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Your Monthly Climate Digest

Small family farmers speak out on water contamination

Hi John,

Imagine if your child became ill, throwing up constantly. What would you do? 

That’s what happened to Sam Bowen when she and her daughter moved back to their family farm. After repeated doctor visits, they finally realized their drinking water was making them sick. The well on their family farm was contaminated with nitrates that seeped into the groundwater from the nearby CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) or giant factory farm. Watch Sam and Ty’s story here >>>

Unfortunately, this story is not uncommon in Wisconsin. Many families face the horrific health impacts of contaminated well water, and often don’t know the cause. And nitrate is only one type of pollutant found in Wisconsin drinking water – others include PFAS, arsenic, lead, and more.

We’re working to change that. 

We’re partnering with folks around the state to advance the Water Pollution Notification Act in the State Legislature. It would require the Department of Natural Resources to notify county and Tribal health departments when contamination is found nearby. This would help protect private well owners’ right to know what’s in their water and bring awareness to potential contamination in drinking water. 

Take action today to support this bill >>>

Scroll down for more:

• It’s Triple Match! Triple your impact
• Take action on data centers by 5 p.m. today!
• An update on the vital clean water legislation
• Remembering Native activists for Native American Heritage Month
• WCV in the news

Thank you for being a conservation voter,

Nels Lindquist

Visual Storytelling Manager

It’s Triple Match! Triple your impact

The 2026 elections will determine whether we protect clean water, invest in clean energy, and defend a fair, equitable democracy or let federal rollbacks and polluting special interests dictate our future. We need your support to win a pro-conservation trifecta in 2026 and elect leaders who will stand up for our environment and democracy!

Donate by the end of November to triple your impact and help defend Wisconsin’s future >>> 

With Triple Match, every donation goes three times further to engage voters on clean water, clean energy, a robust and equitable democracy, and accountable government. Give now >>>

Take action on data centers by 5 p.m. today!

Write your legislators TODAY (Thursday) to support the Data Center Accountability Bill >>> 

The window for legislators to co-sponsor the bill closes today at 5 p.m. Your elected officials need to hear your voice and know that you support this bill. 

We need state legislation that regulates data centers. If data centers are coming to Wisconsin, they should cover their added energy costs, rely on renewable power as much as possible, and be transparent about their water and energy use.

An update on the vital clean water legislation

The bill protecting private well owners’ right to know what’s in their water, now called the Water Pollution Notification Act, was officially introduced in the State Assembly and Senate. 

Thanks to your messages to legislators and public support, 56 legislators – 41 Democrats and 15 Republicans – signed on as co-sponsors on the bill. We also sent a letter to legislators signed by 60 stakeholders supporting the bill. 

The next step is to get the bill to a public hearing. Take action now to show your support for this bill >>> 

Your support is critical to getting this legislation passed.

Remembering Native activists for Native American Heritage Month

Many Native people recognize Thanksgiving as the National Day of Mourning, bringing light to the genocide, forced removal, and other atrocities inflicted on Natives by the U.S. government. On Nov. 27, 1970 (Thanksgiving Day), Native activists occupied the site of Plymouth Rock – the boulder symbolizing the landing place of the pilgrims. They countered festivities commemorating pilgrims, buried the rock in sand, and painted it red. It was known as the first National Day of Mourning.

Activist Russell Means stands in front of the Massasoit statue in Plymouth, 1970. Courtesy St. Onges Fine Art Photography.

During Native American Heritage Month, it’s important we recognize these activists who stood up for Native rights while putting themselves in harm’s way. Many of these activists returned to occupy the site in the years to come, sometimes facing police brutality. Read more here. 

This month, let’s honor those who came before us to stand for Native rights and recognize their courage.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters is in the news!

We made a splash in the news this month! Check out some of our recent media clips:

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Wisconsinites have a right to know about pollution that may be impacting the health of their families,” said Government Affairs Manager Peter Burress about the Water Pollution Notification Act legislation.

• Wisconsin Public Radio: Data centers need to be transparent about their water usage. “Being a Great Lakes state, we have to be very, very careful about our water usage,” said Communications Director Ryan Billingham. 

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The bill (The Data Center Accountability Bill) would require more transparency around water usage and energy consumption, require increased renewable energy sources across the state, prioritize good-paying, local jobs, and insulate ratepayers from the costs of these projects.”

• WBAY Channel 2: Watch Executive Director Kerry Schumann’s interview diving into the importance of the newly introduced data center legislation. “We don’t want to put people in a position where their health is compromised because these data centers are coming into the state,” she said.

• WISN News 12: "This bill is a major commitment, and one that is really important for the state to be able to meet its clean energy goals," said Government Affairs Director Jennifer Giegerich about the Data Center Accountability Bill.

• Wisconsin Examiner: “This legislation is a common sense solution that will protect Wisconsin families,” said Peter Burress about the Water Pollution Notification Act legislation.

• Daily Cardinal: “Wisconsin Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group, have called for more transparency when local governments vote to approve these data centers.”

• Wisconsin Examiner: “The new [data center] legislation being proposed today is about making sure that we have clear, statewide guardrails in place that provide people in communities across Wisconsin with the information and transparency they need,” said conservation champion Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters
133 S. Butler Street Suite 320
Madison, WI 53703
United States

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