In this issue:
  • Community Highlight
  • Invitation to our 2022 Webinar series
  • Active winter living
  • Pilot project for healthy planning in rural communities
  • Funding opportunities
  • Online learning opportunities
Community Highlight
We'd love to hear your story. Let us share your success with the network!
Steve Arnold & Bike Fitchburg

This month we are highlighting Steve Arnold, a local leader who has worked tirelessly for decades to implement bike-friendly programs and infrastructure in his community. In November, I had the great fortune of meeting Steve for coffee and learning more about his story, his passion for biking, and his role in making Fitchburg, Wisconsin a bike-friendly city...

Mark Your Calendars for our 2022 Webinar series!
January 19, 2022 - Darrin Wasniewski, AARP-WI - Winter Placemaking
Join us for the first webinar in our 2022 series on January 19 at 12:00 noon with Darrin Wasniewski from AARP-Wisconsin. Darrin will discuss the benefits of winter placemaking and share ideas for communities of all sizes.

Wisconsin winters are not for the faint of heart. Snow, ice, cold temperatures, and long hours of darkness are just some of the challenges to active living during the wintertime. However, communities can create opportunities year-round for outdoor activities and active transportation. The concept of “winter placemaking” embraces those challenges to connect people with public spaces during the winter season. The webinar is free, but registration is required. To register, click here:
February 16, 2022 - Beth Osborne, Transportation For America - Driving Down Emissions and how it is impacted by the infrastructure bill

Beth Osborne is the Director of Transportation for America, a national nonprofit made up of local, regional and state transportation leaders committed to a transportation system that connects people to jobs and essential services by all modes of travel no matter their financial means or physical ability.
Beth will be sharing the findings from Transportation for America’s “Driving Down Emissions” report and the barriers to a more just and equitable society. Register here: Meeting Registration - Zoom
Staying Active in the Winter
Groundswell Conservancy is hosting outdoor winter events, including a Bonfire and Candlelit Hike on January 22 at Patrick Marsh, and a Bonfire and Poetry Hike at Westport Prairie on February 26. Click here to learn more.
Do you have trouble staying active in the winter? The CDC has put together 6 tips to help you stay active all winter long. Click here to learn more.
In case you missed it!
We put together Active Living: a Winter Playbook for Wisconsin to help encourage active living this winter.

If you have any questions about the Playbook, you can email us at [email protected] We're looking forward to hearing about your projects!
Healthy Rural Communities: Pilot Study Participants needed!
Do you work in a rural community or small town that is updating its comprehensive plan in 2022? Do you want to incorporate healthy eating and active living goals and strategies into the new comprehensive plan? 

Consider joining the pilot of the Healthy Rural Community Design Scorecard for Comprehensive Plans. The Rural Scorecard is a toolkit to help rural and small-town communities incorporate healthy eating and active living goals and policies in their local comprehensive plans. 

Interested? Contact Lisa Charron, PhD-candidate at the UW-Madison for more information: [email protected]. 

Resources: Funding Opportunities
AARP-Wisconsin is accepting applications for the Small Dollar Big Impact Grants until January 18, 2022. Amounts awarded are up to $1000. Click here to learn more and apply.

The Norman and Stanley DeBoer Quiet Trails Fund provides funding to support the creation and maintenance of quiet trails (i.e. walking, hiking, or skiing) in Wisconsin. Grants range from $500-$1000. Deadline: March 1, 2022. Click here to read more.
Hometown Grants: T-Mobile has partnered with Smart Growth America and Main Street America to award grants up to $50,000 to revitalize small towns by funding community projects. The grants are awarded quarterly and must be submitted by elected leaders, town managers, or nonprofit partners. If you are interested in working with us to submit a Hometown Grant, contact [email protected].
Resources: Online Learning Opportunities
The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) is offering a self-paced free (for now) training called “Shifting Narrative to Prevent Bicyclist & Pedestrian Deaths.” Click here to learn more and sign up.

The National Institute for Transportation and Communities is offering a free webinar on January 26 called “Mobility, Accessibility, and Resiliency of Community-Dwelling Older Adults.” Learn about mobility access for older adults and how it has been affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to register.
What Active Wisconsin provides to participating communities:
  • Resources (grant opportunities, toolkits, etc.)
  • Local and statewide advocacy opportunities
  • Collaboration and educational presentations during network-wide calls
  • A platform (social media and email newsletters) to share your work

Please reach out with questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you!