Uppity Wisconsin

The Wisconsin State Aseembly has voted 61-32 to return the selection of the DNR secretary to the DNR board, rather than the governor.  This bill would put the selection of the DNR secretary back in the hands of the board, where it was before former Governor Tommy Thompson made it an appointed position. You may see how your assembly person voted at the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters web site. The governor's appointment of the position has given the impression, real or imaginary, that the DNR secretary is beholden to the governor.  In this particular administration it looks more real than imaginary, particularly because the recent appointees to the position have not been career wildlife experts as they often were in the past, but come from non-wildlife backgrounds.

I hope you can join me at this month's Green Drinks at the Haymarket Grill in Eau Claire. Green Drinks is an international idea - an informal, social-gathering where environmentalists and conservationists in the Eau Claire area can get together and share and learn about ways to protect our precious natural resources.  There are no dues, there's no board of directors and there's no formal agenda.  It's an opportunity for people to come together and share what they and the environmental groups and projects they work with are doing to be "green."

I hope you can join the group on Wednesday, May 20th for drinks and "conservation-conversation."  Many people have remarked that the Chippewa Valley needs a "clearing-house" for environmental information, so come with ideas to share!  The only planned item for this gathering is to share upcoming "green" events at 7:30PM, so bring your calendars! 

Tom Stolp

tomconservationvoters [dot] org

Last night I and about 50 others attended the League of Conservation Voters party in Eau Claire, honoring Kathleen Vinehout, Jeff Smith, and Pat Kreitlow for having 100% pro-conservation voting records.  I want to personally thank all three of them for their outstanding efforts on behalf of the environment.  Also I would like to thank Jennifer Giegerich, the Madison state organizer, and Tom Stolp, our new western Wisconsin organizer for having such a great party and for all their efforts. You can read more about the voting records by reading the 2008 Conservation Scorecard.  Read more about the party at the LCV web site.

If you couldn't make it to the party, here are some pictures:

The Conservation Heroes: 2007-2008 Local League of Conservation Voters HeroesLCV Party

In the last few weeks, a coalition of elected officials in Milwaukee County, along with a separate action by Milwaukee's Common Council, approved strong resolutions of support for the Great Lakes Compact.

The Compact is an agreement among the eight Great Lakes states to establish diversion rules, conservation standards and legal processes to preserve this precious regional fresh water system.

The Madison Capital Times editorially amplified these growing calls for action by urging the state legislature to approve and implement the Compact.

The Cap Times editorial was an unusually strong statement: details here.

Two years ago this December, the Great Lakes governors and Canadian premiers met in Milwaukee and agreed to a Compact to manage the Great Lakes. Two years later, Wisconsin doesn't even have a draft bill on the table,

And in December of 2006, Wisconsin's Attorney General warned state agencies like the DNR that it could not approve a diversion of Great Lakes water to a city like New Berlin or Waukesha without the approval of all the other Great Lakes states, according to a federal law.

The DNR is dismissive of the opinion, and major media in the state will not report it.

So here's more information about both the legislative and media failures to protect the Great Lakes. Some legacy for Wisconsin.

Health care reform, an absolute necessity for Wisconsin and the rest of the country, is moving forward despite the opposition of the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

And this effort to change the way the state does business, literally and figuratively, could also help guide additional changes in other state policies with the common good in mind.

The full argument is here.

Want to help stop the diversion of Great Lakes water? Want to make sure communities improve their water conservation?

An International agreement with Canada is undergoing review and the public comment period ends June 8th.

I had posted the other day about the urgency surrounding public comment on the Great Lakes Compact's conservation standard-setting.

     Here is a nice, direct link to join the debate.

     Or go here for an email address - - commentscglg [dot] org (  commentscglg [dot] org)

     Just do it before June 8th.