WI Green Fire
Posts about our organization. You can also find more information about WGF under “newsletters.”
Is killing birds a necessary evil if it benefits a special interest? – Dr. Stan Temple
“Shooting wild pigeons in Iowa” from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News, 1867, depicting hunters and dogs shooting at a flock of passenger pigeons. These once-common birds went extinct in 1914, largely due to overharvesting. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Is killing birds a necessary evil if it benefits a special interest?
By Dr. Stanley Temple, Wisconsin’s Green …
Read More >PFAS Summit in Wausau
PFAS Summit in Wausau
Group photo from PFAS Summit in Wausau, June 5, 2025
On June 4-5, 2025, Wisconsin’s Green Fire participated in the first in-person summit of the statewide PFAS coalition. As you may know, PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These “forever chemicals” are common in many household and industrial products but …
Read More >Help WGF Raise $15,030 by the Summer Solstice 2025
https://wigreenfire.org/2019/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/summer-solstice-thank-you-1.mp4
Post-fundraiser update as of June 23, 2025: We did it!
Thanks to over 135 donors, we raised over $28,000 during our summer solstice match campaign from June 1st to 20th. The WGF community showed up in big ways, going way above and beyond our goal of $15,030!
When we combine those amazing gifts with the match, the …
Read More >Conservation History Ignored to Weaken the Endangered Species Act – by Dr. Stanley Temple
Male Kirtland’s warbler from Adams County, Wisconsin. The Kirtland’s warbler nests in jack pine stands in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Due to successful habitat protection and management, the species was delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2019. Image courtesy of Joel Trick/USFWS via Flickr.
Conservation History Ignored to Weaken the Endangered …
Read More >Proposals to Protect Pollinators
Pollinators, photo by Kerry Beheler
Spring in Wisconsin is a busy time for pollinators.
What do you picture when you think about pollinators? Many people focus on bees, but bees are only a part of the pollinator picture! In addition to bees, other important pollinators include butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, even some species of …
Read More >WGF Opposes Proposed Rule Change to the Endangered Species Act
Examples of endangered and threatened species in Wisconsin depicting a whooping crane, eastern prairie fringed orchid, Karner blue butterfly, Canada lynx, northern long eared bat, Higgins eye mussel, slender glass lizard, Hine’s emerald, and piping plover. Photos via USFWS and Canva.
Speaking Up for Rare Species and their Habitats
UPDATE – May 19, 2025:
A …
Read More >Op-Ed: Wisconsin’s Long History of Local Control and Wake Boat Regulations
Sunset over a Northern Wisconsin Lake, photo by Ashley Gries
Wisconsin’s Long History of Local Control and Wake Boat Regulations
by Dan Butkus, President- Wisconsin Lakes (dbutkus@wisconsinlakes.org)
and Meleesa Johnson, Executive Director, Wisconsin’s Green Fire (mjohnson@wigreenfire.org)
Note: This op-ed was prepared by WGF Executive Director, Meleesa Johnson, and Wisconsin Lakes President, Dan Butkus in early …
Read More >Spring Appeal 2025 – Help WGF Grow!
We need you to help us grow.
Happy spring! Earth Day is almost here. Spring is a critical time of growth in nature, but also for our organization. As a small 501c3 nonprofit, we depend on your generous support throughout the year. Thanks to donors like you, we’ve become a leading organization for science and conservation …
Read More >Capitol Day with UWSP Students
Wisconsin Capitol building and grounds, Photo by Carolyn Pralle
Capitol Day with the UW-Stevens Point Student Chapter of Wisconsin’s Green Fire
As part of our work to engage the next generation of conservation leaders, WGF Policy Director Paul Heinen spent a day in Madison with members of our student chapter at UW Stevens Point, Olivia …
Read More >Dogs & Wolves with Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven
Dog and Wolf Behavior & the Wolves of WI, plus an Auction of Experiences
Featuring Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven
Thank you to all who attended our special event at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison on April 5, featuring Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven! We loved seeing so many new faces and old friends gathered to …
Read More >