"There's a lot more in the pipeline, unless we reduce the greenhouse gas amounts. These superstorms are a taste of the storms of my grandchildren. We are headed wittingly into the new reality. We knew it was coming." - Dr. James Hansen, former NASA scientist, whio warned the U.S. Senate in 1988 about the climate crisis.
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The Coulee Region Group mourns the loss of Don Frank this past month. Don was one of the founders of the Coulee Region Group in 1972 and the second group president in 1973 – exactly 50 years ago. Don and his wife Barbara originally joined the Sierra Club to protect the Red River in Clarksville, TN, where Don was working for the Trane Company. They brought their passion for environmental causes back to La Crosse when Don returned to Trane here. Through the many years they have maintained their support for the Sierra Club, at the local, state, and national levels. Don will be greatly missed. Read more about Don here: https://tinyurl.com/DonFrank2023
If you would like to honor Don's memory and commitment to the environment, please consider a donation to the Sierra Club's Wisconsin Chapter in Don's name. https://tinyurl.com/Donate-WI-SC
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CONTACT YOUR REC Are you a member of a rural electric co-op? Dairyland Power Cooperative, the utility that provides the majority of electricity to local co-ops in Wisconsin, has the opportunity to apply for major grants and low-cost loans for clean energy through the New ERA program. This would reduce customer prices and have a positive impact on our environment.
Please reach out to your local co-op board asking them to support Dairyland’s application for a strong New ERA package! Email Jadine at jadine.sonoda@sierraclub.org to learn how to find your REC board members, how to contact them, and what information you can share.
SUPPORT OUR TEAMS Sierra Club - Wisconsin's volunteer teams are currently raising funds to support our work -- including our legislative and grassroots advocacy. Donate to one or more teams at https://tinyurl.com/WI-SC-Donate-Teams.
CHAPTER AWARD NOMINATIONS The Wisconsin Chapter is accepting nominations of outstanding volunteers and partners for Chapter Awards. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the form details, just share a few sentences about why your nominee deserves to be celebrated! Submit your nomination at https://tinyurl.com/WIChapterAwards23 by August 15!
CRSC BOARD If you are a CRSC member, you are eligible to run for the board. Board members meet monthly, online or in person, to discuss club and chapter business, including finances; programs, activities, and events; membership; education and outreach; and more. You do not need any special skills or credentials to be on the board. More information will be available next month. Please consider serving on the board!
CRSC board meetings are open and any member may attend and observe. The next board meeting will be held over Zoom on Tuesday, August 29 at 6:30 p.m. If you would like access information, please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com or call 608-315-2693.
VERNON COUNTY ENERGY AND EVs By Sam Skemp The Vernon County Energy District (VCED) helped sponsor the Drive Electric Earth Day event on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Viroqua Food Co-op.
Drive Electric Earth Day is an annual campaign for sharing information about driving electric vehicles (EVs) and for encouraging people to buy them. The event included EV test drives along with other Earth Day activities.
Vernon County Energy District is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission of promoting local energy production and ownership (solar, wind, and hydro), encouraging energy conservation, and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
To learn more about VCED and how to become a member, go to their website: www.VCED.energy.
PHOTO CONTEST Friends of the Refuge Headwaters is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Mississippi River Refuge by hosting a photo contest. All photos must be taken at or of the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
The deadline for submissions is October 27, 2023 with judging completed by January 1, 2024. Winning photos will become part of an exhibit displayed at public events throughout the Refuge in 2024. Cash prizes will be given for top entries. For more information, visit www.tinyurl.com/RefugePhotoInfo
EVENT VOLUNTEERS Seeking helpers for September National Drive Electric Week event(s) in La Crosse area and to help organize early October “Know Your Solarhood” tours in the La Crosse and Onalaska areas. If you would like to help organize, contact potential participants, help with publicity, etc. please email CRSierraCluba@gmail.com or call 608-315-2693.
ROUTE ZERO IN LA CROSSE On July 27, Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and La Crosse Municipal Transit Director Adam Lorentz joined other community leaders for a press conference to rally public support for a transition to a zero-emission transportation future, including calling for the strongest possible federal clean car standards.
Major federal investments have been made in charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing, and consumer tax incentives. These efforts are propelling the shift to zero-emission vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency’s draft safeguards for the next round of clean car standards for (model years 2027-2032) lay the groundwork for an estimated 67% of all new car sales to be EVs by 2032.
Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski highlighted the signi-ficant impact on sustainable development and local economies. The City of La Crosse has been ahead of the curve on recognizing the benefits of zero emission vehicles and preparing for an EV future.
Watch the event at tinyurl.com/LaXRoute0
SUMMER READING Several new books are out or due out that talk about taking climate action.
The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions by Greta Thunberg. “In The Climate Book, Greta Thunberg has gathered the wisdom of over one hundred experts – geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and indigenous leaders – to equip us all with the knowledge we need to combat climate disaster.”
The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell, a New York Times best-selling author and 2020 Guggenheim Fellow who has been reporting on climate issues for more than two decades for Rolling Stone Magazine. “An explosive, completely new understanding of heat, the lethal force which threatens every living cell on Earth. ... a deeply-reported examination of the impact that temperature rise will have on our lives and on our planet, offering a vital new perspective on where we are headed, how we can prepare, and what is at stake if we fail to act.”
Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis by Michael E. Mann, due out in September. “In this sweeping work of science and history, the renowned climate scientist and author of The New Climate War shows us the conditions on Earth that allowed humans not only to exist but thrive, and how they are imperiled if we veer off course.”
MORE AUGUST EVENTS
8/ 3: Bats at the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge Outdoor Wonder Learning Center at 7 p.m. https://explorelacrosse.com/event/bats-at-the-refuge/
8/ 4: Shakespeare in Wildcat Mountain State Park at 5:30 p.m. dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/76411
8/ 5: Love the Land Party, Dance, and Fundraiser for Crawford Stewardship Project at Lions Park, Soldiers Grove from 6 p.m. to midnight. www.facebook.com/events/6255718281193759
8/ 5: Native Plants & Insects at 10 a.m.,The Nature Place, Myrick Park, La Crosse strive2thrivecr.org/event/native-plants-insects/
8/ 5: Geology Hike at Wildcat Mountain State Park 10 a.m. dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/78076
8/ 6: Shakespeare in Perrot State Park at 1 p.m. dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/76421
8/ 8: Drop in on Bears at the Castle Mound Shelter in the Black River Falls State Forest from 1 to 3 p.m. tinyurl.com/BRFBears
8/12: Friends of the Black River Paddle at Hatfield Whitewater Release. Please RSVP www.friendsoftheblackriver.org/category/paddles/
8/12-20: Jackson County Bike Week Challenge JacksonInAction.org/jcbikeweek
8/12: Astronomy & Star-Gazing at Wildcat Mountain State Park Ampitheater, 8 to 11 p.m. dnr.wisconsin.gov/events/73071
8/19: Prairie Pollinators Walk at the La Crosse Bluff-lands North, Cty FA Trailhead, La Crosse at 10 a.m. explorelacrosse.com/event/guided-pollinator-walk-offered-at-la-crosse-blufflands-prairie/
8/23: International Crane Foundation - Learn about Cranes 6:30 p.m. Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge Outdoor Wonder Learning Center
explorelacrosse.com/event/international-crane-foundation/
8/23: Bluff Bash 6 to 9 p.m. Upper Hixon Forest Parking Lot
8/23: All Things Slithery at Brockway Park in BRF at 9:30 a.m. www.blackrivercountry.net/event/all-things-slithery/
8/24: Monroe County Invasive Species Working Group Field Day from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Wisconsin Cranberry Research Station, W8510 County Road O, BRF. tinyurl.com/MonroeCtyInvasives
8/26: Friends of the Black River River Clean-Up and Paddle from 8 a.m. to noon at Al Young Park tinyurl.com/FOBR823Paddles
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