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 on page one says: “Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.”

So, let’s cut to the chase.

Our world is upside down right now.  The systems we have built and come to rely on are—in the words of my father, a chief petty officer—SNAFU.  The breakdown of these systems hit each of us differently.  These feelings are fed by uncertainty and vitriol.

We have all witnessed the purge of the federal workforce.  I personally know two workers dismissed with a callous email or text.  Another friend lost 40% of her workforce and their agricultural research is now likely lost.  Aside from the grief and sadness so many of us feel, there are practical implications of the fracturing of the system.

I learned on Tuesday that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Wildlife has an $800,000 cooperative agreement with USDA-Wildlife Services to be first responders on wildlife damage problems. WDNR Fisheries has a $500,000 agreement to reduce beaver numbers and remove dams on select high-quality trout streams.  The ten federal staff working collaboratively with WDNR to implement this work were let go last week.  Without these employees, USDA-WS won’t be able to fulfill its commitment to Wisconsin.

The Department of Interior Order 3418, titled “Unleashing American Energy” indicates it is now in our best interest to encourage “energy exploration and production on Federal lands and waters, including the Outer Continental Shelf.”  The memo goes on to require “Assistant Secretaries” to “suspend, revise, or rescind” certain aspects of the Endangered Species Act.

Over the coming weeks you will see more stories of actual impacts and fact-based analyses from us at Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF).

Several WGF members have agreed to begin the work of conducting research, collecting information and creating a compendium for our website.  This compendium can serve as the basis for both collective and individual advocacy and public outreach. You will also see an outward facing effort to connect with federal workers and to let them know we understand, to a degree, what they are going through.  We want to express that we care about them and value their expertise.  We will let them know they have a home with Wisconsin’s Green Fire. If you are (or were) a federal worker, this means you.

I know this all feels far too familiar.  However, what I love best about our organization is the tenacity, grit and determination that created it.  We are not quitters.  I’ve quoted Winston Churchill before and will do so again: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Here is what I ask of you:

• If you feel so inclined, please contact federal legislators.  The Wildlife Society has an excellent Policy Toolkit on how best to find legislators and their contact information. Share your concerns, your ideas, your solutions, your insights.
• Use your contacts to help reach out to federal employees, letting them know we welcome them and value them.
• Join us for an upcoming (date/time TBD) Green Fire Café virtual listening session to share stories and information.
• Stay engaged with us at Wisconsin’s Green Fire. You matter in our community of voices for conservation.

White fawn lily (Erythronium albidum) blooming in Estabrook Park, Milwaukee County, 2024. Photo by Don Behm.