“Wind and solar could already displace global gasoline demand if electric vehicles replaced gasoline vehicles” - Three facts that show how solar and wind strengthen energy security, https://ember-energy.org
MAY 16, 5:30 p.m. CRSC ACTION GATHERING. CRSC’s monthly Action Gatherings are a place for concerned and overwhelmed people to make sense of what the Trump regime is throwing at us and take meaningful action together. In a short time each month, you'll get the key updates you need to know and take collective action to resist the attacks on clean air and water, climate action, environmental justice, our democracy, and more. Join with others to view a clip from the national action hour, discuss, and take action together. Actions will change month to month, and might include calling your federal representatives or other decision makers, sharing your views on social media, writing a letter to the editor, and more. Pizza provided. BYO non-alcoholic drink. If you’ve missed past months’ programs, catch up here: https://www.sierraclub.org/monthly-action-hours Email us or call 608-315-2693 with questions. No experience necessary!
MAY 6 CONSERVATION LOBBY DAYS Registration is open for Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ Lobby Day in the state Capitol. At the beginning of every legislative session, conservation voters from around the state gather in Madison to meet with their legislators. We have the opportunity to tell our legislators directly about the actions we want them to take on clean water, clean energy, and a healthy democracy. Lobbying really does make a difference! In 2025, we have new opportunities to get our conservation priorities passed in the State Legislature and the state budget thanks to new legislative maps. After the fall 2024 election, we have a more balanced legislature, which paves the way for bipartisan support on issues such as clean water, clean energy, and a healthy democracy. Register here: https://conservationvoters.org/events/cld-2025 The cost to attend is free. A free bus will pick up and drop off in Tomah. Check here to see if there is still space available: https://tinyurl.com/25WCVLobbyBusWest
MAY 14 REFUGE STRONG Friends of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge - La Crosse District will host REFUGE STRONG on Wednesday, May 14, an evening of networking, learning, and planning to support our precious rivers, habitats, programs, research, staff, and more. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Concordia Ballroom, 1129 La Crosse Street. Learn more at https://www.for78.org/
MAY 19 - NITRATES IN GROUNDWATER Nitrate is a challenging issue because nitrogen is both a necessary component of agricultural production and an environmental pollutant. This talk will use nitrate data from Wisconsin to illustrate the relationship between human activities and our groundwater. Specifically, how nitrate ends up in our groundwater, why some areas more prone to contamination, and what practices may help improve water quality. Join the Wisconsin Chapter Water Team for an online lunch hour discussion.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/WISC-0519Nitrates
APRIL 23 - LOCAL CLIMATE ACTION Three local experts joined CRSC members and others on April 23 at noon for an online program about “Local Governments and Climate Action.” We welcomed Joe Ledvina, Director of Facilities for the School District of La Crosse, who explained why and how the district wrote and approved a district-wide climate action plan. Then we heard from Bob Micheel, Director of Monroe County’s Land Conservation Department and member of the county’s Climate Change Task Force. Finally, Lewis Kuhlman, Environmental and Sustainability Planner for the City of La Crosse described the City’s work leading up to and constructing a comprehensive community-wide climate action plan.
The program was packed full of great information and ideas, examples, and ddetails others can use to encourage climate action planning in their own communities and school districts and to begin the process of making a plan to reduce carbon emissions and to be prepared for climate change consequences. We heard a bit about the Direct Pay Tour, coming to La Crosse on May 8 hosted by Forward Together Wisconsin, to help pay for government and non-profit projects. A recording of the program is available at the CRSC’s new YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/9mSe4OphhVY?feature=shared
TABLING IN APRIL AND MAY Thanks to volunteers who helped CRSC spread the word about its programs and priorities at UW-L Earthapalooza on Friday, April 25 and at the La Crosse Earth Fair on Sunday, April 27. We encouraged people to fold fish as part of the Fish for the Future initiative and write post-cards encouraging U.S. Representative Derrick Van Orden to protect funding for clean air, water, and energy projects during budget negotiations.
We will table at the May 14 Refuge Strong event. If you are interested in helping, please email or call us at 608-315-2693.
MAY 3 - MAY DAY STRONG If you will attend the May 3 May Day Strong protest at Losey Blvd. and State Road in La Crosse and want to stand with CRSC friends, look for Colleen with a Sierra Club sign near the north end of the JavaVino parking lot. After 2 p.m., anyone interested, can head into JavaVino for a beverage (of either the "Java" or "Vino" variety!) and conversation afterward.
MAY 17 - BIOBLITZ Join the fun at this year’s BioBlitz from 10 a.m. to noon on May 17. At these FREE events, experts from our community will lead field expeditions to teach about specific topics in nature. Each event starts with a brief education about their topic, and then we will go out into the field to identify what we’ve learned about. Some events will be at The Nature Place and some off-site. The nature topics and locations are still to be determined. Contact Steph Hanna, Community Program Manager, steph.hanna@natureplacelacrosse.org
HIGHWAY CLEANUP REPORT Six CRSC members picked up 14 bags of trash plus a child’s scooter (contributed to the gear swap sale at Green Island Ice Arena), an edging shovel (contributed to Friends of the Marsh), and a Wisconsin driver’s license (returned to its owner)! Cleanup supervisor, Pat Wilson, picked up the collected trash afterward and took it to the dumpster in Myrick Park. Our next cleanup will be in early July.
Coulee Region Sierra Club Board Meetings are held over Zoom, usually on the last Tuesday evening of the month. Any member may attend. If you are interested, please email or call us for the link. Our May meeting will be on WEDNESDAY, May 28 at 6:30 p.m.
MEET THE BOARD - CATHY VAN MAREN Cathy was born in Iowa but moved with her family to La Crosse when she was about seven. She returned to Iowa for college and then, after a year in Minneapolis, she headed to North Carolina for grad school. Falling in with a community of back-to-the-landers, she learned about renewable energy, gardening, “alternative” houses, backpacking, canning, tipis, kite-making, fiddle-playing and other useful skills.
She returned to La Crosse about 40 years ago and worked for the Upward Bound project at UWL, It was a great opportunity to meet and learn from students and families from many cultures. For a time, she and her family sold vegetables, eggs, and chickens from their market garden in Vernon county.
Cathy’s first involvement with CRSC came in 2016 when she took over the newsletter from the previous editor. That year she also ran for the board. She is currently the board secretary and program chair.
After getting involved with the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign, she joined with other CRSC members to encourage the city to pass a carbon-zero resolution. When that resolution was passed in 2019, Cathy was able to be part of the Climate Action Plan team and then the CAP Steering Committee. She resigned from the CAP SC in 2024 but still advocates for climate action.
An avid transportation cyclists and public transit user, Cathy became a rabid active transportation advocate after several trips to Europe, especially the Netherlands, where bikes and public transit were connected and easily replaced private car travel. So, she is also a member of the Chapter’s Transportation Access and Equity Team and volunteers with the La Crosse Area Transit Advocates and Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance to push for better public transit around the region and state.
Cathy was fortunate to be honored with two chapter awards - the 2019 Merit Award and the JJ and Pat Werner Award in 2024. She is currently working to complete Outings Leader training in order to lead future Transit to Trails trips.
She points to one of her favorite quotes as inspiration: Abandon any hope of fruition. “I keep trying to remember - if I’m living in my plans for the future and then disappointed when they (inevitably) don’t work out as I want, I never appreciate where I am right now. I think positive action is an end in itself. It can inspire others and ripple out in unexpected ways. So, I try to just keep doing the best I can and not worry so much about outcomes.”
Cathy encourages everyone to assess what’s important to them and how they can work to help protect, support, and improve things. CRSC offers many opportunities.
GREEN HOMEOWNERS UNITED IN LA CROSSE City of La Crosse homeowners and landlords (duplex only) may be eligible for a free Focus on Energy home energy assessment and free or low-cost home energy improvements through a City of La Crosse partnership with Green Homeowners United. Eligible households may get help with sealing, insulating, appliance and HVAC upgrades, and more. To have an expert help you find out if you’re eligible for the grant, call or text Jack at Green Homeowners United: (608) 616-0470 and mention “La Crosse energy assessment” or visit https://www.greenhomewi.com/lax
MAY 3 - COON CREEK CONFLUENCE Coon Creek Confluence is a celebration of the Coon Creek Watershed: its community, its rich conservation traditions, and all the ways water connects us. This event takes place on the banks of Timber Coulee Creek, in the headwaters of the Coon Creek Watershed. The Coon Creek Watershed is famously the site of the 1930s Coon Creek Watershed Demonstration Project—the first watershed conservation project in the nation. The event includes activities, music, food, dancing, art, demonstrations, gardening help, and dozens of Water-shed Conservation Partners. It will be at the Westby Rod & Gun Club, E7969 Co. Hwy P. Learn more at https://cooncreekwatershed.org
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD The Coulee Region Sierra Club offers an annual $300 Stewardship Award to area juniors and seniors that live in the Coulee Region. This award honors high school student for their work engaging in environmental awareness and activity. Your help building awareness of this annual award is greatly appreciated.
Please print and post the flyer in your community (schools, libraries, public billboards). Distribute the information by forwarding this page to your social contacts, parent groups, community organizations. Tell your friends, family members, colleagues, co-workers about this opportunity. Posters: for sharing online: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UAlFKca13s9zPvwIb8LDUKGLqO33gR9o/view?usp=sharing and to print and post: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17yr4rAfXGu-6gVH90MDd9OguvDrQcwaM/view?usp=sharing
The City of La Crosse is seeking Neighborhood Ambassadors to help lead neighbors through four one-hour meetings focused on climate solutions and emergency preparedness. Ambassadors receive training, resources, and ongoing support from BrightAction Communities. This program is part of the Carbon Free La Crosse Challenge and is offered in partnership with the City of La Crosse. For details, please contact Carly Silverman at carlys@bacommunities.org.
MORE MAY EVENTS
- 5- 3: Nature Saturday at The Nature Place, Myrick Park, La Crosse 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/nature-saturday-2-2025-05-03/
- 5/ 6: Garlic Mustard Pull at Sugar Creek Bluff SNA - Ferryville. 9 am to 1 pm https://forms.office.com/r/F63Ri33pBV
- 5/ 6: Migratory Bird Walk at Goose Island County Park Shady Maple Interpretive Trail. 6 to 7:30 pm https://www.fws.gov/event/spring-bird-walk-honor-world-migratory-bird-day
- 5/ 7: Enviro Wednesday Frog Walk at the Nature Place from 7 to 8:30 pm https://natureplacelacrosse.org/calendar/enviro-wednesdays-3-2025-05-07/
- 5/ 9: Invasive Plant and Trash Removal at Trempealeau Lakes. 9 am to 1 pm https://forms.office.com/r/F63Ri33pBV
- 5/10: Migratory Bird Hike at Sugar Creek Bluff SNA - Ferryville. 7 to 9 am https://tinyurl.com/25scbmigbird
- 5/10: World Migratory Bird Day Birding Festival at the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. https://explorelacrosse.com/event/trempealeau-national-wildlife-refuge-to-celebrate-annual-birding-festival-2/
- 5/10: Repair Cafe at La Crosse Public Library from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. https://www.lacrosselibrary.org/event/repair-cafe-42322
- 5/15: Cultivating Culinary Mushrooms at the La Crosse Public Library from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. https://www.lacrosselibrary.org/event/cultivating-culinary-mushrooms-42243
- 5/15: Monarchs & Milkweeds at La Crosse Southside Neighborhood Center, 1300 6th St S from 5:30 to 6:30 pm https://www.cityoflacrosse.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/9084/18?
- 5/16-18: 83rd Annual Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Convention at the Stoney Creek Inn, Onalaska. https://www.wsobirds.org/what-we-do/annual-convention
- 5/16: Garlic Mustard Pull at Plum Creek Conservation Area. 9 am to 1 pm https://forms.office.com/r/F63Ri33pBV
- 5/17: Jackson County Tire Roundup at the Jackson County Highway Shop, N5661 Hwy 54 from 8 am to noon. https://www.blackrivercountry.net/event/tire-round-up/
- 5/17: Bird banding demonstration at Goose Island County Park Shady Maple Interpretive Trail from 7 to 11 am. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/upper-mississippi-river/events
- 5/21: Native Shrubs and Trees for the Birds and the Bees at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. 6 to 8 pm https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/day/2025/5/21?pli=1
- 5/21: Coulee Audubon meeting at The Nature Place. 7 pm https://www.facebook.com/CouleeRegionAudubon/
- 5/22: Film & Discussion - Reel Injun at the Rivoli in La Crosse. 4:30 pm https://www.rivoli.net/custom-posts/indigenous-film-series-reel-injun/
- 5/28: Garlic Mustard Pull at Boscobel Bluffs. 9 am to 1 pm https://forms.office.com/r/F63Ri33pBV6/
