1/17/02

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The following is an updated listing of workshops for the 2002 WSN annual conference.  All of these sessions are on Saturday, Jan. 26 and those marked by a red asterisk (*) are in addition to those already previewed in the WSN conference mailer.

* An Independent WSN: Our plans to help your group achieve its goals

The WSN experiment has worked!  The WSN will soon be separating from its founding organization, Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade.  Find out what the WSN’s Steering Committee has identified as the things the WSN can do to strengthen the groups in the network so they can better protect Wisconsin’s natural resources.  Presented by the Sierra Club’s Chris Nehrbass.

* Beyond Perrier: Addressing state and regional ground and surface water issues

Hiroshi and Arlene Kanno and Joan C. Schmidt of Concerned Citizens of Newport (CCN) discuss CCN’s lawsuit and its expected aftermath just days before the judge’s ruling in Columbia County District Court.  What are the implications of this suit on Wisconsin’s Public Trust doctrine?  Also covered will be an update on a groundwater video being produced by the WSN and CCN, plus an overview of regional, national, and international issues related to protecting our water basins.

Coming Revisions to Wisconsin’s Shoreland Management Rules

Since shoreland management laws went into effect in the 1960s, shoreland development has increased 200% in Wisconsin.  Lynn Markham of UW-Stevens Point outlines new changes to NR115 that will benefit both shoreland habitat and landowners.

Creating State-of-the-Art Electronic Newsletters with Adobe Acrobat

WSN State Coordinator Todd Hanson walks you through the process of using Adobe Acrobat to create user-friendly newsletters that are perfect for the web and easy to archive.  Hanson will go through the steps he uses to create both WSNetwork News and Trout Unlimited’s "best TU newsletter," Wisconsin Trout.

* Environmental Toxins From Stray Voltage to Chemicals: Models for local action

Marilyn Wilson of Families and Friends for Social Responsibility discusses her personal battle to recover from health problems ultimately traced to "electrical pollution" in her house, and how a new bill before the Wisconsin Legislature would help utilities clean up similar problem buildings throughout Wisconsin.  Laura Olah of Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger reviews the problems with using risk assessment as our primary method of responding to environmental toxins.

From Teddy to Tommy and Beyond: Politics and conservation in Wisconsin

Barry Ashenfelter, Ex. Director of the newly formed WI League of Conservation Voters, discusses the status of conservation and the environment in Wisconsin politics...and how the WLCV plans to make a difference.

Getting Public Records and Making Freedom of Information Act Requests

Attorneys Melissa Scanlan of Midwest Environmental Advocates and Glenn Stoddard of the Garvey and Stoddard law firm guide you through the process of using open records laws and the Freedom of Information Act to get the documents some don’t want you to see.

Increase Your Visibility Through Effective Use of the Web

Join WSN webmaster and freelance writer Will Fantle for some ideas on how your group can start your own web site or better manage the one you currently have.  What should the professionals do?  And what can you do yourself?

Invasive Species: Getting action from the state

The WDNR’s Kelly Kearns and The Nature Conservancy’s Nancy Braker report on the recently released recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Invasive Species.  Find out what this comprehensive plan entails and how it can be enacted to stem the tide on invasives.

* Lobbying and Testifying: What are the rules for nonprofit groups

Wisconsin nonprofit organizations do not have free reign to advocate for bills or testify on administrative rules.  Pam Porter of Wisconsin Citizen Action outlines what activities are permissible under state and federal law so you and your group do not run afoul of IRS or state ethics rules.

Mining Groundwater Modeling: Predictions vs. reality at Ladysmith

Discover what we’ve learned about groundwater modeling by comparing the Ladysmith Mine’s groundwater plan to what actually happened.  What do our experiences at Ladysmith have to say about the proposed Crandon Mine?  Presented by John Coleman of UW-Madison and Jim Wise of ECCOLA.

* Passing the Cyanide Ban and "No Special Treatment for Mining" Legislation in the Wisconsin Assembly

Two pieces of protective mining legislation have passed the Wisconsin State Senate in last couple months.  Now groups and individuals are pushing to get these bills out of an Assembly committee for a vote.  Hear the details on what these bills seek to accomplish from Trout Unlimited’s George Rock and others.

The Future of Wisconsin’s Waters: A report on the Groundwater Summit and the Waters of Wisconsin Initiative

A diverse group gathered in Waukesha this past fall for the Groundwater Coordinating Council’s "Groundwater Summit."  WDNR Water Resources Specialist Tim Asplund and Curt Meine, Director of Conservation Programs for the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, lead a discussion of these results and the Academy’s upcoming special Waters of Wisconsin activities.

* Your Options When a Factory Farm Wants to be Your Neighbor

Ten years ago there were only a few factory farms in Wisconsin. Now there are 110, with many more on the way.  Attorney Andrew Hanson of Midwest Environmental Advocates shares practical, straightforward skills to help citizens control the siting of proposed factory farms, as well as check existing factory farms' compliance with state and federal environmental laws.