Join us online on Tuesday, March 28 to learn more about how communities can take power, helping and educating themselves and their neighbors to save money, be more environmentally responsible, increase resilience, and reduce carbon emissions.
You must register at tinyurl.com/CRSC-032823 in order to receive the link to join.
TUESDAY, March 28, 7 p.m.: Vernon County Energy District - A Community Approach to the Energy Transition with Alan Buss, President, VCED Inspired by the Soil and Water Conservation Districts formed in the 1930s, an Energy District is a non-profit organization that serves a specific county. It fosters the development of locally tailored energy solutions that account for the demographic, geographic, and regulatory factors in that county. An Energy District empowers local energy users to make change, facilitates cooperation between diverse public and private stakeholders, and stimulates the local economy by promoting investment in energy projects and jobs. Through education and community outreach, an Energy District increases adoption of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy production, thereby reducing carbon emissions and other pollution. Finally, an Energy District improves community resiliency through distributed energy generation and storage. Learn about the Vernon County Energy District from its president, Alan Buss, and why this is an important movement at the dawn of a new energy reality. Please register for the link at www.tinyurl.com/CRSC-032823 or by calling 608-315-2693. The event is co-sponsored by Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter Moving Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Team.
LEOPOLD DAY ON MARCH 4 Aldo Leopold’s essays in “A Sand County Almanac” will be featured in a series of events in the La Crosse area for the state’s annual Leopold observance held each year on the first weekend in March. Leopold, a conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast, is considered by many as the father of wildlife management and of the United States wilderness system. He died in 1948 fighting a neighbor's grass fire at “the shack,” his family getaway near Portage.
Since 2004 the state has honored Leopold and his conservation legacy, “to inform and inspire us to see the natural world as a community to which we belong.” The La Crosse event is planned each year by representatives of local environmental and conservation groups.
There is no charge and no registration is required for these events.
On Saturday, March 4 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at the Myrick Park Center in La Crosse. The Leopold observance will be the theme of WisCorps’ “Nature Saturday.” The family activities will include crafts, scavenger hunts, and live animals.
At 11 a.m., the Friends of the Marsh will hold a family-friendly hike around the marsh starting from the Myrick Park Center. The theme will be Aldo Leopold’s “Marshland Elegy,” from A Sand County Almanac. Hikers should dress for conditions.
From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Visitor Center on Brice Prairie will host events including a talk by retired UW-L professor Steve Simpson, author of “Essays to My Daughter on Our Relationship With the Natural World,” and a walk and talk led by Jay Fernholz, retired landscape architect. Refuge staff will be available to answer questions, and volunteers from the Friends of the Refuge Mississippi River Pools 7 & 8 will provide hot cocoa after the walk. Please dress for winter weather!
Learn more at www.tinyurl.com/LaXLeopold23
OUTINGS LEADER TRAINING If you love to hike and explore places around Wisconsin and want to share those experiences with others, consider becoming a Sierra Club Outings leader.
New leaders or leaders needing to renew their certification can complete online training modules at their own pace. To complete the training (be certified) they will need to attend an online discussion/review of the modules, one on March 16 and the other on March 23.
All outings leaders need to have at least basic First Aid/CPR training. The club will offer training at a central location in March.
If you sign up for Outings Leader training, you will also get the date for the First Aid/CPR training. Register at www.tinyurl.com/23WISCLdrTraining
For more information or questions, contact Liz Wessel, lizard59sc@yahoo.com.
BOOK CLUB The Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter’s book club meets from 7 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday evening of every other month and everyone is welcome to participate.
On March 7, the book will be As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environ-mental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker. This nonfiction book details the history of Native Americans in the United States since European colonization, including criticisms of the modern conservation movement as exclusionary to indigenous concepts of land and environmental stewardship, and coverage of the 2010s Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock. Register at www.tinyurl.com/WISC-0323Book and learn more about the book club at www.tinyurl.com/WISC-23Books
AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY The Federal Communications Commission offers two programs to help low-income individuals access afford internet and phone service.
Lifeline provides subscribers a discount on qualifying monthly telephone service, broadband Internet service, or bundled voice-broadband packages purchased from participating wireline or wireless providers. To qualify, a household’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI--line 11 on the 2021 1040 form ) must be at or below 135% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. For a one-person household, that is $18,347. Learn more at www.fcc.gov/lifeline-consumers
The Affordable Connectivity Program offers a discount of up to $30 per month for eligible households (up to $75 for those on eligible Tribal lands). In addition, eligible households can receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop, or tablet. To qualify for this program, a household must have an AGI at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. For one person, that is $27.180. Learn more about this program at www.fcc.gov/acp
MORE MARCH EVENTS
COOPERATE by Dena Eackles (from her blog, Let Kindness Win)
The definition of cooperate is, “to work jointly toward the same end.” You remember the saying and probably have experienced, “Many hands make light work.” In the early 1900s, it was a necessity to help one another, especially rurally. And it was that joint effort of neighbors that built electric transmission lines and created distribution cooperatives like Vernon Electric and twenty-four more coops in our state.
The fact that cooperatives have remained solvent through the years is a testament to core principles: they are member owned and democratically run. That means members elect Delegates and the Board who in turn hire the CEO to run the day-to-day business of the cooperative. That business should be of concern to every member since it is our monies that feed the system and allow it to run.
What causes a cooperative to fail? Apathy of the membership is a major contributor to the detriment of a coop; conflicting goals is another. Misinformation or lack of transparency can cause conflict and can upend the cooperative spirit. Competition from outside might also influence a cooperative negatively.
Remember Vernon Electric Cooperative is a distribution co-op. Dairyland Power is the generator, supplying electric energy to co-ops through coal power plants and other means. And, while that has been a working relationship, there are environmental factors influencing our need for locally-generated renewable energy. Drive through the Driftless and you’ll see solar panels on homes. Most, like the ones I own, are grid-tied. That means when extra energy is produced it goes back into the pool of electricity that Vernon Electric transmits. Over time, local panels will reduce costs for all if allowed to continue.
Times are changing. This is not a time for apathy. Get in the know or stay in the dark. The next VEC annual meeting is Saturday, March 25, Bylaws, rate increases and other important issues will be raised. Your vote matters.
