Policy
WGF analyses and statements on broad policy about science in natural resource management, as well as legislation and actions with wide-ranging policy implications for Wisconsin’s environment.
Board reaffirms and endorses WGF efforts in face of federal changes
Dragonfly on lotus, image via Pixabay
Board reaffirms and endorses WGF efforts in face of federal changes
Written by Carolyn Pralle, WGF Communications and Outreach Coordinator
At present, many people who care about clean water, clean air, rich biodiversity, and healthy ecosystems are worried and outraged. The pace of change and the scale of damage at …
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.
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 >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 >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 >Wisconsin Green Amendment Press Conference
Wisconsin Green Amendment
On April 16, 2025, Wisconsin’s Green Fire’s Legislative Policy Director Paul Heinen attended a press conference in the Senate parlor of the State Capitol. This press conference was the public announcement of the “Wisconsin Green Amendment.” Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin, Senator Mark Spreitzer and Representative Darrin Madison are the authors of this constitutional amendment. …
Read More >Public Testimony on Wolves and Elk
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 …
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 >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 >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 >