**Katherine Hayhoe, global leader in climate science, comes to Door County via Zoom April 21.**

In 2012, a group of friends became increasingly concerned about the gap between reliable scientific information and public understanding of the impending climate crisis. Thus was born the Climate Change Coalition of Door County (CCC), which soon affiliated with LNRP.

Volunteer driven, focused on providing climate change education and fostering climate action, CCC prizes its relationship with LNRP and the opportunities it provides to reach a broad audience and partner with other northeast Wisconsin groups focused on environmental stewardship.

The LNRP network offers a powerful web of connections through which member organizations support one another and extend our collective reach.

These connections will help us especially this year, as we (like so many others) continue to retool for pandemic conditions and find covid-smart ways to offer our programs.

Since our beginning, CCC’s signature program has been our annual Climate Change Forum. We have brought nationally known speakers to Door County each year for a day-long event, addressing subjects ranging from health impacts to food security to the perils faced by Wisconsin waters and wildlife. The pandemic shuttered last year’s forum, like so many public events.

But not this year! The forum has blossomed into the 2021 Season of Action, with three giants in the climate science world offering virtual talks; a summer-long series of educational field trips and hikes focused on the impacts of climate change in Door County; and the Door County Big Plant, a county-wide tree-planting project involving churches, businesses, schools, community groups and more with a goal of planting 5,000 trees.

SPEAKER SERIES:

Katherine Hayhoe leads off the speakers series at 11 am April 21. The New York Times has described Hayhoe as one of the nation’s most effective communicators on the threat of climate change and the need for action. In 2019, Foreign Policy named her one of its 100 Global Thinkers for the second time, and the United Nations Environment Programme singled her out as a Champion of the Earth, its flagship award, in the category of Science and Innovation. Hayhoe is professor of public policy and public law at Texas Tech University. Among many distinctions, she is chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy and an advisory board member at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. REGISTER HERE

Bruce Nilles will speak Wednesday, May 5, at 7 pm, focusing on how we can and must move away not only from coal but also from burning gas in our homes, businesses and power plants. His talk will address the urgency of the climate threat we face and consequences of not moving quickly to electrify our economy with clean, renewable power

Nilles is the executive director of Climate Imperative, a project to cut carbon emissions at the speed and scale needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

REGISTER HERE

Steve Vavrus, senior scientist at the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research, UW-Madison, will bring the discussion home at 7 pm Wednesday, June 2, in a talk titled “How Will Wisconsin and Door County Be Affected by the Climate Crisis? What Does the Latest Research Tell Us?”

Vavrus will discuss the latest work of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), a collaborative project of the Nelson Institute and the Department of Natural Resources. He will address projected climate impacts across the state with a particular focus on northeastern Wisconsin and Door County. Vavrus is WICCI co-director and a long-time member of its Climate Working Group. REGISTER HERE

The Door County Big Plant

Meanwhile, the CCC will spearhead a broad collaboration among 18 service clubs, faith groups, municipalities, non-profits and individuals in a month-long, county-wide tree planting extravaganza. Groups will organize their own activities under the CCC umbrella, with a goal of planting 5,000 trees between April 22 and May 23.

The real power of trees in combating climate change lies in its potential for citizen action. This is a climate change solution that allows all of us to come together and make a real impact to address the climate crisis. Planting trees is easy to do, and it’s a great way to involve and empower children and young adults, many of whom are already aware of climate change and eager to take action.

CCC itself will oversee the planting of 2,021 trees, working with schools across the county and other groups. Find out more details by clicking HERE.

Hitting the Trail

Led by experienced guides, our Season of Action educational field trips and hikes will focus on local flora and fauna, sustainable farming, and wetland preservation. Cost is $40 per person, and capacity is limited, though it might expand as CDC guidelines allow. Registration is required. Contact Nicole Matson, 715-330-4660, to sign up.

The schedule:

● Wednesday, June 16 & Wednesday, Aug. 18, 1 – 3 pm: Climate Impacts on Local Flora and Fauna at The Ridges Sanctuary with Katie Krouse, The Ridges Program Manager

● Saturday, July 31 & Saturday, Sept. 25, 10 AM – Noon: Ephraim Swamp ecology and the changes we can expect as the climate continues to warm with Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology and Chuck Lauter, a Door County resident who has lived at the edge of the Swamp for many years, exploring and writing about it.

● Coming in June & August! Waseda Farms Tour in Baileys Harbor. This certified organic farm raises cattle, pigs, and chickens and grows fruits, vegetables, and herbs in their two-acre garden. Tour the historic farm on a tractor and wagon ride. Through improved farming practices that are better for people, animals, and the Earth, Waseda Farms works to inspire better eating and better living. How do these practices benefit our earth? Join the family members of Waseda Farms on this interesting and inspiring tour to find out.

The Climate Change Coalition’s website www.climatechangedoorcounty.com and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/climatechangedoorcounty) have more information and will post updates as they are available.

LNRP’s steadfast help and support have made much of the CCC’s work possible and have been invaluable as we seek to fulfill our mission, to alert the public to the present climate crisis and foster climate action. As Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg has said, “Where there is action, there is hope.”