WGF Blog
Posts by WGF members on a variety of conservation-related topics.
Wisconsin’s Green Fire Encourages Members to Participate in Wisconsin’s Energy Democracy Process
This blog post provides background information on parallel energy generation purchase rates. We encourage WGF members to submit comments to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on the Alliant Energy parallel energy generation case by Friday April 29th, and stay tuned to our website for updates on further opportunities for public comments …
Read More >Wisconsin’s Green Fire Members Reflect on Earth Day 2022
In celebration of Earth Day 2022, we asked some of our members their favorite memories of Earth Day, and what Earth Day means to them as conservation professionals. Below is a collection of photos, memories, stories, and inspirational words from our members – ranging from stories about the first Earth Day in 1970, to photos …
Read More >Profile in Conservation
Nancy Turyk is the chair of WGF’s Climate Change Work Group and has recently directed her career focus to climate change by contributing her expertise through local, state, and federal work groups. We asked Nancy about her background, how she became interested in the field of climate change, and how she inspires others to fight climate change.
Read More >Remembering Dan Wisniewski
Dan Wisniewski was a founding member of Wisconsin’s Green Fire and a champion of conservation. The Northwoods Land Trust recently named its 40-acre riverfront property, “The Dan Wisniewski Deerskin River Preserve” in his honor. It is not a coincidence that the Deerskin River is a fine trout stream.
Read More >Earth Day at 50: Celebrating Dependence Day
Early in July, sometime in the mid-90s, I found myself driving North for a late start to the field season. We headed out early the next morning, visiting two forests before calling it a day. The drill was familiar— flag corners of the quadrats, then count the tree seedlings and saplings, recording substrate and any …
Read More >On the 50th Earth Day: The Places We Saved Became the Places We Needed
On this year’s Earth Day I will step out of at-home seclusion during the global pandemic and get outside for a few hours to stretch my legs and breathe deeply.
The state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has provided Wisconsin residents with outdoor places to go for fresh air and safe social distancing even though state parks and …
Read More >How an Idea Becomes a Law
As Wisconsin’s Green Fire’s (WGF) Legislative Liaison, I monitor legislative activity and watch for opportunities for WGF to provide information through testimony and comments. Unlike many environmental and conservation organizations, WGF does not actually lobby for law changes. Instead our role is to provide information to legislators and the public about proposed legislation based on …
Read More >Will the U.S. EPA Back Away from Reducing Mercury Pollution?
On December 27, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced changes to the Mercury Air Toxics Standard (MATS) established in 2012. EPA will accept comments on the proposed changes for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, which was expected to occur by mid-January. The MATS requires reduction of mercury air emissions from …
Read More >New Federal Report Predicts Increasing Environmental and Ecological Costs due to Climate Change in the United States.
Climate change presents growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth in the United States. On November 24, 2018 the US Global Change Research Project released the FOURTH NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States. The National Climate Assessment (NCA) assesses …
Read More >Op / Ed Ask Candidates Where They Stand on Using Science in Conservation
On Election Day, November 6, 2018, voters in Wisconsin have an opportunity to support the health and future of our natural resources. The quality of natural resources impacts every single person in the state – via recreation, tourism industry, paper and logging industries, our heat and electricity, agriculture, hunting and fishing, the water we drink, …
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