April newsletter

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state Safer at Home travel and meeting restrictions, all in-person Sierra Club activites are suspended until further notice. We encourage Sierra Club members to keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe by staying home as much as possible. More details at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/index.htm

VOTING  The governor has not been able to change the date of our April 7 spring election. If you have not voted yet, you may request an absentee ballot online at myvote.wi.gov through April 2. The voted and witnessed ballot must be returned to your clerk by election day. If you have questions about voting, please contact your clerk.

BOOK CLUB ONLINE  Our Coulee Region Sierra Club book club continues ONLINE with Dahr Jamail’s award-winning book, The End of Ice, on tap through April. Join us at tinyurl.com/crscbookclub

CLEAN ENERGY TOOLKIT   The John Muir Chapter Sierra Club, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, and Renew Wisconsin released a Wisconsin Clean Energy Toolkit on March 10 with news conferences around the state. State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, Chair of a $1.2 billion trust fund, hopes to continue helping communities finance projects like solar panels to address climate change and lower energy costs. More at: www.wicleanenergytoolkit.com 

CONSERVATION CONGRESS ONLINE   Beginning Monday, April 13, the annual Conservation Congress will take place ONLINE. Each year, Wisconsin holds a Conservation Congress for people from all 72 counties to weigh in on various environmental issues, some related to hunting and fishing, but many other issue that impact our environment. This year, due to COVID-19, there will not be in-person hearings. Instead, we encourage you to submit your input online. The online portal will have the same questionnaire usually completed during county hearings. It's your opportunity to voice your opinion, learn from others, and have input into our environmental future. Learn more at tinyurl.com/jmcconscon20

SIERRA CLUB RESPONSE   Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director     As we all begin to deal with a global pandemic, I want to let you know how the Sierra Club is adapting and responding. We’re prioritizing the health of our volunteers, activists, staff, and entire community. The COVID-19 pandemic is a social and economic justice issue, as well as a health crisis. Protecting our community is our number one priority, and we recognize that we have a social responsibility to be good actors in keeping others safe.

We are continuing to build a strong community of changemakers online. Many of us are  processing feelings of fear, isolation, confusion, anger, and sadness around this pandemic, and how it is being handled by a reckless administration that puts vulnerable communities last. In the past few weeks, I encourage you to put yourself in other people’s shoes and engage with sensitivity and care. More at www.sierraclub.org/michael-brune/2020/03/sierra-club-covid-19-pandemic