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"We launched this website along with our public education campaign," says Joy Strawser, the coordinator for the LCV effort in Wisconsin. Mailings have been sent to voters who are members of various conservation and environmental groups in Badgerland. A key purpose of the mailings is to enroll the voters in an action network which will be useful for alerts and announcements as the fall elections approach and the campaign rhetoric escalates. Voters can also sign-up for the Wisconsin action network on the LCV web page.
Strawser says one of the goals "is to ask the candidates how they feel on environmental and conservation issues." Adds Strawser: "Most of the time, legislators aren't protecting the environment."
Visitors to the site can see polling data on state and national attitudes towards the environment and view news releases, TV ads and scripts used in education campaigns around the country.
On the Wisconsin page, questions for candidates currently focus on three topics and include the restoration of DNR independence. Strawser indicates that more questions will likely be added to the web site and she is interested in hearing from others on what those questions should be.
One other interesting feature of the Wisconsin page is a list of groups around Wisconsin that are participating in the voter education project. A contact for each of the groups is part of the listing, allowing further dialogue between the public and the groups on environmental and conservation matters.