It's time to chart the course for Wisconsin's environment

By Stephen M. Born

Another election season has come and gone. In Wisconsin, there was little intelligent discussion about our environment and how we should protect, manage and use our incredible natural resources to maintain the quality of life and recreational opportunities most Wisconsinites cherish.

I often imagined I could hear Gaylord Nelson reminding the political aspirants that "the economy is just a subsidiary of the environment."

Gov. Jim Doyle and his agencies, along with a new Legislature and new local leadership, now have a responsibility to lay out their vision for Wisconsin's environment, including what actions they plan and what resources they propose to commit.

Several policy issues need to be addressed, but our political and civic leaders must also ensure that the pieces fit into an integrated management program. Goals should include managing for sustainability; ensuring a viable future for our working agricultural lands and forests; protecting our state's biological diversity; promoting healthy and livable communities; reducing our contributions to greenhouse gas emissions; conserving and protecting our priceless land and water resources; and pursuing these goals through transparent, democratic, scientifically based and fair decision-making.

Land use issues should be at or near the top of the list. How we use, develop and conserve our land determines the future of our water resources, wetlands, wildlife, working landscapes, transportation options, communities, public health and more.

Wisconsin enacted "smart growth" comprehensive land use planning legislation in 1999, and many local governments across the state have engaged their citizens in charting their communities' futures. Political leaders should commit to stay the course, provide the requisite resources to complete the planning and implement the plans.

Given our growing population and expanding communities, reauthorization of the state Stewardship Program also is a high priority. And we must ensure that existing programs to protect dwindling lake and river shorelands and threatened wetlands are carried out. That should be non-negotiable.

Water defines Wisconsin. We need to fully implement the Clean Water Act - especially for urban and agricultural runoff management, which dramatically affects our water quality. Adequate, well-targeted funding of the nonpoint source management program, including a focus on manure, agricultural land and nutrient management, is essential; without funds our innovative programs are a charade.

We must also protect our state's buried treasure, ground water. Working with neighboring states, we also need to follow up on plans and charters to protect the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. And it's time for water-rich Wisconsin to conserve water aggressively to assure future supplies, protect aquifers and move toward a sustainable balance between supply and demand.

There are many opportunities to pursue conservation and sustainable sources of energy and build on clean energy legislation enacted in the last session. We need to revitalize long-range energy planning for the state. Part of that planning should involve rethinking our continuing dependence on and expansion of coal-fired generating plants. It should include creative planning for a truly multimodal, environmentally and energy-sensitive transportation system. Taking such actions will also reduce our "carbon footprint" and contributions to global warming.
Other issues also need continuing attention, including air quality in urbanizing areas and mercury, pharmaceutical and other possible contaminants in our waters.

Protecting threatened and endangered species and stemming the horde of invasive non-native plants and animals is a less recognized priority with significant consequences to our environment.

Now that Doyle has been re-elected, a follow-up "report card" to citizens on progress on his Conserve Wisconsin initiative, launched last year, is warranted.

Finally, we need plans and actions to increase civic engagement in environmental stewardship. Citizens across the Badger State play important roles in caring for our environment through watershed associations, lake districts, hunting and fishing organizations, land conservancies and "friends" groups. The state should invest in and facilitate these burgeoning efforts at civic environmentalism. We also need to renew our state's once-strong commitment to environmental education.

The time to chart the course and take action for tomorrow's Wisconsin is now.

Stephen M. Born is emeritus professor of planning and environmental studies at UW-Madison.Published: December 1, 2006

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