December newsletter

You need not be a Sierra Club member to attend! (But why not join?)

Directions: This home is in Wedgewood Valley. From the intersection of State Road and Losey (Java Vino corner) head EAST on Highway 33 for about a mile. Just past Hagen Road on the right, turn immediately LEFT onto onto Wedgewood Drive West. Stay on Wedgewood Drive West to Valley Drive.

SAVE the DATE: Jan 20 - Conference for concerned citizens on Industrial Ag in the Driftless Site TBD  Many Coulee Region residents are experiencing adverse effects of industrial operations moving to their rural communities. Groundwater pollution, toxic runoff, fish kills, air and sound  pollution, high capacity wells, degraded roads, heavy traffic, and deteriorating quality of life and property values are some of the problems.

Our October Water Contamination Public Forum highlighted CAFO contamination in La Crosse  county. Vernon County residents have experienced recent manure spills resulting in thousands of fish deaths and contaminated trout streams and are now facing the possibility of a high capacity industrial hog slaughter facility. Crawford and Grant counties are also in the midst of industrial ag struggles.

Several state and regional organizations are planning a January 20 conference for concerned citizens. The site is yet to be determined (somewhere in the Coulee Region). Besides speakers, the conference will include opportunities for citizens from different areas to come together and share ideas about best ways forward. There are some exciting grassroots possibilities to discuss. Co-sponsors include the Crawford Stewardship Project, Concerned Citizens for Smart Growth, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network, the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, and the Coulee Region Sierra Club.


 Coulee Region Environmental Education Grants The Coulee Region Sierra Club awards grants every year for environmental education projects. Three $200 grants were awarded in 2017. In October, we reported on two of the recipients. Here is news from the third:

Dear Coulee Region Sierra Club,

Thanks to the Sierra Club environmental education grant, outside our classroom window, we anchored a six foot wrought iron bird feeder stand and on it we have four hanging feeders. We also have a window mount.

It is so exciting to watch the beautiful finches perch and eat right before our eyes. My little people friends are getting better at standing quietly when they see a bird. Sometimes our excitement gets the best of us and we frighten the birds away. We have learned about the finches, cardinals and chickadees and of course the blackbird. We have also enjoyed watching the squirrels, bunnies and the mourning doves eating the seeds off the ground. I have kept the feeders filled all summer, this fall we will chart the birds we see and which feeders they enjoy.

I am so happy to watch the excitement and the interest the students have as they observed these little creatures, thank you for giving us this opportunity!

Thank you,
Cheri Oglesby, Pre-K Teacher, St. Rose of Lima School, Cuba City, Wisconsin

The application for 2018 grants is available at tinyurl.com/crsc-2018grantapp. Teachers and organizations who work with elementary and middle school children in the Coulee Region (Crawford, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau, and Vernon county) may apply. Deadline is January 5, 2018.

Ready for 100 Team  If you are interested in helping to push for renewable energy in the City of La Crosse and across the Coulee Region, please join our team. Our first meeting will be late in November or early in December. The main goal will be to find ways to work with the mayor and city to set ambitious and specific goals to move to use renewable energy as quickly as possible. But people who live outside La Crosse are also welcome. This team could also provide support for those who live in other Coulee Region communities to request support for the Ready for 100 program from their own municipal leaders. We will try to work with others in our community and state to come up with a process others can use in encouraging a move to renewable energy sources.

John Muir Chapter Water Team  The John Muir (Wisconsin) Chapter Sierra Club has a statewide water team which will begin meeting by internet/phone in January to prioritize water issues around the state. The team will also seek ways for the state club to support and be a resource for communities working to protect threatened water resources and preserve and enhance waterways. In addition, the Water Team will look for ways to partner and cooperate with individuals, organizations and agencies so our efforts and reach will be amplified. If you would like to join the Water Team, please email crsierraclub-at-gmail.com and we’ll connect you with the January conference call and local efforts. More participants from more areas will help the team bring
more issues to the public for attention and action.


Sierra Club 2018 Calendars  Again this year, your purchase of Sierra Club calendars will benefit our club and environmental programs and protection activities. The calendars cost $14.95 for the wall calendar and $15.95 for the engagement book. Get your calendar at our December gathering or order from Maureen Kinney: 784-9324/784-5678 or email maureen at johnsflaherty -dot-com. SIERRA CLUB NOTE AND HOLIDAY CARDS are available at the online store.

Board Elections  This December, we recognize and thank Danny Foote for two decades of service, most as treasurer, on the Coulee Region Sierra Club board. Thank you, Danny!

Candidate Kathy Allen holds a Master's Degree in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from UW-Madison. She currently works as a Natural Resource Specialist for GeoSpatial Services (GSS), a project center of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona. Through GSS, she has contributed to Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) reports for at least 25 National Park Service properties (national monuments, historic sites, seashores, etc.) all across the country. Kathy is very concerned about climate change and is an active member of Citizens' Climate Lobby. She is a co-founder of Coulee Region Climate Alliance which hosts a Climate Fair annually in La Crosse. In her free time, she enjoys biking (on roads and trails), reading, and seeing new things in nature. 

Your ballot is in your mailed newsletter OR, if you don't get a mailed newsletter (thank you!) you can print one from this link or print the ballot page from your emailed newsletter. Please mail it to 620 South 23rd Street, La Crosse, 54601 BY DECEMBER 15 OR bring it with you to the winter gathering. Normally, four seats of seven would be open for election to two year terms. But this year, we have a fifth seat, for a one year term, also open for election. This will even out our two-year alternating terms for future years. 

Environment Topic of League of Women Voters Lunch  Join the League of Women Voters of the La Crosse area for the Mayor's Perspective on Water Conservation and Climate Change as a Member of the Executive Committee of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. This is the group's December “Lunch and Learn” program. Lunch at 11:30 a.m. is available for those who register by December 6. Anyone is welcome to attend the mayor’s talk which will begin at noon at Moxie’s in La Crosse (1835 Rose Street). You don't need to be a LWV member to participate! 

HELP US REACH EVERYONE!  We’re still looking for CR Sierra Club members around the region to email with news of events and issues in their communities so we can get more people involved. Email crsierraclub-at-gmail-dot-com.

Leader Training, March Program for 2018  Eric Uram, John Muir Chapter Outings Chair, will do outing leader training in early 2018. Those who complete one day of training would be qualified to lead day trips. Those who complete a second day would be able to lead overnight trips away from cars (canoe camping, backpacking, etc). If you might be interested in doing a one- or two-day training session, please email crsierraclub-at-gmail-dot-com or call Pat at 608 788-8831.

Mark your calendar for our March 26, 2018 program: From Copper to Conservation in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park with Margot Higgins. Margot has lived and conducted research in Wrangell-St.Elias Park for the last decade. A 2015 graduate of the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Program at UC Berkeley she is currently a lecturer in the Environmental Studies Program at UWL.

And, if you have suggestions for other programs or group events, please email us! We are considering a trip to the La Crosse landfill and possibly a SMRT bus day trip but would love to include events in the wider Coulee Region.