From the board president

It’s January 1st  – time to look back at 2016 accomplishments and plan 2017 goals for the Coulee Region Group.  The major areas of activities in 2016 were:

Transportation
*   Coulee Region Group Board members Maureen Kinney, Cathy Van Maren, and Pat Wilson were members of the Community Advisory Group to the DOT’s La Crosse North-South Transportation Study, which is evaluating changes, including possible new roads in the La Crosse River Marsh, to improve transportation efficiency. The Coulee Region Group recommended  a no-build strategy that improves mass transit, bike-pedestrian
improvements, smart traffic signals, carpooling, and improvements to intersections.  The planning process will continue in 2017. We go to La Crosse Area Planning Committee meetings to monitor progress.
*  Our March meeting included a presentation by Mayor Tim Kabat on his transportation vision, along with "The City of La Crosse Transportation Vision: A Plan of Action" by Chuck Lee and James Longhurst
*  Board Member Cathy Van Maren worked with state Sierra Club to set up the La Crosse Area Transportation Forum at the La Crosse South Side Neighborhood Center in October. This event advocated improved mass transit and provided information on transportation alternatives to the single occupant automobile.
*  The Coulee Region group helped publicize the availability of the Enterprise Car Share program to La Crosse area community members. The car share program provides simple car rental by the hour, providing an alternative to car ownership. Programs like this have been shown to decrease miles driven.
*   We continued road cleanups on River Valley Drive, the Coulee Groups adopted highway, with three cleanups this year.

Frac Sand Mining
*  Pat Wilson represented the Coulee Region Group and made a public statement at the Rally to  Ban Frac Sand Mining in May at the La Crosse Center. The Coulee Region Group was a co-sponsor of the rally

Water Quality
*  Pat Wilson represented the Coulee Region Group in planning for November EPA Listening Session in Eau Claire with the Regional EPA Administrator.  Pat attended the listening session and gave a report on problems with the Wisconsin DNR enforcement of the Wisconsin Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits in La Crosse County.

Environmental Education
*  The Coulee Region Group supported and had a booth at the La Crosse Earth Fair in April.
*  The Coulee Region Group continued our environmental grant program, providing three grants totaling $600 to elementary and middle schools in Holmen, La Crosse, and Cuba City. These grants support environmental education projects in the schools.

Climate Change/Renewable Energy
*  The Coulee Region Group supported and had a booth at the Acting Locally for Climate Sustainability Climate Action Festival sponsored by the Coulee Region Climate Alliance in March.
*  The September program was RENEW Wisconsin on the continually improving prospects and progress for solar energy in the state.  Following the meeting, the Coulee Region Group helped introduce RENEW Wisconsin the La Crosse City-County Joint Commission in Sustainability, with the goal of increased use of solar in city and county buildings.

Green Spaces
*  The Coulee Region Group co-sponsored a canoe outing on the Kickapoo River in September to
get people out and enjoying the beautiful green spaces in our area.
*  The Coulee Region Group is represented by Pat Wilson on the La Crosse Park Department Environmental Leadership Forum. The Environmental Leadership Forum advises the Park Department on the acquisition, management, and use of the park department lands intended to be left in their natural state.

- Pat Wilson, Board President, Coulee Region Group, John Muir Chapter, Sierra Club, January 1, 2017