Environment
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 ...
JUNE 2025 THOMAS STREET NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR WITH THE FRIENDS OF WAUSAU HISTORIC LANDMARKS.
Citizens for a Clean Wausau and the Friends of Wausau Historic Landmarks teamed up in the Thomas Street Neighborhood this month. With the Friends of Wausau Historic Landmarks, we learn about the history of Wausau, the ornate landmarks, the lumber barrons, and how Wausau was formed. This month was a unique blend of the beauty, as well as the damge done from former factories in the area. Thomas Street was the home to Crestline (the area is now owned by Wauleco/Sentry Insurance) and across the street was the former site of Connor Industries, where St Vincent ...
The Backyard Incident
Every year a pair of robins take up residence on a back porch light outside our family back door. I am not sure why they chose this spot since it is precariously close to our comings and goings. They get upset at us every time a family member goes in or out the door. I figure they may like the security the location affords them against predators for when their chicks hatch. This year we noticed three hatchlings in the nest. Their mother and father would diligently feed them, and we saw them grow quickly in their first 10 days of life. We were excited with ...
The Environmental Cost of Computers
There is an old saying, “Whenever you light a candle you also cast a shadow.” There are always downsides to any choices, changes or innovations. Computer chip technology, computers and the Internet have transformed everything and improved many things. But are we looking at the inevitable shadows?
The Minnesota Center for Environment Advocacy (MCEA) recently had a webinar on the environmental impact of data centers which run the online world. They explain the environmental shadows many of us are not seeing. You can watch the MCRA webinar, or read a transcript, by ...
Fifty Five Earth Days Later
2025 marks the fifty fifth Earth Day. The local chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby and our NAOMI friends invite you to celebrate another Beloved Community Earth Day in Wausau at Westview Terrace Park (1501 Bissell St) at 10 AM on Saturday, April 26th.
Wisconsin and Earth Day go back a long way together. Truth be told, without Wisconsin Earth Day might not even exist. Horrified by a disastrous oil spill off the coast of California in 1969, our own Senator Gaylord Nelson conceived and set in motion the gears that made Earth Day 1970 a phenomenon to be ...
Birding by Ear
A birding by ear event will be held at Helen’s House at the Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Zoo on June 10th at 7 p.m. John Kubisiak will give a presentation on how to identify birds by their calls. Following the presentation, participants will be invited to take to the trail to identify birds by their songs. This is being done as a Birdability event sponsored by Clean Green Action, a local non-profit devoted to advancing education around conservation and environmental sustainability. Please contact us by email at cleangreenaction@gmail.com with any questions.
Protect Pollinators This Spring in Wausau
Although we have gorgeous weather this weekend, please resist cleaning up your yards and spend time outdoors in other fun ways this weekend!
WHY? Pollinators and other insects (which our very food supply depends on) are still in the leaves and other debris.
Bees and other pollinators touch our lives every day. About 85% of the world’s flowering plants and 35% of the world’s food crops (one in three bites of food we eat) depend on insect and animal pollinators to reproduce. Economically, insect pollinators contribute billions of dollars to U.S. farm income.
W...
INDIVISIBLE Hands Off Rally April 5
Northcentral Wisconsin INDIVISIBLE Fights back!
Saturday, April 5 at noon
Rib Mountain Drive (sidewalk between Michael’s Crafts and Hobby Lobby)
Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. We are fighting back!
They're taking everything they can get their hands on—our health care, our data, our jobs, our services—and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.
🚨 On Saturday, April 5th, we're taking to the streets to fight back with a clear message: Hands off! 🚨
This mass ...