Clean Wisconsin 2013 Annual Report

clean wisconsin annual report2013

2 www.cleanwisconsin.org

Photo CreditsSome photos in this Annual Report were taken by members of Mario Quintana’s Spring 2013 Nature & Conservation Photography Class at Madison College, including:

Front Cover: Kayce Smalley, Festge Park

Inside Front Cover: Lake Mendota, Jake Ausel

Inside Back Cover: Doreen Kostka, Sugar River, Belleville

4 Passion & Commitment6 Our Voices Heard8 A Brighter Future10 Funders11 Corporate Sponsors & Environmental Pillars Society12 Financials13 Board + Interns, Externs & Volunteers14 Clean Wisconsin Staff

Table of Contents

©Jake Ausel, 2013

All other photos are stock images or were taken by Clean Wisconsin staff.

32013 annual report

Mark RedstenExecutive Director

from the executive directorEvery year brings unique challenges, and 2013 was

no different. We led numerous efforts to protect our environment and natural resources. Waukesha sub-mitted its long-anticipated proposal to divert an aver-age of 10 million gallons a day from Lake Michigan, and we saw legislation that sought to leave Wisconsin communities virtually helpless against new frac sand mines. And at the same time we fought efforts to di-lute our groundwater protections, many homeowners in Wisconsin’s Central Sands area watched streams dry up and lakeshores recede.

But out of the political tension and divisiveness arose an inspirational story: Thanks to you, Clean Wisconsin sent almost 40,000 messages to legislators and decision-makers, each punctuated by a firm stance to defend our air, water and the places we love.

The challenges of 2013 made us stronger and underscored our mission to hold polluters accountable by remaining vigilant and ahead of emerging issues. This is why Clean Wisconsin spent much of 2013 expanding our legal and science programs while also becoming more active outside Madison. Strategic growth is crucial as environmental threats continue to mount and thousands of people seek a strong, expert voice to protect Wisconsin for future genera-tions. This is why we’ve assembled diverse panels of experts in the legal and science communities to help guide our future work and research. In coming years, this work will continue as we know that tomorrow’s challenges will require our best efforts and preparation today.

Now in our 44th year, we are honored to do this work, but we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for your commitment, and we look forward to a new year and a long future of continuing to protect Wisconsin’s envi-ronment and natural resources for this generation and many more to come.

Thank you!


Thanks to the shared passion and commitment of

our loyal supporters...

Why Susan stays connected & takes action on our issues:

Deep gratitude for your work.

Bob Sorge, PresidentMadison Community Foundation

One of the things I love about Clean Wisconsin’s mission is that it’s simple, it’s vital, it’s obvious.... Clean air, clean water — who can argue with that?

Teaming up with Clean Wisconsin is a real honor and a privilege because it’s important to us that our resources are used very efficiently and effectively.

Hear more about why Bob Sorge & Madison Community Foundation support Clean Wisconsin atwww.cleanwisconsin.org/bob-sorge

Why Cheryl is a member of our email Action Network:

Everyone deserves clean water; without it, we will not survive.

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You are a true partner in our work, allowing us to carry out our mission to protect our natural

resources and the places we love. Our partners share why they are committed to Clean Wisconsin.

Dr. Ann Behrmann, MD Pediatrician

I think citizens of Wisconsin who have the financial means ought to be putting their money where their heart is — and that is in a clean Wisconsin.

All of us ought to be supportive of Clean Wisconsin! We all, regardless of our po-litical persuasion, should want to breathe clean air and drink clean water.

Hear more about why Dr. Ann Behrmann supports Clean Wisconsin atwww.cleanwisconsin.org/ann-behrmann

Why Vincent H. is passionate about Clean Wisconsin:

I love Wisconsin and her environment. If you guys did not exist, [what] would I do? I support this movement and always will!


…. we made our voices heard to protect our health and

our natural resources...Groundwater for all

When Wisconsin passed its first groundwater protection law in 2004, it was considered progressive: now, it’s prov-ing inadequate. Today, dried-up rivers, lakefront property turning to mud and unsafe drinking water are realities for many Wisconsin residents as large wells are allowed to pump groundwater with few restrictions, and over-pumping has become a huge issue, especially in Central Wisconsin. With applications for these large wells up 40% in the last two years alone, this problem will only get worse.

However, that didn’t stop legislators and special interest groups from introducing bills in 2013 to roll back ground-water protections and basically prevent DNR from protect-ing our private wells, drinking water and waterways from excessive groundwater pumping. But thanks to your voice and concern, we sent almost 6,000 messages to legislators and decision-makers and held back multiple attempts to endanger our groundwater.

Together, we also raised the profile of this growing problem in Wisconsin. We know the issue will resurface in coming years, but with such an outpouring of support, we know we can continue to make a strong case for groundwater laws to protect our properties, our health and our waters for all.

Groundwater

Waukesha

Highland

9,420Frac Sand Issues

6,042Mining

5,790Groundwater

4,820Stewardship Fund

Thank you for making your voice heard!Messages sent to legislators, 2013-’14 legislative session

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Highland Wind: A victory for clean energy Thanks to you, clean energy scored a huge victory in Wisconsin in late Sep-

tember 2013 when the Public Service Commission (PSC) finally approved the 102-megawatt Highland Wind project in northwestern Wisconsin.

This certainly was a hard-fought victory for Clean Wisconsin. For more than two years, we worked at the PSC, advocating for and providing expert testi-mony in support of Highland. While opponents spent more than $400,000 to fight the project, in the end our legal and science expertise, coupled with your deluge of comments to the PSC, helped make Highland a reality.

Highland is more than just a milestone for Clean Wisconsin. In addition to providing renewable energy for 29,000 homes, the PSC’s approval of Highland provides a degree of certainty to Wisconsin’s wind industry after several years of stall tactics and inaction. It is a strong show of support and a boom to Wisconsin’s energy economy, offsetting some of the more than $12 billion we send out of state each year to import dirty fossil fuels that pollute our air and water. Highland Wind is a shining win for Wisconsin’s natural resources, public health and our economy.

Waukesha Diversion: History in the making We’ve been awaiting the City of Waukesha’s application to divert water

from Lake Michigan for several years, and in October 2013, it finally arrived.As written, the application fell short of the protective standards established

under the Great Lakes Compact and Wisconsin law and as anticipated, sev-eral key questions remained. For instance, we’ve long asked Waukesha why it keeps ignoring it’s water conservation plan, once the strongest in the state, and if Lake Michigan water is truly their best and only option.

This is history in the making, and it’s important that we get this right. Thankfully, thousands of you agreed, and together we submitted nearly 3,700 comments to the state Department of Natural Resources on Waukesha’s ap-plication. With such a strong show of concern, the DNR has gone back to the city several times, seeking more information to address the application’s key deficiencies. With the application still under review, we remain vigilant in the process to uphold the Great Lake Compact and protect the shared resource that is our Lake Michigan.


…and are securing a brighter future for Wisconsin’s

environment.Both in 2013 and looking to 2014 and beyond, our staff is excited to be engaged in a number of new initiatives to extend our work, set ourselves up for

success and train future environmental leaders.

Legal Advisory CouncilTo achieve our vision for a strong, expert legal

department, we knew we needed advice and assistance from experienced members of Wis-consin’s legal community; to that end, we created Clean Wisconsin’s Legal Advisory Council in 2013. With a rich mix of individuals from Wis-

consin and beyond, council members advise and assist our legal staff in their areas of expertise to ensure we intelligently and strategically pursue legal work that furthers our mission for clean air, clean water and clean energy and to protect the places we love.

Growing into MilwaukeeWhile we have long worked in Milwaukee

on issues facing Lake Michigan and local wa-terways, Clean Wisconsin is elated to be part of the 30th Street Industrial Corridor Project. In partnership with Milwaukee Metropolitian Sewerage District, this on-the-ground project to help install rain barrels, rain gardens and other simple, low-cost landscape techniques will reduce polluted runoff and alleviate sewer overflows and basement backups, problems that plague this Milwaukee neighborhood. We are excited to be part of this work to protect the environment, residents’ homes, their health and their water with com-monsense practices and to further expand our reach into Milwaukee.

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Epicurean EveningWisconsinites are committed to local, quality food, but we all know

that healthy food needs healthy air, water and soil. To that end, we’re hosting our inaugural An Epicurean Evening: A night with celebrity chefs for Clean Wisconsin on October 8, 2014. Our first major fundraising event, we’ve brought four of Madison’s most progressive, sustainably focused chefs on board for what is sure to be the premier culinary event of 2014. We look forward to offering more and new events to Clean Wisconsin’s repertorie in coming years to provide you, our valuable supporters, with more opportuni-ties like this to learn about, participate in and support our work. Find more information at www.wisconsinepicureanevening.org.

The future of Clean WisconsinWith a focus on introducing some of the best

and brightest young minds to the environmental field, we’ve stepped up our commitment to hosting interns, externs and volunteers. In 2013, almost 20 interns, externs and volunteers shared their knowl-edge and excitement with us and worked in every

department. In addition to helping with daily office tasks, they researched sustainability initiatives around the state, wrote legal briefs and letters to the editor, organized farmers on the issue of climate change and much more.

In addition to those 20 interns, externs and volunteers, we partnered with UW-Madison’s We Badger Volunteers program and Madison College’s sum-mer Nature & Conservation Photography class, which dedicated its entire session to capturing conservation photography, including some of the photos found in this report. We’re happy to have another strong crop of young en-vironmentalists with us in 2014.

A night with celebrity chefs for


Carolyn FoundationCharles Stewart Mott Foundation

Clean Water FundClif Bar Family Foundation

Crown Family PhilanthropiesEnergy Foundation

HJ Hagge FoundationJoyce FoundationKresge Foundation

Madison Community FoundationMcKnight Foundation

Oberweiler FoundationPublic Service Commission of Wisconsin

REAMPState of Wisconsin Coastal Management Program

Thank you for yourgenerosity

Funders

Other SupportCommunity Shares of Wisconsin

FinancialsPROGRAMS

ADMINISTRATIVE

DEVELOPMENT

80.7%11.3%

8.0%

GRANTS54.1%

MEMBERS & LEGACY FUND

OTHER

INVESTMENTINCOME

26.3%

10.9%

8.7%

Total Support & Revenue$1,099,917

Total Expenses$1,596,962

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Anonymous (5)Amy GillilandCarl SinderbrandDaniel Smith MD & Marcia Smith

DW & Christena BensonEdward & Ann HastreiterGof & Mary ThomsonGretchen La Budde & Michael Whaley

Henry Anderson MD & Shirley S. Levine

Jack Westman MDKarin SandvikKatharine Odell Kurt Sladky & Deb Neff

Laurie & Richard KracumLiz MiddletonLuke & Carol FairbornMargaret Baack & Michael McAdams

Margi & David KindigPeggy Scallon MD & Mark Redsten

Richard Gosse DDS & Karen Gosse

Robert Hagge Jr.Roland Schroeder & Mary Mowbray

Susan & Jerry GreenfieldThomas Schlueter MD & Ellen Neuhaus MD

www.crossroadscommunityfarm.com Cross Plains

www.sustaineng.com | Madison


CommunicationsBrady Loomis, InternJan Szamanda, VolunteerWE Badger Volunteers Group

Development & MembershipJackie Csedo, Volunteer Marie Faust, InternElsa Nekola, Volunteer

Energy DepartmentSean Carroll, Climate OrganizerAdélaïde de ValenceSean Johnson

Legal DepartmentPaul Mathewson, Spring Legal ExternLaura Schrieber, Summer Legal InternPamela Ritger, Summer Legal InternMark Weinstein, Fall Legal Intern

Science DepartmentJiwon Jun, Research InternJulian Holtzmann, Pubic Health Student

ResearcherJenna Lewein, Science and Policy

Associate

Water DepartmentScott Laeser, VolunteerZach Schuster, Volunteer

Interns, Externs & Volunteers

OfficersChair Margi Kindig, MadisonVice Chair Chuck McGinnis,

MiddletonSecretary Gary Goyke, MadisonTreasurer Gof Thomson,

New GlarusBoard Emeritus Kate Gordon,

San Francisco

MembersBelle Bergner, MilwaukeeShari Eggleson, Washburn Luke Fairborn, Whitefish Bay Elizabeth Feder, MadisonScott Froehlke, Montello Karen Knetter, MadisonLucia Petrie, MilwaukeeCarl Sinderbrand, MadisonBruce Wunnicke, Richland Center

Board of Directors

we believe everyone deserves clean air and clean water

with special thanks

our mission is to protect and preserve Wisconsin’s air and waterand to create a cleaner environmentby being the leading voice for environmental protection

to our members and supportersyour generosity makes this possible

thank you


Mark RedstenExecutive Director

Angela CaoDevelopment

Director

Tyson CookDirector, Science

& Research

David HuntCommunications

Director

Jake ImmelMembership & Development Coordinator

Melissa GavinOrganizing Hub

Coordinator

Emily JonesWater Quality

Specialist

Amber Meyer Smith

Director, Programs & Gov’t Relations

Ezra MeyerWater Resources

Specialist

Katie NekolaGeneral Counsel

Pam RitgerGrants Manager

Keith ReopelleSenior Policy

Director

Sarah ShanahanMidwest Clean

Energy Coordinator

Katy WalterClean Energy

Specialist

Amanda Wegner

Creative Director

Elizabeth Wheeler

Staff Attorney

David VitseOffice

Administrator

Clean Wisconsin Staff

16 www.cleanwisconsin.orgPrinted on 100-percent recycled paper.

© Clean Wisconsin, August 2014

634 W. Main Street, Suite 300Madison, WI 53703

608-251-7020

www.cleanwisconsin.org

Clean Wisconsin 2013 Annual Report

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