(editor's note - we've been running occasional stories from Reuters Media Connect, which has allowed us to run a small number of Reuters stories for free. That experiment is coming to an end at the end of June, so this is likely going to be the last of these stories until we become successful enough financially to subscribe to their new service plan).
In a state where the landscape tends towards low-lying swamps, flat fields and rolling hills, northern Wisconsin's Penokee Range of mountains are a dramatic outlier. Though their elevation is relatively modest — the Penokees are often just called hills — the range stands out. Billions of years of geologic processes, a cataclysmic meteor impact and changes in Earth's atmosphere all contributed to shaping a land with striking visual and physical properties.
Deep in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal is a seemingly benign item formalizing the transfer of 15 scientists within the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Two years ago, Walker and lawmakers enacted a budget that cut 18 DNR science service bureau researchers amid complaints that their research related to climate change, pollution and wildlife habitat were controversial and unneeded.
Wisconsin citizens’ right to clean water, clean air and a good quality of life is endangered by water pollution frequently caused by agriculture. Wisconsin’s industrial agriculture industry generates more manure than crops can safely use as fertilizer leading to excess phosphorus and nitrate levels in the soil and groundwater. As a result, our local streams, lakes, and waterways are quickly becoming damaged beyond repair.
The Sierra Club released a status paper on CAFO's and water quality in Wisconsin at a release meeting in Menomonie on June 14. We attended the meeting and bring you both the paper and a video of the entire meeting where several concerned citizens testified about the issues of groundwater contamination from CAFO's, the status of some of the CAFO approvals in the state, and the lack of enforcement on the part of the DNR.
Frac sand mining, processing, and trans-load still pose major issues in Wisconsin.
On June 5, the Hudson, WI City Council heard testimony from citizens and others about processing sand. Follow this meeting at the link below:
#000000;">Henry Boschen from Chippewa Falls has been viewing a number of frac sand mines and processing plants with his drone and camera. Take a look at the size and scope of these mines and processing plants in the State of WI.
From as early as breakfast time to as late as your midnight snack, food is an integral part of our lives. As much as clean air and water are necessary for healthy lives, safe and clean food is just as important.
But what happens if the farms where our food is grown are near shale production activity?
