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 total is over $43,030!

The grand total may go up as we finalize the numbers. For example, mail is still arriving from generous donors. Not to worry—if you sent a check postmarked June 20th, we will still count that toward the solstice match. We’re so proud and grateful for this successful fundraising effort. It’s a strong example of our volunteers, staff, and supporters coming together.

Your support through this fundraiser supports our ongoing work to address Wisconsin’s greatest conservation challenges. Importantly, is also helps WGF recover a much stronger position after the funding cuts we sustained due to federal changes earlier this year. We remain committed and influential on issues like clean water, conservation of biodiversity, climate resilience, and more.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated! You make our work possible. We are strong because of this incredible community of voices for conservation!

Double Your Impact! WGF’s Summer Solstice Match Drive 

June 20, 2025 is the summer solstice, when Wisconsin will enjoy the longest day of the year. Did you know that the center of the northern hemisphere of our planet (the 45°N – 90°W point) is located in Central Wisconsin in the Town of Rietbrock, Marathon County? 

Inspired by that gift of nature, a group of generous WGF donors are offering to match gifts up to $15,030 from June 1st to June 20th, 2025! 

Anytime you give between now and the summer solstice, your gift will be doubled. This is a true match, meaning the total amount we raise by the summer solstice on June 20 will be doubled. That means we could raise an ambitious total of $30,060 to fund our science-based conservation.

If you are new to WGF, or a longstanding supporter, we could use your help during this match campaign. Perhaps you haven’t donated in a while, or you’ve attended an event, but haven’t otherwise become a donor. Perhaps you simply want to help us grow and continue doing our influential work advancing science-based conservation in Wisconsin. Now is the time to donate and double your impact for science-based conservation in Wisconsin! 

During this special fundraising drive:

• $25 becomes $50
• $50 becomes $100
• $100 becomes $200
• $500 becomes $1,000

>> Click here to donate via our secure online donation form.

Your gift in any amount will help us advance our mission of science-based conservation and natural resources management in Wisconsin.

When you donate, you become a member of the WGF community. You will be supporting our work tackling Wisconsin’s greatest conservation challenges. Our scope is broad. That’s because the challenges facing Wisconsinites are broad.

Why support WGF? Here are just a few examples of our work over the past year:

1. Speaking up for endangered species in the face of federal changes to the Endangered Species Act,
2. Building a coalition of over 80 organizations to protect our lakes from negative impacts of wake boats,
3. Advancing science-based management of Wisconsin’s forests and public lands,
4. Researching patterns in the injuries and deaths of large non-hunted wild birds,
5. Developing science-based approaches to sustainable agriculture,
6. Championing a balance of solar energy development and wildlife conservation,
7. Testifying for sound wildlife management of gray wolves, elk, lake trout, sandhill cranes and other species,
8. Tracking the regulatory process of the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline
9. Co-organizing a 3-day retreat for college students and professionals in conservation fields,
10. Hosting webinars and events on forests, white-tailed deer, dogs and wolves, and our virtual Green Fire Cafe,

You can find more examples of our work over the past 8 years on the WGF blog or by using our website’s search bar.

Examples of recent WGF work in April and May of 2025. Find more details at: https://wigreenfire.org/latest-work/

We need your help to grow our community of members.

Will you help us expand and grow? With teams of trusted and respected subject-matter experts, we’ve built a reputation as the go-to voices for conservation. Yet, you don’t have to be a scientist to be part of Wisconsin’s Green Fire. We welcome the financial support and involvement of people from all walks of life and backgrounds.

If you share our mission and vision that “All people in Wisconsin and beyond enjoy the benefits of clean water, clean air, and healthy ecosystems achieved through scientific and thoughtful management of natural resources,” you belong in WGF. A gift of any amount makes you a member of Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF).

• This match is a great way to become a part of our community and make your donation go even further! We hope you’ll use this opportunity to share WGF with friends, family, and neighbors who can double their impact when becoming new members.
• For those who have already donated to WGF this year, thank you! Will you consider making an additional gift to help us meet this special fundraising goal? Or perhaps giving a gift membership to someone you know who loves science and cares about the natural world?

Like many organizations, we have lost federal funding for WGF projects in 2025. This match campaign is a special opportunity for us to grow in new directions despite the loss of those funds.

Please give today to help us reach our match! This is a powerful way to show your support for science and conservation in Wisconsin. Thank you!

How to Give

We appreciate your support.

We want donating to be easy, convenient, and fulfilling for you as a valued member of our WGF community. Please use any of our different ways to give to send a donation that feels right to you.

• Donate online through our secure platform for the quickest way to send your gift.
• Send a check in the mail with our print-ready supporter form to PO Box 5411, Madison WI 53705.
• Give a gift membership to welcome someone you care about into the WGF community. You can send a printed form or use the online gift membership form.
• As part of our efforts to support and engage the next generation of conservation leaders, we offer free membership to students of all ages. Sign up for free student membership here.

Find these links and more at https://wigreenfire.org/make-a-difference/support-our-work. You’ll find details about our 501(c)3 status, and other ways to give such as gifts of stock or planned giving.

Contact Erica LeMoine, our Philanthropy and Membership Coordinator, at elemoine@wigreenfire.org with any questions.

From all of us at Wisconsin’s Green Fire, thank you!

A June sunrise on Lake Superior. Photo by Erica LeMoine.