WGF Work Product (public comments, testimony, press)
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 >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 >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 >Webinar: Navigating Chronic Wasting Disease
Navigating Chronic Wasting Disease Webinar (Recorded April 1, 2025)
On, Tuesday, April 1, 2025 from 4:30-5:30pm CT, we held our webinar on Navigating Chronic Wasting Disease: A Presentation on Recent Advances by Dr. Peter Larsen. We co-hosted the webinar with the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.
During the webinar, our presenter Dr. Larsen of the Minnesota …
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 >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 >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 >Public Comment on Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Habitat
Working to Protect Biodiversity
Wisconsin’s Green Fire submitted public comment to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in late January 2025. Our comment letter expressed support for the designation of critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis). The USFWS called for comments on the proposed rule to designate this critical …
Read More >Wisconsin Forests at Risk Webinar
Wisconsin Forests at Risk Webinar, January 15, 2025. View on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g25VMh__kH8. Take the feedback survey at https://s.zoom.us/m/bPFdfXu57
Wisconsin Forests at Risk Webinar (Recorded Jan. 15, 2025)
On, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 12:00-1:00pm CT, we held our Wisconsin Forests at Risk Webinar. During the webinar, we focused on …
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