Saving the Driftless

 From Wisconsin Conservation Voters:

In late 2025, residents of Grant County learned a $1 billion data center was being quietly planned near Cassville, a process conducted behind signed NDAs and zoning meetings with zero public comment.

 

Across Wisconsin, tech giants are eyeing rural communities to build massive, energy- and water-hungry facilities. But local residents are rising up to defend the Driftless Area’s unique landscape.

 

As local resident Pete Moris put it: “These are decisions that will impact our area for generations to come. We are stewards here for a short time, and I do not want to be the generation that screws this up.”

 

▶️ WATCH THE PREMIERE: Saving the Driftless Area on YouTube

 

The real cost of Big Tech’s invasion:

• Massive cooling demand uses tremendous amounts of water.
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• Shifting energy costs onto local families. As opponent Melodie Betts shared, “People cannot afford to pay for extra electricity… People can’t even afford the extra 20 or 30 dollars of gas in their gas tank.”
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• Developers use NDAs and secretive meetings to shut down community input.

“Our quality of life is way more valuable than any promises a data center developer is going to bring,” Moris said. “Putting people ahead of profits is what we’re seeing resonate with folks.”

 

Can a rural community stop Big Tech from reshaping Southwestern Wisconsin?

 

Watch the 10-minute video on YouTube, leave a comment, and share it with friends to help spread the word.

August Newsletter

 

AUGUST 4 FILM - VS. GOLIATH - APPALACHIA at 7 p.m. online. Deep in the hollows of the Appalachian Mountains, the construction of a fracked gas pipeline rips through mountaintops, forests, and streams, bearing down on rural communities across Appalachia. Russell, an Army veteran who once swore an oath to protect and serve his country, now finds his home, waters, and forests under threat. He enlists in the battle to defend his community. Russell joins forces with people along the pipeline route, including Georgia, an apple farmer in Virginia; Maury, a retired schoolteacher in West Virginia; and Crystal and Jason, Indigenous community leaders in North Carolina. Together, they form a movement that faces numerous setbacks as they take on the multibillion-dollar corporations behind the pipeline. When one of the nation’s most powerful politicians intervenes, the stage is set for a high-stakes showdown. After the film, stay for a live Q&A with questions via the chat feature. Register for link: https://tinyurl.com/scfilm-vsgolapp

AUGUST 4 WISCONSIN CHAPTER BOOK CLUB at 6"30 p.m. online. The Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter’s book club will meet online from 6:30 to 7:30. This month’s book is Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben! Whether you’ve read the book or not, you’ll enjoy the conversation! Every eighteen hours, the world puts up a nuclear power plant's-worth of solar panels. At the same time, combustion continues to melt our poles, poison our bodies, and drive our global inequality. And it is no longer necessary: For the first time in 700,000 years, we know how to catch the sun's rays and convert them into energy. Bill McKibben tells the story of our sudden spike in power from the sun and wind, tracing the arrival of plentiful, inexpensive solar energy, which, if it accelerates, gives us a chance not just to limit climate change's damage, but to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds. Register to participate: https://tinyurl.com/wisc826book

AUGUST 5 HIGHWAY CLEAN-UP at 6 p.m. The July clean-up didn’t work out, so we’re trying again on August 5. We’ll work on River Valley Drive, meeting at 6 p.m. at the pumping station just west of the intersection with Gillette Street, and then spread out to pick up litter. Bags and vests are available or bring your own. We’ll work for about an hour and then gather (optional) at Rudy’s on La Crosse Street for refreshments. 

AUGUST 21 CRSC ACTION GATHERING at 5:30 p.m. at 401 West Avenue South, La Crosse. Join us at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, August 21 at 401 West Avenue South for pizza, education, and action. This month’s CRSC Action Gathering will focus on a recent Trump administration grant of $19 million for the Columbia Energy Center, a coal-fired plant co-owned by Alliant Energy, Madison Gas and Electric and Wisconsin Public Service in south central Wisconsin. What does this mean for our clean air and water goals, for climate action, for the fight to end fossil fuel use? Please email CRSIerraClub@gmail.com or call or text 608-315-2693 with questions about this event. EVERYONE IS WELCOME! 

MORE AUGUST EVENTS

• 8/ 1: MVC Bee ID & Conservation Walk in Grant County. https://tinyurl.com/mvcbeewalk
• 8/ 1: River Valley Raptors 2 pm Goose Island Park https://tinyurl.com/laxparksgi26
• 8/ 2: Birding for Anyone. 8 to 9 a.m. Woods Trail, Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. 904-553-2609
• 8/ 3: International Owl Awareness Day Celebration 8:30-5 Houston, MN https://www.internationalowlcenter.org/owlawarenessday.html
• 8/ 5: Lessons from the Tainter Creek Grazing Project 6 pm Munsch Farm, S995 Bagstad Ln, Coon Valley https://cooncreekwatershed.org/
• 8/ 5: Enviro Wednesday at The Nature Place 7 pm https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/
• 8/ 7: Glaciers in Wisconsin 9 am McMullen County Park, Warrens https://tinyurl.com/augwarrensevents
• 8/ 8: River Valley Snakes 2 pm Vets Park Shelter 2, West Salem https://tinyurl.com/laxparks26
• 8/ 8: Night Sky Viewing 8-10 pm Wildcat Mountain State Park https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/124761
• 8/ 9: Solar Viewing 1-4 pm Wildcat Mountain State Park https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/124766
• 8/12: The Viroqua Line - RR book talk 2 pm McIntosh Memorial Library, Viroqua https://tinyurl.com/mcintoshrrbooktalk
• 8/12: Trout Stream Restoration Workshop 8:30-4:30 Online https://www.uwlax.edu/events/?e=33906
• 8/12: Soil Health Field Day 8 am-noon. N5356 County Road M, West Salem tinyurl.com/mvcaug26events
• 8/13, 15, 19: MVC Invasive Brush Removal. See link for details. https://tinyurl.com/mvcaug26events
• 8/15: Fascinating Fungi 10-noon The Nature Place https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/
• 8/15: Universe at the Park 7:30-10 pm McMullen County Park, Warrens https://tinyurl.com/augwarrensevents
• 8/20: Transit Talk & Treats. 4:30 to 6:30 pm People’s Food Co-op, La Crosse., tinyurl.com/transittalk-820
• 8/22: The Mississippi Flyway 1 pm Goose Island Park https://tinyurl.com/laxparksgi26
• 8/22: River Valley Raptors 2 pm Vets Park Shelter 2, West Salem https://tinyurl.com/laxparks26
• 8/22: Exploring the Night Sky 8-10:30 pm Perrot State Park https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/127366
• 8/25: State Sierra Club Action Hour 6 p.m. Online https://tinyurl.com/wisc-826ah
• 8/26: Lunch & Learn - Wake Boats noon Online https://tinyurl.com/wisc-ll-wakeboats
• 8/26: La Crosse Citizens Climate Action meeting at 6:30 p.m. https://community.citizensclimate.org/groups/home/1241 
• 8/27-29: The Mystery of Migration 3 online programs https://swibirds.org/all-events?tag=mighty+migrations
• 8/28: Purple Loosestrife 5:30 pm Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge https://explorelacrosse.com/event/purple-loosestrife-presentation/
• 8/28: Universe in the Park 8-10 pm Perrot State Park https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/127371
• 8/29: Macroinvertebrate Mayhem 1 pm Vets Park Shelter 2, West Salem https://tinyurl.com/laxparks26
• 8/29: Wildlife Rehabilitation 2 pm Goose Island Park Shelter 2 https://tinyurl.com/laxparksgi26 

 

 

AUGUST 16 - WILD INSIDE film at 5:30 p.m. at the Rivoli in La Crosse. 

On February 2, 2023, Flaco — a male Eurasian eagle-owl, the largest species of owl in the world — was discovered missing from his cage at the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan. What follows when Flaco, who had lived his entire life in captivity, was released in New York City is a surprising story revealing the delight, concern, and fascination of millions in the city and beyond.

Join the International Owl Center to view and discuss the film at the Rivoli in La Crosse on August 16 at 5:30 p.m. Purchase tickets at https://tinyurl.com/816owlfilm

Note: contains themes and situations around animal death that may be troubling for very young children.

 

WISCONSIN CHAPTER TEAMS FUNDRAISER CONTINUES THROUGH AUGUST 12! Learn about our teams and how you can support them here: https://donorbox.org/wisconsin-summer-2026

Electrek Solar Car Challenge

 

On Saturday, July 25, Summit Environmental School, 1800 Lakeshore Drive (French Island), La Crosse, will be the check-in site for students entered in the Electrek Solar Challenge.

Contestants will arrive at the school between noon and 3:30.

This year's route covers 1550+ miles from Minneapolis, MN to Amarillo, TX, on the Great River Road and Historic Route 66. Over 40 teams from the United States, Canada, Belgium, and The Netherlands are registered to compete. 

The events start with scrutineering and the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix track qualifier at Brainerd International Raceway on July 21-23. Solar cars will then head to Minneapolis for a display day at the University of Minnesota. 

On July 25th solar cars start the American Solar Challenge at the University of Minnesota. They will arrive at the Finish Line at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo, TX on August 1st. 

Along the way solar cars will make the following stops:

• La Crosse, WI: July 25th
• Normal, IL: July 26th-27th
• Edwardsville, IL: July 27th-28th
• Rolla, MO: July 28th
• Carthage, MO: July 29th-30th
• Tulsa, OK: July 30th
• Elk City, OK: July 31st – Aug 1st

Come on down to cheer on these students! Free and open to all!

Teams Fundraiser

The Wisconsin Chapter Sierra Club is working to protect land, air, water, wildlife, ecosystems, and our climate from the forces that would exploit, mine, extract, pollute, and harm them. Their small but mighty staff is aided by teams of volunteers from around the state who help plan and prioritize actions and campaigns that benefit all of us. These teams also network with other state and regional groups to help strengthen and amplify efforts.

Once a year, the teams hold a fundraiser to ensure they have resources to prepare, promote, and carry out their actions.

That fundraiser is going on now through August 13, with a special online program on Wednesday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m. The itinerary includes some of Wisconsin’s dark sky locations, a visit with Scott Lind, president of the Kickapoo Valley Dark Sky Initiative, and special segments, created by our volunteer-led teams, sharing how their campaign work connects to the nocturnal world.

This event is free to attend with opportunities to donate to support the work of our volunteer-led campaign teams throughout the evening. All proceeds help support the work of the Wisconsin Chapter right here in our beautiful state.

We'll have some fun playing Dark Sky Trivia and those who make an online donation of $5 or more will receive a fun glow-in-the-dark sticker.

Sign up to join us here!

Visit theTeam pages to learn more and donate:

• Wildlife Team
• Water Team
• Transportation Team
• Tar Sands Team
• Lands Team
• Beyond Coal Team

July 23 Driftless Karst

 

History, Hydrology, and What It Means For Us

DRIFTLESS KARST

Thursday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m.

Kickapoo Valley Reserve

ORA Trails 25th Anniversary

ORA Trails 25th Anniversary Celebration
Celebrating the First 25. Building the Next 25.

Thursday, July 30 from 5 to 8 p.m. - Freight House

Twenty-five years ago, a group of passionate volunteers came together with a vision: to create more opportunities for people to get outside through trails. What began as Human Powered Trails has grown into ORA Trails—a community-powered organization that has built and maintained miles of trails, inspired thousands of volunteers, connected people with nature, and created places where lifelong memories are made. 

Learn more and get tickets ($25 each) at https://www.oratrails.org/calendar/

FOB Bumblebee Hike

From Friends of the Blufflands:

Join us on Saturday, 7/18, for a bonus hike in addition to our Second Saturday hikes, to search for and identify bumblebees and to identify the plants on which they are nectaring and gathering pollen. This hike, "Bumblebees and Blooms" will complement the one on 7/11 which focused on other native bees. Led by Mike O'Brien and others, we will search for common and rare bumblebees...and maybe see the federally endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee!

When: Saturday, 7/18, at 9:00

Where: Park near W5788 Thistledown Drive in Arbor Hills

Difficulty: This is an easy hike on mowed trails on a small, flat, planted prairie right next to the parking area with boatloads of bumblebees! Wear long pants, good hiking shoes, and bring water and a snack if needed. We'll have bug spray and some printed bumblebee guides.