Environment
Tribute to Dr. Al Gedicks
I am saddened to bring you the news that Dr Al Gedicks has passed away. I will leave you this by Zoltan Grossman who says it best.
~Nancy
Tribute to Dr. Al Gedicks
By: Zoltan Grossman
Wisconsin (and the world) has lost a giant. Dr. Al Gedicks, a driving force of environmental justice alliances against mining companies in the Midwest, passed away on Saturday, May 9, after a long bout with cancer. His brother Bob Gedicks reported that Al “was at peace and surrounded by family.”
Below is the April 26 tribute I read for our friend Al at the ...
Illegal Pesticide Use is Poisoning the St. Croix Riverway — And the County is Looking the Other Way
The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is one of the most treasured natural corridors in the upper Midwest. But right now, neighbors along its banks are spraying triclopyr to control buckthorn — and St. Croix County is doing nothing about it.
Triclopyr is sold under brand names like Garlon 3A and Garlon 4. It may seem like a reasonable solution to an invasive plant problem. It is not legal here. Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 118.06(6)(b)3 is clear: within the Lower St. Croix Riverway, herbicide use is limited to direct topical application to cut stems only. Broad ...
Celebrate Earth Day In Wausau With Us
For those who love and respect the natural world, Mother Earth, and for those who love the people we share this very special planet with, this has been a troubling year. As never before, both our planet and her people have been under assault, in rhetoric and in executive order. This has been a year of angry divisiveness, splintering the human family with hatred. It’s also been a year of “drill baby drill” for dirty fossil fuels and price increases, and a rejection of clean, stably priced solar and wind energy. When it comes to renewable energy and battery ...
Wisconsin Legislators Introduce Rights of Nature Bills
*photo credit: Rep. Vincent Miresse
Wisconsin Legislators Introduce Rights of Nature Bills
Wisconsin legislators celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day by introducing a package of bills at the State Capital that will go a long way to protecting our fragile and deteriorating environment in Wisconsin. Anahkwet (Guy Reiter) who is from the Menominee Nation and one of the leaders in the Rights of Nature movement in Wisconsin spoke at the news conference. He said “Let me be real with you: the laws that are supposed to protect our communities ...
Radical Climate Agenda
On 10/7/25, NPR reported that the EPA had cancelled a Biden era program, Solar for All (SFA), along with a $25 million SFA grant to the Hopi Reservation where nearly 3,000 people lack access to electricity and the rest have unreliable electrical service. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the grant would’ve supported solar panel installation and battery storage for 600 homes on the reservation.
The Hopi had also counted on IRA tax credits to build a microgrid that would’ve generated enough electricity for the entire reservation, and to fund another ...
A Smart Investment for Wisconsin
Too many people think of public services as expenses. Public spending is a burden on taxpayers that must be reduced and controlled. But taxes are the dues we pay for civilization. Taxes provide the capital needed to invest in all the things we need for a successful society. Public spending fuels the investments in people, infrastructure and public goods that pay dividends in the future.
In Wisconsin the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is an example. Republican legislators cut funding for this important program in the recent state budget. If not renewed via additional ...
Sacred Sites, Not Corporate Influence, Deserve Protection
After years of court battles, Kohler can begin construction of a luxury golf course on land eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and home to Native burial sites. A federally mandated 2018 archeological study of the original course unearthed human remains in seven locations.
Kohler is now exploiting a legal loophole. After the courts revoked their wetland permit, the company redesigned the course to avoid wetland permitting – and, importantly, federal requirements for archaeological studies triggered by such permits. The new layout is likely to ...
Protecting Wisconsin Waters
Are we doing enough to protect our waters in Wisconsin?
I have been keeping an eye on the potential for drilling at the Bend site in Taylor County for over a year and here we are seeing this come to fruition with no regard for social license. I look at the damage done by mining operations worldwide. Is that something we really want here? Clean water is a right. Once it is destroyed there is no getting it back. It is also rumored that this company will again be back to make another attempt within the year at exploratory drilling just below the Dells of Eau ...
Honoring the Gift of Water
In my next life I want to be an otter. I’ve seen their playful slides in the snow, and the fact that they can outdo us when it comes to catching trout has me sold. Agile in the water, happy on land, a joy to watch as they lope along like furry slinkies, and, oh, so family oriented, otters suit me just fine. When I’m in my canoe absorbed with my own fishing, I usually hear them before seeing them. Their displeasure with my presence in their private bay is undeniable. They pop their heads up, disapproval written clearly on their faces as they look directly at me, and ...