Fisheries

Evaluation of fisheries issues and funding in Wisconsin developed by WGF’s Fisheries Work Group.

WGF Attends Informational Session on Neonics at WI Capitol

Yellow-banded bumblebee (Bombus terricola), a Wisconsin species of special concern, Wood County, 2025, photo by Carolyn Pralle

Capitol and downtown Madison, Image via Pixabay

WGF Attends Informational Session on Neonics at WI Capitol

by Paul Heinen, WGF Policy Director

About the Session and Neonics

Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) attended an information session on September 8, 2025 at the Wisconsin Capitol on neonicotinoids, a class of chemicals commonly called “neonics.” The session was held by …

Read More >

News Release: WGF Supports Audit Findings that Confirm the WDNR Properly Managed Fish and Wildlife Account Funds

Deer doe and fawns run through a summer clearing near water

White tailed deer doe and fawns in Black River Falls WI, photo via Snapshot Wisconsin (Source: https://wi-dnr.widencollective.com/portals/zssbwavl/SnapshotWisconsinPhotoLibrary)

Wisconsin’s Green Fire Supports Audit Findings that Confirm the WDNR Properly Managed Fish and Wildlife Account Funds

Correction (12:42pm CT, Sep. 9, 2025): The $30 million one-time transfer from the Forestry Account to the Fish and …

Read More >

Letter Urging Senate to Support USGS Ecosystems Mission Area Funding and Workforce

Prairie grassland flowers on the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center campus in La Crosse Wisconsin, with USGS silos pictured in the background. Photo by Anna Hess, USGS, image in public domain.

Prairie grassland flowers on the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center campus in La Crosse Wisconsin, with USGS silos pictured in the background. Photo by Anna Hess, USGS, image in public domain.

Responding to Science Funding Cuts in the Federal Budget

Usually at Wisconsin’s Green Fire, we focus on responding to state-level issues in conservation policy and natural …

Read More >

NRB Testimony on Lake Trout Fishery

WGF Comments to the NRB on Opening a Lake Trout Fishery

Juvenile Lake Trout, photo by Katie Steiger-Mesiter, USFWS, via Flickr

Nick Hahlbeck of WGF’s Fisheries Work Group testified at the February meeting of the Natural Resources Board (NRB). WGF also submitted written testimony to the NRB with more details about our current opposition …

Read More >

Wake Boats Coalition – Focus on Local Control

group of logos from Wisconsin lakes coalition members as of 14Oct2024

Wake Boats & Wisconsin Lakes – October 14, 2024 News Release
“Wisconsin Coalition Hails Local Efforts Regulating Wake-Enhanced Boats”

Our work as a coalition continues to advance a science-based approach to protect Wisconsin lakes from harmful effects related to wake-enhanced boats. On October 14, 2024, the coalition shared this news release, focusing on local efforts by Wisconsin …

Read More >

Vista Sands Solar Farm – WGF Public Testimony

prairie grasses and flowers with prairie chicken management sign in foreground

WGF’s Public Testimony on the proposed Vista Sands Solar Farm
An update on how we’re fighting for renewable energy and wildlife conservation.

Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) continues to seek several modifications to the proposed Vista Sands Solar Farm development. We’re working so this unprecedented expansion of renewable energy production – a necessary step toward attaining the …

Read More >

WGF Submits Comments on Vista Sands Solar Farm DEIS

Photovoltaic panels, Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Wisconsin’s Green Fire sends comment letter to the Public Service Commission (PSC).

We submitted our organizational comment letter on PSC Docket Number 9820-CE-100 on June 14, 2024. In this letter, experts from our Climate and Energy, Fisheries, and Wildlife Work Groups collaborated to provide a detailed set of comments on the 147-page Draft Environmental Impact …

Read More >

Wake Boats and Lakes: Updated Report from Wisconsin’s Green Fire

illustration of a pink and blue wake boat on a blue and gray wave

Publication Update!

The Effects of Wake Boats on Lake Ecosystem Health: A Literature Review, May 2024

May 2024 update to our special report: “The Effects of Wake Boats on Lake Ecosystem Health: A Literature Review.”

Over the past two months, our team has been updating our literature review on wake boats and lakes. We …

Read More >

Wake Boats and Lakes: New Report from Wisconsin’s Green Fire

May 2024 Update: 

The February 2024 version of this report has been updated and replaced by the new version published in May 2024. Read the new version here: Wake Boats and Lakes: Updated Report from Wisconsin’s Green Fire.

The updated content better reflects the current scientific literature and emerging information from communities around Wisconsin and other …

Read More >