We're excited to introduce a new program! Active Wisconsin is a network of communities working to be healthier, safer and more climate friendly through active transportation. We have merged two networks, Wisconsin Active Together and Wisconsin Active Communities Alliance, to create a new, expanded network working collaboratively to design our communities around active transportation and to advocate for more funding for bike, ped and transit. Learn more about the network and the benefits of active transportation on the new Active Wisconsin website. Leafing Out - 2nd in the series A webinar series to inspire tree care Follow our monthly webinar series to learn fun and useful information about the trees in your yard and in your community. Experts in urban forestry will share their stories and experience on what to plant, what bird and wildlife your trees are attracting, how you can advocate for trees in your community and much more. Join us February 18th from noon to 1:00 pm Lisa Johnson, Horticulture Educator with UW-Extension and member of the Dane County Tree Board, will share pruning techniques everyone can use. Lisa teaches a variety of horticulture-related classes, including the Green Thumb Gardening Series. We’ll learn the proper way to make pruning cuts on trees in your yard, and there’s more to it than you might think! Tune in to learn how to keep your trees healthy and strong with proper pruning techniques. Click here for more information and to register for the webinar. The Leafing Out webinar series was funded in part by an urban forestry grant from the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forestry Program as authorized under s. 23.097, Wis. Stat. BIG SHARE 2021 Save the date - Tuesday, March 2nd This year, you have the opportunity to support our forestry initiative associated with the Leafing Out Webinar Series. Check out our Big Share page and help plant a tree! About The Big Share 2021 The Big Share is a fun, easy and flexible way to donate to and learn more about organizations making a difference in our community. The Big Share is hosted by Community Shares of Wisconsin (CSW) for 70 local nonprofits dedicated to building an equitable and just community and protecting our environment. CSW and its members envision a future where all voices are heard, where we all have clean water and air, where all neighbors have access to family-supporting jobs, and all communities in Wisconsin are safe and thriving. I-94 East-West Highway Expansion (again) As Wisconsin enters the most challenging budget season in a decade, the Evers Administration remains adamant in its pursuit of the I-94 East-West expansion. At the same time the administration has asked government agencies to cut more than $300 million dollars from their budgets. What is the rush? The pandemic has clearly altered travel patterns, with 80% of office workers saying they would like to work from home at least once a week and over half saying at least three days a week. The prudent move for Wisconsin is to wait and see how a post-pandemic workforce uses our transportation system before investing billions of dollars as if the pandemic never happened. This expansion is increasingly out-of-sync with local and federal desires. Locally, the Milwaukee Common Council is exploring an option to ask the federal government require a new environmental impact study. WisDOT is trying to use the original project’s documentation, which relies on public meetings and data gathered from 2012 to 2014. It is irresponsible for WisDOT to use public engagement that is seven to nine years old and pretend it is still relevant. At the federal level the Biden Administration has signaled a changing attitude on highway construction. During his nomination process for Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg tweeted, “Black and brown neighborhoods have been disproportionately divided by highway projects or left isolated by the lack of adequate transit and transportation resources. In the Biden-Harris administration, we will make righting these wrongs an imperative.” There is no need to expand I-94 East-West. Facing a tough budget cycle, changing travel patterns, local opposition, and changing federal attitudes, WisDOT should pursue a course of reconstruction without expansion. This project continues to be a fiscal, social, and environmental mistake. Let’s use this money to fix local roads and support our struggling transit systems so that Wisconsin can enter the post-pandemic era on the right foot. Stay safe and stay active! 1000 Friends of Wisconsin | 608-259-1000 | 1kfriends.org We are working remotely so please contact us via email at Deb Nemeth Gregg May Abe Lenoch Robin Wagner New Address: 1000 Friends of Wisconsin 820 W. Wingra Drive #259704 Madison, WI 53725 Follow 1000 Friends Online: ‌ ‌ ‌ 1000 Friends of Wisconsin | 820 W. Wingra Drive, Box 259704, Madison, WI 53725 Unsubscribe [email protected] Customer Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!