Environmental Education grants

Once again the Coulee Region Sierra Club will offer grants of up to $200 for environmental education projects involving young people at the elementary or middle school level or in a community organization. 

The local group, in keeping with the Sierra Club's purpose of exploring, protecting, and enjoying our environment, invites teachers or leaders in all areas of study, as well as youth group advisors, to involve tomorrow's decision-makers in making their world a better place in some small way. 

Projects must:

• Provide hands-on experience for students to learn about and explore our environment
• Do something to promote a world which allows all life forms to live and prosper
• Show students that they can make a difference in their environment, whether urban or rural
• Be completed within the 2017-2018 school year. A follow up report will be due upon completion of the project

Project may:

• Consist of environmental displays or other creative works
• Benefit the land, water, air, plants, animals, and/or birds
• Be a new project with lasting value or the potential for ongoing activity

Applications are due January 5, 2018 via email: maureen[at]johnsflaherty[dot]com. Grant recipients will be notified shortly thereafter.

Call Maureen Kinney with questions: 608 784-5678.

Application form is available at: https://tinyurl.com/crsc-2018grantapp

 

Report on groundwater pollution forum

[Please view the event page for display files and links to sites, resources, and groups mentioned during the program.]

About 70 people attended the groundwater pollution forum hosted by the Coulee Region Sierra Club on Tuesday evening, October 24 at the Holland Town Hall in Holmen. CRSC board president, Pat Wilson, provided a short introduction, noting that pollution of drinking water is among Americans'  top concerns in Chapman University's 2017 Survey of American Fears.

The state Sierra Club (John Muir Chapter) has been very active in water quantity and quality issues, producing five water white papers this year. The CRSC would like to be a resource for those seeking ways to connect with others around the state advocating for better enforcement of existing water protections and better staffing and funding for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Thank you to our panelists and to the Town of Holland for letting us use their wonderful facility (which produces more power via rooftop solar than it uses).

State Representative Steve Doyle, whose district includes the area where high levels of contamination from a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) and other sources have been found in La Crosse county wells provided a background of CAFO development in the state; information about the DNR's spotty record of inspecting, regulating, and enforcing state laws; and recent legislation dealing with water quality.

La Crosse County Board member and chair of the county's Health and Human Services committee, Mike Giese, discussed the background of the county's long and difficult quest to get accurate information from the DNR about CAFO contamination. The county was forced to resort to Freedom of Information Act requests in order to learn how much contamination had been present (thaough the latest data was dated April 2016) and for how long. Mr. Giese noted that some important data is still not available.

La Crosse County Health Department director, Jen Rombalski, talked about well testing, trying to serve the public with partial information, and health effects of different kinds of contamination including nitrates and bacteria.

There were many audience questions and at 8:30 p.m. many stayed to continue the discussion. We hope to have an audio or video of most of the session up by October. 27.

In the meantime, view the event page for links to display information and websites mentioned during the program.

Thank you to all who participated. We will have more about this issue in our November newsletter.

For immediate release

October 3, 2017

Forum on Groundwater Pollution in La Crosse County
October 24 forum to examine priorities & policies that allow pollution without accountability

La Crosse, Wisconsin - The Coulee Region Sierra Club is hosting a public forum on La Crosse County ground water pollution on Tuesday, October 24 from 7:00 to 8:45 p.m. at the Holland Town Hall, W7937 County Road MH, Holmen. The forum is free and open to the public.
Panelists include Wisconsin State Representative Steve Doyle, La Crosse County Board member
Mike Giese, and La Crosse County Health Department Director Jen Rombalski. Those who attend
will be encouraged to ask questions, share their concerns, and find out how to join with others to
work on local and statewide water solutions that prioritize the health of Wisconsin’s people and
environment.

La Crosse County joins a growing list of counties around the state whose clean water supplies are
being threatened by unchecked contamination. A water quality health advisory issued by the County
Health Department in April 2017 warned some Holmen and Onalaska area residents that nitrate and
bacteria levels in their wells might exceed state health limits. Those whose wells test high for
nitrates are advised to use bottled water for drinking and cooking because of potential serious
health consequences including miscarriage, thyroid disease, diabetes, and cancer.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has faced criticism for failing to communicate with
the county or with residents living near a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) where test wells have shown excessive levels of contamination for several years, and for failing to properly
regulate that operation. A DNR spokesperson told the La Crosse Tribune in July of this year that, “The DNR doesn’t have a policy regarding notifying municipalities or private well owners in the vicinity when a CAFO violates a permit.”

“Somebody at the DNR needs to read their own mission statement,” said Pat Wilson, President of
the Coulee Region Sierra Club. “Their stated goals include protecting and enhancing our natural
resources, providing a healthy, sustainable environment, and ensuring the right of all people to use
and enjoy these resources. Letting polluters violate their permits without penalty does not protect
our natural resources nor provide a healthy environment.”

This year the John Muir (Wisconsin) Chapter of the Sierra Club released a series of white papers
about water quality and access in Wisconsin. The chapter’s state-wide water team is working to
empower citizens and municipalities through legislation and activism.