Lakes & Streams
Wisconsin’s waterways and the Public Trust Doctrine. The Public Trust Doctrine is simply the idea that no one person can claim ownership over the bounty of the lakes and streams… that these are gifts to be enjoyed and cherished by all. WGF’s analyses and educational materials are developed by the Public Trust and Wetlands Work Group.
Wisconsin Lakes Coalition – Policy Positions on Wake Boats
Wisconsin Lakes Coalition – September 16, 2024 Update
Sep. 16, 2024 News Release: Wisconsin Lakes Coalition Shares Policy Positions to Protect Wisconsin’s Lakes
Wisconsin’s Green Fire is one of the leading organizations within a new coalition of groups protecting Wisconsin’s lakes from the effects of wake boats. On September 16, 2024, …
Read More >WGF Comments on DNR’s PFOAS Guidance
Responding to WDNR Draft Guidance for PFOA and PFAS in Water
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is developing guidance for minimization plans of wastewater treatment systems regarding two of the most common forms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. Those two forms include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). …
Read More >WGF on NR 320: Protecting Navigable Waters
Working to Protect Navigable Waters in Wisconsin
WGF members kayaking on Bark Bay Slough, Bayfield County, July 2024, Photo by Don Behm
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is updating Chapter NR 320 of the state administrative code regulating placement of bridges, culverts, other structures, and fill material in or over navigable waters …
Read More >Wake Boats and Lakes: Updated Report from Wisconsin’s Green Fire
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The February 2024 version of this report has been updated and replaced by the new version published in May 2024.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 >Wisconsin Tribes: Leading the way in protecting and restoring wetlands and watersheds
May is American Wetlands Month, and in celebration the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and partners have collaborated with Wisconsin Tribal communities to produce videos highlighting the work Tribes have done to protect wetlands in Wisconsin.
Tribes in Wisconsin are doing vital work to protect and restore wetlands and watersheds. The Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory …
Read More >Wisconsin’s Green Fire Thanks Governor Evers for Protecting Public Trust Doctrine
Rhinelander, WI – Wisconsin’s Green Fire thanks Governor Tony Evers for vetoing legislation that would allow private development on the beds of lakes and rivers without proper consideration of the public’s ownership and rights in Wisconsin’s waters. Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine, which is embodied in our State Constitution, holds those lakebeds and riverbeds in trust …
Read More >WGF Comments on Enbridge Line 5 Re-Route draft Environmental Impact Statement
WGF 2022 Comments on Draft Environmental Impact Statement
In December 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) released the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Enbridge Line 5 crude oil pipeline re-route in northern Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s Green Fire testified at the public hearing on February 2, 2022 and submitted Read More >
Wisconsin’s Green Fire Work on Oil Pipelines
Oil pipelines crisscross Wisconsin, but the regulation of these pipelines by the state is not well understood. In this video, we describe Wisconsin’s Green Fire work in 2020 on oil pipelines statewide, and on the proposed re-route of Enbridge Line 5 around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in northern Wisconsin. Concerns …
Read More >A Guide to WATER RESOURCE PERMITTING for Pipeline Construction in Wisconsin
Pipeline construction impacts water resources through filling and disturbing wetlands, grading on the bank of waterways, crossing waterways and placing structures on or under the bed, or discharging stormwater runoff from construction. This 2 page guide outlines the permits needed in Wisconsin and public input opportunities.
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