stations to move water throughout the city to the La Crosse River and by working alongside Ducks Unlimited to enhance and restore wetland areas to improve floodwater storage, Mayor Reynolds is hopeful that the city can prevent and mitigate future flooding events in the region. You can watch a recording of the program on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CRSierraClub/videos/973407544785494

YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION GRANT  The City of La Crosse has been selected to participate in the Youth Climate Action Fund, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.Microgrants of $1,000 to $5,000 will support youth-led initiatives to combat climate change. La Crosse youth and aged 15-24 are eligible to apply. The application deadline is July 31, 2024. More information will be available at a Youth Forum during the week of June 22. The City will also host a grant-writing webinar in mid-July. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/LaXYCAF 

JUNE 22 - THE REFUGE AT 100!  The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (refuge) is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a FREE open house for people of all ages on June 22. 

Activities at the La Crosse District Visitor Center (N5727 County Road Z, Onalaska)
10am - 2pm: Guided walks on the short, paved trail loop, including partner booths, visits from Puddles the Blue Goose, arts and crafts, and vote on your favorite 100th Anniversary Photo Contest winner. Take the River Rat Relay challenge
Live animal programs (seating is first-come, first-served):
•    River Valley Raptors: 10:05 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m. in the large outdoor tent
•    Coulee Region Humane Society: 10:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. inside the visitor center
12:00 p.m. Birthday Celebration Ceremony and Visitor Center Dedication as a Great River Road Interpretive Center, followed by birthday cake! Keynote remarks will be delivered by honored speakers who will share their connection to this special place.
1:00 p.m. Audubon Upper Mississippi River history presentation inside the visitor center multipurpose room.

Activities at the Fred Funk Boat Landing (W8023 County Rd ZB, Onalaska - Please park at the Swarthout Park parking lots located on County Road ZB across from the boat landing)
Barge boat tours: 9:00 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m. Advance registration is required for boat tours and seating is limited. Registration will open Monday, June 10. More details to come! Life jackets are required and will be provided.

Electroshock fishing demonstrations by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m.  

Learn more at https://www.fws.gov/rivers/event/100th-anniversary-celebration-la-crosse-district

JUNE 22 - 33RD ANNUAL ENERGY FAIR     The Energy Fair, in Custer, Wisconsin, is the nation’s longest-running event of its kind. Part trade show, educational event, and grassroots festival, the Fair brings thousands of industry professionals and sustainable living enthusiasts together for workshops, exhibits, demonstrations, networking events, and much more. Tickets are on sale now ($25 or $15 for seniors) or join MREA and get into the fair free.  Enjoy live music, vegan food options, and lots more. View all the special events and workshops here:  TheEnergyFair.org. Join in the clean energy transition and help make clean energy and sustainable living accessible to all!