Think globally – act locally!
I got a chance to do just that recently when I read in the local newspaper, The Dodgeville Chronicle, about an upcoming 4-part series of evening presentations called “Floods, Droughts, Land and Energy: What Is Wisconsin’s Future.”
We now live about 11 miles from Dodgeville, our county seat, with a population of about 5,000. We subscribe to The Chronicle, but I never thought to write for it before – having spent many years working for big city papers and lately writing mostly for magazines and working on books and my blog.
Doug and I were both excited to see global warming becoming an official topic of conversation in Dodgeville, and he suggested I ask The Chronicle if I could cover the series for them.
So now I’m also a correspondent for The Dodgeville Chronicle!
What is Wisconsin’s Future? |
| by Denise ThorntonIowa County needs to be better prepared for natural disasters, cautioned Iowa County Emergency Government Coordinator Keith Hurlbert last Thursday at the first of a four-part educational series, Floods, Droughts, Land and Energy – What is Wisconsin’s Future? “Think about the storms you’ve seen in the media in the past two years: the tornadoes that hit Joplin Missouri and Alabama, the perfect storm that hit the East Coast and the record-setting storm in Oklahoma City,” Hurlbert said. “These storms are increasing in frequency and growing in size. That’s why climate change is important to me and to all of us. We emergency managers get concerned about how well people in our area are prepared for disaster.” Hulbert advised that checking the website ready.wi.gov is a great way to learn how to be prepared. In the event of a disaster, help may take days to reach you, or you might have to evacuate at a moment’s notice. The website offers suggestions of how to create a basic survival kit as well as an evacuation kit of essential belongings and provides a step-by-step Online Family Emergency Planner. “Climate change is raising the odds of disasters,” Hurlbert said. “How would you handle closed roads and downed power lines? It’s my job to help people think about how to be prepared for disaster.” “There are both risks and opportunities in climate change,” said David S. Liebl, University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Statewide Outreach Educator Specialist. Liebl’s part of the presentation focused on how climate change is going to affect our county. Read more |
Categories: Climate Change
Digging in the Driftless 
Very good, Denise. I’m gladly we’re finally talking about this issue in Wisconsin.
Very nice article, Denise, and an important issue. Thanks for sharing it.
I’ve always imagined global warming turning Wisconsin into a tropical paradise. Might be wishful thinking, but it’s fun to think about in the dead of winter.