WI Green Fire

Posts about our organization. You can also find more information about WGF under “newsletters.”

Join Us for Green Fire Cafe

Announcing our newest virtual event series: Green Fire Cafe!

These days, we all need opportunities to unwind and connect. We need people around us to talk through our challenges and cheer on our achievements. But how can we do that when life is so busy, and it’s hard to keep up with all the news …

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Public Testimony on Wolves and Elk

Senate Commitee members gather around a large table with an American and Wisconsin flag in the background

Members of the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, March 4, 2025, photo by Paul Heinen

On March 4, 2025, WGF testified before the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage.

Adrian Wydeven (left) and Peter David (right) at the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage hearing …

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Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline Updates – March 2025

pipeline infrastructure among grass and trees under cloudy skies

Enbridge Line 5 Updates: Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Denies Water Quality Certification for Enbridge Line 5 Oil Pipeline Re-route
Will Trump Administration Energy Emergency Executive Order Affect Line 5?

Prepared by Nancy Larson, WGF Water Resources Specialist

Inter-Related Regulatory Decisions

Existing pipeline on east end of the Bad River Reservation, 2022, photo …

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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 …

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Highlights from Gov. Ever’s 2025-27 Budget

Looking across Monona Bay to the Wisconsin State Capitol in winter With a red ice fishing tent on the right. Taken from Shore Road, Madison, WI. Photo by Chris Rycroft via Flickr

Highlights from Gov. Ever’s 2025-27 Budget

Wisconsin’s Green Fire’s Executive Director, Meleesa Johnson, attended Governor Tony Evers’ State Budget address on February 18, 2025. In the address, Gov. Evers kicked off the “Year of The Kid” with his 2025-2027 State Budget. He highlighted several critical announcements to ensure all Wisconsinites have access to safe, clean drinking …

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Special Event with Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven

Cover image for April 5, 2025 event with Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven with text overlaid on semi-transparent images of a dog and wolf and circular headshots of the presenters


Dog and Wolf Behavior & the Wolves of WI, plus an Auction of Experiences
A Special Event with Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven
Saturday, April 5, 2025, 1:00-3:30pm CT

Location: Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704

Click here to register.

  • Advance registration is required. No tickets will be available at the door.
  • Tickets are …
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Federal Funding Pause: Implications for WGF

A snow covered road facing the sun with trees on either side

A message from Meleesa Johnson, WGF Executive Director

Responding to the Trump Administration’s Pause on Federal Funding, January 28, 2025

The flurry of Trump Administration executive orders, actions, and memoranda has set forth a snowstorm of speculation, concern, uncertainty and, for some, fear. The White House memo issued today (M-25-13) announcing a …

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Public Comment on Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Habitat

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee on a purple flower

Working to Protect Biodiversity

Wisconsin’s Green Fire submitted public comment to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in late January 2025. Our comment letter expressed support for the designation of critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis). The USFWS called for comments on the proposed rule to designate this critical …

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WGF Meetings with Legislators – January 2025

Inside the Wisconsin State Capitol, columns, arches, and halls

by WGF Policy Director, Paul Heinen

WGF Staff Met with Legislators in Madison

Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF) Executive Director Meleesa Johnson and Policy Director Paul Heinen have been spending time at the State Capitol, meeting with many of the new 2025-2026 State Legislators from both parties. Many of the legislators knew about our past work and asked …

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3rd Annual Wisconsin Conservation Retreat

A group photo of college students and conservation professionals in a snowy forest

Students and professionals at our the 3rd Annual Wisconsin Conservation Retreat, 2025

3rd Annual Wisconsin Conservation Retreat

For the third year, we collaborated with the UW-Oshkosh Student Environmental Action Coalition (UWO-SEAC) to host the Wisconsin Conservation Retreat for students and professionals. We gathered at Lowenwood (the former Conserve School) in Land O’Lakes for networking, skill-building, …

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