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.
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CANCELED DUE TO COMING STORM: On Wednesday, February 22, Dr. Jonathan Foley, executive director of Project Drawdown, will speak as part of the UWL
Prairie Springs Lecture Series at 7 p.m. in UW-La Crosse's Hesprich
Auditorium, Graff Main Hall, 1725 State St. Admission is free. The program will also be available via Zoom.
UWL Sustainability Program Manager Andrew Ericson, describes Foley as a "Sustainability Superstar." Ericson says his lecture, titled “Achieving Drawdown — A Hopeful, Science-based Plan to Address Climate Change,” will cover topics including climate change, sustainability, climate solutions, ecosystems, natural resources and more.
“Hopefully, when you leave the lecture, you will feel cautiously optimistic about the world’s ability to respond to climate change,” says Ericson.
From 2008-14 Foley served as the founding director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, while also serving as the McKnight Presidential Chair of Global Environment and Sustainability. Then between 2014-18, he worked as executive director of the California Academy of Sciences. Since 2018 he has served as the executive director of Project Drawdown, “The World’s Leading Resource for Climate Solutions.”
Foley’s presentation is part of the fourth annual Prairie Springs Lecture Series, funded by The Paul Fleckenstein Trust, which brings speakers to campus to discuss environmental issues. This year's lecture is also sponsored by the UWL College of Science and Health, UWL Green Fund, UWL Department of Geography & Earth Science, and Western Technical College Sustainability.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Spring Primary Election
On the ballot: Supreme Court Justice primary, local school board and other local non-partisan primaries where necessary MyVote.WI.Gov
EDUCATION GRANTS AWARDED The Coulee Region Sierra Club will award two projects with environmental education grants for the spring 2023 semester.
Alysa Remsburg, Josh Shively, and Mariah Bigelow, representing Solar on La Crosse Schools and Coulee Montessori in La Crosse will use their grant to print two large lobby banners with information about the solar panels installed there in 2022. The banners will help remind students, staff, and visitors about the project and will provide more educational information. In addition, the grant will help pay for worksheet handouts for each teacher to help them teach about solar power.
Jennifer Speckeen, a teacher at Hamilton Elementary School in La Crosse, will use a grant to document, with pictures and writing, students’ experiences during a field trip to Hixon Forest. She will also print pictures of the field trip and post them in the school’s common area to remind students about the experience and spur conversations about the environment.
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days, people spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and report them to organizers. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. This year’s dates are Feb. 17-20. Learn more at: www.birdcount.org
SAVING WILD PLACES The mission of the Sierra Club includes, “To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth.” The Wisconsin Chapter has several initiatives to protect sensitive areas and habitats. This is another critically important year for action. Here’s how you can help.
WOLVES: The state’s new draft Wolf Management Plan centers science, public input, and Tribal engagement - the core tenets of the best way to protect, conserve, and sustain natural resources. Comments on the plan are accepted through the end of February, and the club has other opportunities to engage and educate about this important issue. Please visit the web page to learn more: https://tinyurl.com/WISC-WolfAction
LAKE SUPERIOR: There are many reasons to oppose the Nemadji Trail Energy Center being planned by Minnesota Power and Dairyland Power Cooperative. One is the effect this new fossil gas plant would have on Lake Superior and the surrounding area. Construction would destroy surrounding wetlands and use millions of gallons of water. Learn more about the plant plans: https://tinyurl.com/WISCNoNTEC
LINE 5 Enbridge's proposal for a new Line 5 segment jeopardizes our water and wetlands, violates treaty rights, and contradicts the Task Force on Climate Change recommendation to avoid new fossil fuel infrastructure. Learn more about this issue and how you can make a difference: https://tinyurl.com/wisc-noline5
Seeking one or two people to help with the newsletter. Report on environmental events and initiatives in your community, help proofread, or be the backup publisher. Call or text 608-315-2693 or email CRSierraClub@gmail.com for details.
FINANCING YOUR TRANSITION Those planning to start taking advantage of Inflation Reduction Act and other incentives to “go renewable,” may wonder how they will pay for it. Some banks and credit unions are marketing “green” or “energy smart” loans and other special financing for solar installations, weatherization, heat pumps, and EVs. Some areas offer “on-bill financing” through a utility - you finance your green update through the utility and pay it back over a long time on your utility bill, assuming that, in some cases, the energy savings will pay for the upgrades.
If you can’t find such a program at a local institution and don’t have the on-bill option, you may be interested in the Clean Energy Credit Union, a small, online only credit union solely focused on providing loans that help people afford clean energy products and services.
Greenpenny, is another online only institution whose mission is,“a form of crowdfunding for the advancement of clean and renewable energy, Greenpenny’s parent bank is Decorah Bank and Trust, head-quartered in Decorah, Iowa, and with its own history of prioritizing clean energy.
NerdWallet rated both institutions among the “9 Best Socially Responsible Banks” in April 2022. Both get good reviews, too, from sources as diverse as Business Insider and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
There are Coulee Region movements to push for more options. A new group in the Vernon Electric Co-op territory is working to strengthen member control. One priority is on-bill financing for member renewable installations. Some individuals are also pressing their financial institution to create special loan programs to support increasing efficiency and the transition to non-fossil heating, cooking, and transportation.
LA CROSSE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN The City of La Crosse Common Council passed an ambitious climate action plan unanimously at its Jan. 12 meeting. This is the result of a years’ long process in which the Coulee Region Sierra Club played a major role.
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Under the guidance of Lewis Kuhlman, the city’s sustainability planner, and with the help of consulting firm, paleBLUEdot, llc., a team of 50 community residents from broadly varied backgrounds worked for about a year on the plan. Extensive public input and outreach sessions ensured a variety of voice and ideas were included.
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The plan will help the city fulfill its 2019 pledge to reduce carbon emissions to zero, community-wide, by 2050. To do this, the plan suggests dozens of action steps in nine broad categories: Transportation and Mobility; Land Use and Housing,; Buildings and Energy; Waste Management; Water and Wastewater; Local Food and Agriculture; Green Space, Trees, and Ecosystems; Health and Safety; and Economy.
Read more about the plan and process, and download a copy at lacrosseclimateactionplan.org
MORE FEBRUARY EVENTS
2/ 4: Black River State Forest Candlelight Ski/Hike from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. https://tinyurl.com/brf24hike
2/ 4: Full Moon Ice Hike at Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR) 5:30 p.m. http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Calendar
2/ 7, 8, 14, 15: Volunteer for the Wild with Mississippi Valley Conservancy at Sugar Creek Bluff at 10 a.m. each day. www.tinyurl.com/MVC-SCBFeb
2/ 8: Wisconsin Sierra Club Virtual Volunteer NIght ONLINE at 6:30 p.m. www.tinyurl.com/WISC-VolNite0223
2/ 9: Wisconsin’s Conservation Congress from a member’s view ONLINE at 7 p.m. www.tinyurl.com/WISC-ConsCon
2/11: MVC Valentine Snowshoe Hike, 1 to 3 p.m. at the La Crosse River Conservancy in Onalaska. www.tinyurl.com/mvc21123
2/11: Adult (21+) Ice Hike at KVR at 1 p.m. http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Calendar
2/12: Family Ice Exploration at KVR from 12:30-3:30. http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Calendar
2/17-19: Winter Wonderland Triple Snowshoe Challenge at Skyline Golf Course in Black River Falls. www.jacksonin action.org/winterwonderland
2/22: Plants in Space - Driftless Dialog at KVR Visitors Center at 5:30 p.m. http://kvr.state.wi.us/Events/Calendar
Seeking EV owners (car/bike) for two April EV events in the Coulee Region. If you’d like to help others learn about electric vehicles, please email cvmaren@mwt.net or call 608-315-2693.
Join the Coulee Region Sierra Club in a conversation about
Transit Equity and Climate Action
with guest Susan Gaeddert
Community Programs Director, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Tuesday, January 31 at 7 p.m.
- Online (Zoom) -
Access to life should not depend on your age, location, health, wealth, or ability to drive. Ensuring that everyone has fair and equal access, through affordable, accessible, sustainable public transportation, is transit equity. At the same time, reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions will require a rapid switch from our current fossil fuel-powered private vehicle system to clean, renewably-powered public transportation.
With our guest, Susan Gaeddert, of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, we’ll look at the intersection of transit equity and climate action and why it’s important. Following the presentation, there will be time for questions and answers. This program is free and open to all.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 at 7 p.m. Transit Equity and Climate Action with Susan Gaeddert, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. ONLINE and by phone. Register: tinyurl.com/CRSC-013123.
Transit Equity - the right of all people to affordably and sustainably get to school, work, events, appointments, services, and a full life regardless of their age, income, race, health, or ability - is key to reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. How and why transit equity and climate action are intimately related will be the topic of our January 31 online program.
Our guest will be Susan Gaeddert, Community Programs Director at 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that specializes in land use planning and transportation policy. Susan works on active transportation issues with communities across the state and manages the Active Wisconsin program and will facilitate the Community Transportation Academy in La Crosse this spring.
This program is part of La Crosse area Transit Equity Days, one of dozens of events around the country hosted nationally by the Labor Network for Sustainability. Register at: www.tinyurl.com/CRSC-013123 or by calling 608-315-2693.
EDUCATION GRANT DEADLINE JANUARY 6 CRSC offers grants of up to $200 each for environ-mental education projects to schools or community organizations involving young people at the elementary and middle school level within the CRSC region: Crawford, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Mon-roe, Richland, Trempealeau, and Vernon counties.
Applications may be completed online, emailed or mailed. The deadline for applications is January 6, 2023. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/coulee/Education or www.tinyurl.com/CRSC-Education
To learn more about these grants and how you can contribute, please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com.
OUR 2023 BOARD! Congratulations Dorothy Lenard, Carol Miller, and Avery Van Gaard who were elected to serve on the Coulee Region Sierra Club Board of Directors for 2023-2025! Also, thanks to the state chapter for helping facilitate online voting.
We are sorry to lose Nancy Hartje, our excellent treasurer, who was instrumental in creating our new high school environmental stewardship award. Thank you for your club service, Nancy!
The new board will meet in January to elect officers and set priorities for the coming year. If you have suggestions, please email CRSierraClub@gmail.com.
TRANSIT EQUITY DAYS The Labor Network for Sustainability (LNS) has sponsored Transit Equity Day on February 4, Rosa Parks’ birthday, since 2018 to highlight the need to recognize affordable, accessible, sustainable public transportation as a civil right.
In the La Crosse area, Transit Equity Days will be celebrated from Monday, January 30 through Saturday, February 4 with free fares on the MTU, displays at the Grand River Station Transit Center and La Crosse Public Library, riders’ stories, Office Hours on the Bus with local elected and community leaders, and more. See www.tinyurl.com/LaXTED2023 for updates.
Many Coulee Region communities are served by the SMRT Regional Transit system and/or shared ride taxi services offered by Running, Inc., including Onalaska, Holmen, West Salem, Richland Center, Prairie du Chien, Platteville, Sparta, Tomah, Viroqua, and Westby. In addition, counties offer transit services for seniors and individuals with disabilities. While these are vital services for workers, students, employers, patients, and families, funding for public transportation is minimal, as outlined in the Wisconsin Sierra Club publication, Arrive Together: Transportation Access and Equity in Wisconsin. Read the report at www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/arrive-together-transportation-access-and-equity-wisconsin If your community is without public transit, use this event to educate your local and state elected officials about why you need it.
If your community benefits from public transit, consider hosting a local event or joining the LNS live stream on YouTube. For help, resources, and more information, see www.labor4sustainability.org/transit-equity-2023
I-94 COMMENTS DUE JANUARY 31 The effort to push back on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) decision to more forward with costly, ineffective, and harmful expansion of a short section of I-94 in Milwaukee continues. Hundreds submitted testimony in person or online during two days of public hearings in Milwaukee. Many more phoned and emailed Governor Evers’ office or contacted him about the issue during his budget listening sessions.
WisDOT will accept comments through January 31, so if you haven’t yet weighed in, please do. The main goal of our effort is to urge WisDOT to adopt the “Fix At Six” solution a coalition of community leaders and transportation advocates presented in 2020 in response to WisDOT’s published options. The Fix At Six solution would promote repairing and upgrading existing pavement within its current footprint and enhancing other transportation options, including public transit, which would benefit the communities and neighborhoods bearing the brunt of I-94 harms like air pollution, noise, and safety issues.
Read more about the issue and how you can comment at www.fixatsix.org.
2023 SIERRA CLUB TEAMS KICKOFF Sierra Club Teams are the backbone of our club’s activism. Volunteers from around the state meet regularly online to share information and ideas and work together on campaigns to address their teams’ issues.
As part of a Sierra Club team, you can amplify your voice and effect on your most important priorities. Most teams meet monthly for about an hour, but their impact can help protect a waterway or challenge a destructive policy.
Join us at the 2023 Teams Kickoff on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. online where we’ll greet new team members, agree how teams will operate, get an overview of issues, and set up the year’s meetings and priorities.
Teams include: Beyond Coal (clean energy), Transportation, Tar Sands, Lands and Forests, Wildlife, and Water. Anyone, of any ability, experience, or expertise, is welcome to attend. This is a wonderful opportunity to network and build skills.
Register for the January 11 meeting at www.tinyurl.com/WISC-23Teams or contact Cassie Steiner at cassandra.steiner@sierraclub.org or by calling 608-256-0565.
PLASTIC! A new bill, the Protecting Communities from Plastics Act, has been introduced in Congress by Senator Cory Booker (NJ), Senator Jeff Merkley (OR), and Representative Jared Huffman (CA). The legislation addresses the plastic production crisis that is fueling climate change and perpetuating environmental injustice.
With plastic production and consumption on track to double in the next decade, the resulting greenhouse gas emissions threaten to put our climate goals further out of reach, while expanded plastic production will drive more pollution in environmental justice communities around the United States. Petrochemical, plastic production, and waste incineration facilities, which are disproportionately located in or near Black, Brown, and low-wealth communities, release harmful air and water pollution that cause increased incidences of asthma, cancers, endocrine disruption, development disorders, and heart disease. Transitioning off of fossil fuels only to replace that demand with more fossil-based plastic production is not a sustainable solution, and will continue to perpetuate existing climate and environmental justice impacts.
The Protecting Communities from Plastics Act would directly tackle the plastic pollution crisis by cracking down on the plastic production process, building on key provisions from the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act to address the harmful environmental justice impacts of this growing sector, and moving our economy away from an overreliance on single-use plastic. It establishes stricter rules for petrochemical plants to safeguard the health of American communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions fueling the climate crisis. The bill would also begin to shift the U.S. economy away from its dependence on certain single-use plastics, creating new nationwide targets for plastic source reduction and reuse in the packaging and food service sectors. These targets are paired with federal incentives to spur expansion of reusable and refillable systems, with an emphasis on ensuring benefits are realized in environmental justice communities.
Learn more at www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-huffman-merkley-lowenthal-introduce-legislation-to-address-plastic-production-crisis
KUDOS! Congratulations to CRSC member Diane Cain who received the state chapter’s Wildflower Award given to a club member who exemplifies, “all that is wonderful in the environment and in the club.” Diane and her husband own Cain’s Orchard in Hixton.
MORE JANUARY EVENTS
1/ 3: Wisconsin Sierra Club Book Club - Diet for a Small Planet 50th Anniversary at 7 p.m. online. www.tinyurl.com/WISC-DietBook
1/ 5: Volunteer at Tunnelville Cliffs State Natural Area from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. www.mississippivalley conservancy.org/events/volunteer-wild-5
1/ 7: Wisconsin Chapter River Touring Section Annual Meeting 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Baraboo. www.tinyurl.com/WIRTS-JanMtg
1/ 7: Kickapoo Valley Reserve Winter Festival at 10 a.m. http://kickapoovalley.wi.gov/Events/Annual-Events/Winter-Festival
1/10: Imbalance of Power - How Shifts in State Government Undermine Wisconsin's Conservation Legacy from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. online https://www.lwvlacrosse.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=484247&item_id=1842515
1/13-15: Winter Wonderland Triple Snowshoe Challenge at Wazee Lake Recreation Area. www.jacksonin action.org/winterwonderland
1/16: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
1/16: Midwest Environmental Advocates - Recent Victories and the Road Ahead at 6:30 p.m. online. www.tinyurl.com/MEAJan16
1/18: Coulee Audubon Member Meeting 7 p.m. www.couleeaudubon.org/html/events.html
1/27-29: Winter Wonderland Triple Snowshoe Challenge at Lunda Community Park. www.jacksoninaction.org/winterwonderland
2/ 1: Sustainability Chat: Public Transportation in the Coulee Region at 2 p.m. www.sustaininstitute.com/event-details/sustainability-chats-local-public-transportation
Find the schedule of Wisconsin Sierra Club water outings at www.tinyurl.com/WISCWater
