February 2018 Newsletter

Clean Cars Campaign in La Crosse in February  The Clean Cars Campaign will hold a press event in La Crosse this February to bring attention to the Trump administration’s plan to roll back CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards. We will post information about the event (date, time, location) when details are finalized. If you can attend and show support for maintaining tough
mearningful standards, please do. Organizers will discuss the benefits of clean car standards and recognize those groups and politicians who have helped forward higher standards. Several local leaders will attend along with environmentalists and citizens interested in sustainability.

Current targets for light duty vehicles, established in 2011, require 2021 models to average at least 41 miles per gallon and 2025 models to average 49.7 mpg. Not only do these standards help reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions (which now make up the majority of emissions produced in the United States) but higher efficiency standards mean cost savings for drivers. The Union of Concerned Scientists has a fact sheet on environmental and economic benefits of strong fuel efficiency standards at www.ucsusa.org/state-mpg-benefits.

The Clean Cars Campaign is co-sponsored by several national organizations including the Sierra Club. For more information please visit cleancarscampaign.org.

February 3 Progresstival     The Coulee Region Sierra Club will join dozens of other organizations working on issues of sustainability, equity, fairnes, and future vision at the 2018 Progresstival.

The event at the Concordia Ballroom, 1129 La Crosse Street, will begin at 2 p.m. with an “activist fair,” where organizations will share their programs, initiatives, and needs. Learn how to join, help, and push a variety of issues. New this year, mini-workshops will help attendees learn about the organizing volunteers, local issues, and reasons to get involved.

Keynote speaker, Paul Cienfuegos, will talk about the importance of People Power. As a national leader and in the Community Rights movement, Cienfuegos believes “we the people” must exercise our right to pass laws to protect our communities’ health and welfare. (Cienfuegos will also present an Intro to Community Rights workshop on Sunday, Feb. 4 - see tinyurl.com/crwkshp02042018)

The event is open to all. Donations at the door will help pay for the event. After 5 p.m. those wishing to keep networking will meet at The Brickhouse (pub food available). See https://tinyurl.com/Progresstival2018

2018 Grant Recipients     Congratulations to our two Environmental Education grant recipients for the 2018 school year - St. Rose Catholic School in Cuba City and Sparta Area School District School
Forest program! We look forward to hearing about your projects this summer and fall. These Coulee Region Sierra Club environmental education grants are made possible by a grant from the Paul E. Stry Foundation. Thanks to that organization for allowing the Coulee Region Sierra Club to help spread knowledge and love of nature.

Help us include EVERYONE     We are still seeking Coulee Region Sierra Club members who can help keep our club informed about actions, events, issues, and opportunities around the region. Can you email a report about an upcoming program in your area? Could you send some photos of an event?
Would you like to write a column about environmental issues in your community? We are also looking for opportunities to connect members from all around the region. If you can help, please email crsierraclub at gmail.

Next meeting - Tuesday, March 27     Our next Coulee Region Sierra Club meeting will feature a talk on From Copper to Conservation in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park by Margot Higgins. Margot has lived and conducted research in Wrangell-St.Elias Park for the last decade. Having graduated from the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Program at UC Berkeley in 2015, she is currently a lecturer in the Environmental Studies Program at UWL. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us!

Climate Action Fair March 3     Now more than ever, every individual needs to take action for a healthy climate future. At the March 3 Climate Action Fair, hosted by the Coulee Region Climate Alliance, information will be available about ways individuals can make positive changes in their own lives and homes and in their work places and communities. The event will take place at the First Congregational Church, Losey Blvd and Main Street in La Crosse from 1 to 4 p.m.

More than 200 attend industrial ag conference     The Coulee Region Sierra Club was happy to join with many other state and regional organizations to sponsor an important conference on the increasing industrialization of rural Wisconsin. The January 20 event in Boscobel was attended by more than 200 people. As keynote speaker, Dr. John Ikerd pointed out, replacing family farms and small businesses with poorly regulated industries that handle toxic waste brings the problems previously associated with inner cities to rural CAFO communities.

Many perspectives and ideas were offered by speakers and conference attendees in hopes that people educating themselves, their neighbors, and their elected officials can defend against the negative impact of this rural colonization by multinational industries.

The John Muir Chapter Sierra Club Water Team will include CAFOs in their work for 2018. Last year’s JMC Sierra Club white paper on CAFOs is available online at tinyurl.com/jmsccafos.

If you missed the conference or would like to learn more about the issues, you can find links to video of the event, speakers’ contact information and event organizers at the event page: https://tinyurl.com/Jan20-DriftlessAg,

Vote starting February 5     The first statewide elections of 2018 will be held on Tuesday, February 20. On the ballot will be three contenders for a seat on the state’s Supreme Court. The top two vote getters in this primary will advance to the April 3 general election. In addition, county, municipal, and other local primaries will be decided.

It is now possible for many Wisconsin voters to register or begin or change their voter registration online. And, in most municipalities, voters may cast “absentee in person” ballots at their clerk’s office starting on Monday, February 5 where they can also register if needed. Absentee in person voting is available in most La Crosse municipalities Monday through Friday until Friday, February 16. Hours vary - contact your clerk for details.

Full information about voting including how to and where to register, where to vote, and what’s on your ballot is available online at http://myvote.wi.gov. This site will also tell you what documents you need to provide when registering to vote. If you don’t use the internet, please call your municipal clerk.

Voters will need to provide some form of approved ID when they vote absentee in person or at the polls on February 20. For most, that’s a Wisconsin driver’s license or Wisconsin ID card, but there are
several other approved documents. For a full list, visit bringit.wi.gov. Note - if you do not have a driver’s license, you may get a FREE state photo ID card for voting at the Department of Motor
Vehicles. Bringit.wi.gov tells how.

Sierra Club Actions     Courts Deny Federal Agency’s Hail Mary on Fracked Gas Pipeline - Sabal Trail Pipeline May be Shut Down On January 31, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a request from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to revisit a case
that established greenhouse gas emissions as a crucial component of analyzing the impacts of gas pipelines. The landmark decision from last year forced FERC to consider the future environmental effects of burning gas when deciding whether or not to approve the construction of gas pipelines. This ruling could mean that the Sabal Trail Pipeline must cease operations until a thorough and
complete review of its overall impact is completed.

Sierra Club joins suit against Trump’s plan to shrink national monuments In December, the Sierra Club joined several other environmental groups to sue Donald Trump claiming that he does not have the authority to reduce the size of national monuments. A separate suit was filed by five Native American tribes. However, the Trump proclamation takes effect on February 2 and at 6 a.m. on that date, private citizens and companies will be allowed to stake claims for hard rock mining. Many outlets report that the move to shrink the monuments came after lobbying by uranium mining companies. A new ANTIQUITIES Act was introduced in the US Senate on January 30 to re-protect these unique treasures.

CAFOs and Lead

First, NOT in the news, at least not in La Crosse, last weekend's Industrial Ag in the Driftless conference. Even though citizens in the local market (La Crosse and Vernon counties) have several CAFO challenges and even though the conference was live streamed, nothing.

But you can view the speakers and Q&A session online at https://www.wisvideohub.net/  and WDRT, 91.9 FM in Viroqua, will broadcast parts of the conference on Sunday, January 28 starting at noon.

The John Muir Chapter Sierra Club Water Team has chosen CAFOs and the dangers they pose to the environment and rural communities as one of it's top priorities for 2018.

AND

Congratulations to the John Muir Chapter! The Lead Bill (Senate Bill 48/Assembly Bill 78) backed by the state Sierra Club has been signed into law. Read the summer 2017 Water White Paper on the problems of lead contamination in Wisconsin.

TODAY!

Please attend today's important regional conference on the challenges of Industrial Ag in the Driftless. Sponsored by a host of state and regional organizations (including Coulee Region Sierra Club), the event will educate,  motivate,  and activate.

Those who attend in person will have a chance to network and collaborate with others to learn what local communities can do to protect against rural colonization by the multinational ag industry.

If you are not able to attend physically,  part of the event will be live streamed and then available online.

For more information,  please visit the event page at https://tinyurl.com/Jan20-DriftlessAg.

January newsletter

“CAFOs generate large quantities of manure, both liquid and solid. The bacteria, phosphorous, nitrates and other substances in manure can contaminate water supplies. The management and disposal of this manure is the source of many of the problems that can arise from one of these facilities. To put the amount of manure generated in context, a dairy CAFO with 2,500 cows generates the same amount of waste as a city of 410,000 residents. Unlike cities, however, CAFOs do not treat the sewage they produce.” - from CAFOS: A Threat to Water in Wisconsin, John Muir Chapter Sierra Club, June 2017 (https://tinyurl.com/jmsc-CAFOpaper)

Please join us at this important regional conference organized by individuals and organizations concerned about the size and number of industrial agricultural operations moving into the sensitive Driftless region. If you can, please print and post flyers, share the FB event, share on Twitter
or other social media, organize a carpool. With former Wisconsin DNR Secretary Kathy Stepp soon to head the regional EPA office, clearly communities need to become more creative, more organized, more determined, and more self-reliant to protect our environment.


Save the date! Tuesday, March 27 Our next Coulee Region Sierra Club meeting will feature a talk on From Copper to Conservation in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park by Margot Higgins. Margot has lived and conducted research in Wrangell-St.Elias Park for the last decade. Having graduated from the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Program at UC Berkeley in 2015, she is currently a lecturer in the Environmental Studies Program at UWL. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us!

Outings   The John Muir Chapter hosts some amazing outings every year. Some are so popular that it doesn’t hurt to reserve a space well in advance. Annual favorites locally include Black and Kickapoo River trips. Watch the calendar for new outings, too (www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/outingsevents)

These summer events are on the calendar now:

• July 12-15 Women’s Namekagon Canoe & Camp
• July 27-August 5 Women’s Quetico Canoe/ Portage
• August 3-12 Anglers’ Quetico Canoe/ Portage
• August 31-September 9 Paddlers’ Quetico Canoe/ Portage

Here’s a photo of participants in last September’s outing on the Kickapoo River (view the video at youtu.be/xwXryHDsEfI) Thanks to John Sullivan for producing this video and sharing it with us.

Enviro Education Grants  There’s still time to apply for 2018 Environmental Education grants of up to $200. to help make sure
students learn about our environment. 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

CR Sierra Club Board  Your 2018 Coulee Region Sierra Club Board members will be Kathy Allen, Bill Katra, Maureen Kinney, George Nygaard, Avery Van Gaard, Cathy Van Maren, and Pat Wilson. Thanks to those who voted. If you have suggestions for 2018 programs, projects, events, or activities, please feel free to contact the board at crsierraclub at gmail.

Thank you Barb and Don Frank for hosting our December 19 Winter Gathering!

Looking back, looking forward. The Coulee Region Sierra Club was active during 2017 both in hosting events and actions and providing opportunities for members and friends to experience the outdoors. In 2018 we will continue to seek ways to include more members in events held around the region.

Transportation
* The Coulee Region Group joined many other La Crosse area organizations in opposing a new highway through the La Crosse River marsh. At the end of the year, the state DOT dropped its effort to construct a new road.
* Our March 2017 program included Mayor Tim Kabat, along with Professors Chuck Lee and James Longhurst (UWL History Department) discussing The City of La Crosse Transportation Vision - A Plan of Action.
* We continued road cleanups on River Valley Drive, the Coulee Region Group’s adopted highway, with two cleanups this year and a darned good try at holding a third (twice defeated by inclement weather!)

Activism
* Coulee Region Group members attended April Conservation Congress meetings to talk about and vote on policies from water quality and DNR permitting processes to frac sand and other mining policies.
* Our members commented on proposed DNR changes and some attended Conservation Lobby Day in March
* Our club joined with other organizations to host a screening of the film, SUSTAINABLE, as a fundraiser for Midwest Environmental Advocates

Water Quality
* Coulee Region Sierra Club members joined others in Madison on February 8 for Citizen Water Lobby Day hosted by the Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network. Attendees networked, heard from speakers, and visited with their state representatives and senators.
* In March the Club held a well-attended media event at the Myrick Park Center to highlight World Water Day and local and state water quality issues.
* In October, the club hosted a water quality forum in Town of Holland to discuss contamination issues in north La Crosse County. We were fortunate that local officials volunteered as panelists for the event.

Environmental Education
* The Coulee Region Group supported and had a booth at the Progresstival in January, the Coulee Region Climate Alliance Climate Action Fair in March, the La Crosse Earth Fair in April, and the Open Streets event in September.
* We continued our environmental grant program, providing three grants totaling $600 to elementary and middle schools in Holmen, La Crosse, and Cuba City. These grants support environmental education projects in the schools.
* At our September meeting, we heard from Judson Steinbach of Coulee Region Ecoscapes

Climate Change/Renewable Energy/Sustainability
* Our club screened the film DISOBEDIENCE: The Rise of the Fossil Fuel Resistance
* We sponsored a tour of the sustainable features of the new UWL Student Union
* At our March meeting we welcomed members of UWL’s Students for Sustainability

Green Spaces
* The Coulee Region Group co-sponsored a canoe outing on the Black River in July and on the Kickapoo River in September.
* The Coulee Region Group is represented by Pat Wilson on the La Crosse Park Department Environmental Leadership Forum.

Coming in 2018 Local and global environmental challenges will continue into 2018. How can each Sierra Club member get more active to strengthen our protection of our natural resources, public lands, and clean air and water. We are still seeking club members from around the Coulee Region to help report on issues and events and to help bring the Sierra Club to local events. If you would like to help - by reporting on local happenings or volunteering to table at a local event (for example, the January 20 event in Boscobel), please contact us at crsierraclub at gmail.

Important events in January!

On Tuesday, January 9, the Sustainability Institute at Western TC will host its MPower Summit highlighting local businesses who are working to move to renew-ables. Anyone is welcomed to atted the free event. Please register/Get more info here.

On Thursday, January 18, RENEW Wisconsin will hold its 2018 RENEWable Energy Summit in Madison. There is a registration fee for the event, but students and elected officials receive a discount. Organizers say the event will provide the opportunity to:

• Learn from experts, Wisconsin companies, and policymakers
• Network with peers, both new and old
• Honor Wisconsin's renewable energy leaders and best projects from 2017
• Get re-energized and motivated for a successful 2018!

On Saturday, January 20 a conference on INDUSTRIAL AG IN THE DRIFTLESS: How Do We Protect Our Communities? will invite citizens concerned about industrial-scale operations, especially hog CAFOs to gather, learn from panelists, ask questions, hear from an expert on rural economics, and network with others to explore actions communities can take to regain control of their communities, vital resources, and local economies.

The conference will be held from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the AmericInn, 1700 Elm Street, in Boscobel. Organizers are trying to work out some streaming or online video of the event, but in person networking is a major component. Attendance will be FREE and OPEN TO ALL, but donations will be gratefully accepted at the door to help pay for the space, speakers, publicity and other event-related expenses.

The keynote speaker, John Ikerd, has had a distinguished career in agriculture, economics, higher education, agricultural consulting, and activism aimed at maintaining and improving the quality of life in rural communities and the sustainability of farms, food systems, and local rural businesses. His topic will be DEFENDING RURAL COMMUNITIES FROM ECONOMIC COLONIZATION.  

The program will include a panel of local, state, and national experts and citizens who will give a brief overview of some of the conflict points and challenges brought by industrial ag operations in our rural communities and will discuss what citizens and local governments and organizations are doing to address the problems. So it will provide education and tools for action.

Details are still being finalized and a flyer will be available soon. Please plan to attend this important grassroots event.

Co-sponsors include the Crawford Stewardship Project, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Preserve Grant County Farmland, Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, Concerned Citizens for Smart Growth, St. Croix County Defending our Water, Coulee Region Sierra Club, Farms Not Factories, Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network, South Central Wisconsin Farmers Union, Family Farm Defenders, Green County Defending our Farmland, Echo Valley Hope, Wisconsin Network for Peace, Justice and Sustainability; Upper Mississippi River Region Intereague Organization-League of Women Voters; Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Stte Riverway.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR MORE DETAILS!

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.

November Newsletter

GROUNDWATER POLLUTION FORUM: About 70 people attended an October 24 Coulee Region Sierra Club forum on groundwater pollution in La Crosse county. Manure spills from a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) in the Holmen-Onalaska area as well as runoff from lawns, farm chemicals, and faulty septic systems have caused problems for well owners.

Lax enforcement of water quality regulations, poor oversight of CAFOs, an “open for business” atmosphere, and reduced funding and staffing at the DNR have added to the problem.

We are very grateful to forum panelists for volunteering their time: State Rep. Steve Doyle, La Crosse County Board member Mike Giese, and La Crosse County Health Department director Jen Rombalski. Each addressed a different aspect of the problem and then took questions from the audience. The DNR could not spare a representative for the event.

Watch for more details in our December newsletter. In the meantime, if you have a private well, get it tested! And view handouts, maps, and other forum materials at 
cr-sierra.blogspot.com/p/groundwater-pollution-forum-october-24.html

INDUSTRIAL HOG SLAUGHTER FACILITY FORUM: As Holmen-Onalaska residents gathered to learn about water pollution from an industrial hog farm, concerned citizens
from the Westby-Viroqua area met to discuss a proposed industrial hog slaughter facility in their region. The meeting was hosted by the new group Concerned Citizens for Smart Growth with presenters from the Cornucopia Institute (cornucopia.org), and the Crawford Stewardship Project.

Gayle Nielsen (CCSG) gave a presentation on the potential impact of Premium Iowa Pork locating in the Town of Viroqua, in Vernon County. This included the impact on jobs, businesses, community, and tourism, with the focus on the proliferation of industrial, factory farms (CAFOs) that will be required to locate to the region and the ensuing contamination of groundwater, air quality and general health of the population. Forest Jahnke (CSP) spoke about the susceptibiity of water contamination in a sensitive karst area. Members also heard about some of the health impacts of industrial farming.

A video of the meeting is available on youtube. And a copy of the petition is available at www.citizensforsmartgrowth.com/petition/

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS: Again this year, the Coulee Region Sierra Club is offering grants of up to $200 for environmental education projects involving young people at the elementary and middle school level.

The application and more detalis are available online OR email crsierraclub at gmail and we can mail you an application. The application deadline is JANUARY 5, 2018. Please spread the word about this opportunity available to those in Crawford, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Trempealeau and Vernon counties.

In September, we highlighted two of three 2017 grant recipients. Look for a report from the third recipient in our December newsletter.  

SIERRA CLUB 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: 608 784-9324 or 608 784-5678 or email maureen at johnsflaherty -dot-com. SIERRA CLUB NOTE AND HOLIDAY CARDS are available at the online store. 

PLEASE HELP!  There are major environmental issues happening in the Coulee Region that require our attention and action, from air and water quality to protection of sensitive wetlands and recreation areas. We really need YOUR HELP to work on the water team or the Ready for 100 team or a team near to your heart. These issues need our attention now.
Please consider what is most important to you - why you are a member of the Sierra Club - and volunteer to help by emailing us at crsierraclub at gmail. Please indicate which issue you want to work on.

READY FOR 100:  As we reported in August, La Crosse mayor Tim Kabat signed the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 pledge to transition the city to 100% renewable energy. 

The Coulee Region Sierra Club is seeking members for a Ready for 100 team to help prepare suggested steps the city of La Crosse, and possibly others in the Coulee Region, can take to move quickly from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Recent developments in Minneapolis and Madison, where agreements with utilities target renewable transitions, and Winona, where an ambitious citywide solar garden plan has been finalized, have provided real life area examples of what La Crosse could do. Please email by November 20 if you can help! crsierraclub at gmail

 COULEE REGION SIERRA CLUB WINTER GATHERING: Club members Don & Barb Frank will host our winter gathering/potluck at their home, N1965 Valley Road, La Crosse at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 19. Bring some food to share if you wish. The Franks will provide beverages. Their home is in Wedgewood Valley, just off Highway 33 (a little east of Schmidty's). From La Crosse, just past Hagen Road (on the right) turn LEFT into Wedgewood Valley onto Wedgewood Drive West and stay on Wedgewood Drive West to Valley Drive. Phone 608 788-3914 with questions. You DO NOT NEED TO BE A SIERRA CLUB MEMBER TO ATTEND.