Environment : Multi-issue
WGF work on issues and evaluation of projects that have a variety of environmental and social ramifications.
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 >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 >Join Us for Green Fire Cafe
Announcing our 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 and …
Read More >Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline Updates – March 2025
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 …
Read More >Message from Meleesa – Let’s Cut to the Chase
by Meleesa Johnson, Wisconsin’s Green Fire Executive Director
One of the books on my desk is Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More With Less. Written by the founders of Axios and Politico, it lays out an argument and a guide for how to pierce through the avalanche of information in clear and concise ways. The heading …
Read More >Highlights from Gov. Evers’ 2025-27 Budget
Highlights from Gov. Evers’ 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 …
Read More >Federal Funding Pause: Implications for WGF
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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