In this issue:
- Summer Highlights
- 2022 Webinar Series from 1k Friends
- News from 1000 Friends
- UniverCity Year: Call for Community Partners
- Events
- Resources and Funding Opportunities
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I will be hitting the road in July to visit a few cities around the state doing improvement projects on their pedestrian networks. Stay tuned for more about that! Meanwhile, if your community is hosting an event or activity that you'd like featured in the e-news, let us know by emailing [email protected].
Here are a few events from Active Wisconsin communities this summer:
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Kenosha County and the City of Kenosha just wrapped up two weeks celebrating bike-to-work, bookended by a Bike Rodeo on June 5 and the Dairy Air Ride on June 18. Read more about the events here.
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Jackson in Action is hosting "Exploring the Path to a Healthier You!" - a set of family-friendly activities at area parks designed to encourage healthy habits and getting outside. The challenge runs from July 6 - August 3, 2022. There are prizes! Learn more and sign up for the challenge here.
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Our webinar series is taking a quick breather for the month of June. However, the July webinar is - quite literally - for the birds! Alex Halverson and Eric Phillips will discuss why bird-friendly cities are resilient cities.
Enhancing ecological conservation within our built landscapes is vital if we are to address the social, economic, and environmental conditions of the 21st Century. One way we can do that, and in the process, build resilience, is to make these landscapes more bird-friendly. But first, we need to shift our mindset to consider that our built landscapes, including the infrastructure within them, as part of the ecological landscape. This presentation will provide an overview of how we can accomplish that shift in perspective, as well as give tangible examples of how we can make our urban forms more bird-friendly.
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Advocacy update: You may not see it, but 1000 Friends of Wisconsin does a ton work behind the scenes to help make Wisconsin a better place for walking, biking, and transit. Did you know we serve on several WisDOT working groups? This includes WisDOT's Stakeholder Taskforce and the Non-Driver Advisory Council...Click here to read more.
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Ride Across Wisconsin is just a few weeks away, and I am planning to bike 165 miles from La Crosse to the Trek headquarters in Waterloo over two days, August 20-21. Be sure to follow the 1000 Friends Instagram account for training updates! RAW was founded to promote great riding in the state of Wisconsin and is a fundraiser for Wisconsin Bike Fed. I have a goal of raising $165 to cover the cost of registration; if you want to donate click here.
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1000 Friends staff are on a short summer break July 1-5. During that time our social media will be quiet and we will not respond to emails. |
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UniverCity Year is seeking local government partners for 2022-2025! This three-year partnership connects a Wisconsin city, county, municipality, school district, other special purpose local government, or coalition of groups that includes local government with University of Wisconsin-Madison resources to advance community priorities.
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Sign-ups are still open for Ride Across Wisconsin, which will be August 20-21, 2022. There are several options for joining the route from La Crosse to Milwaukee for either 1 or 2 days. Learn more and sign up here.
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Read, Watch, Listen, & Learn |
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Do malls have something to teach us about urbanism, walkability, and accessibility? CityLab ponders this question in a recent article, "Lessons from the Golden Age of the Mall Walkers." Read it here.
The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and Safe Routes Partnership released a report last year called Community Engagement: Lessons from the Pandemic, and it is full of examples from around the country of strategies that worked, and a few that didn't. Click here to read the report.
The League of American Bicyclists has put together a resource page for federal infrastructure funding with an overview of grants available for bike/ped initiatives and safe streets programs. You can access it here.
Safe Routes Partnership has published a tool kit for community engagement called Let's Get Together: a Guide for Engaging Communities and Creating Change. You can download it here.
Climate change has made extreme weather events more common throughout Wisconsin, including heavy rainfall. Is your community prepared for flooding? Sea Grant published the Flood Resilience Scorecard (read more about it here) , which is a comprehensive, whole-community approach to flood resilience, including a section on transportation and walkability. Access the tool kit here.
The Wisconsin Bikeways Report is out, and it identifies long-distance bicycling opportunities in Wisconsin and connecting with other states. Useful for communities along existing or proposed Wisconsin & US Bike Routes who wish to improve bicycle facilities and amenities for tourists. Read the report here.
The Wisconsin DNR has revised and re-released a catalog of public and private funding for trail projects called Funding for Wisconsin Trails. Click here to view.
Active Wisconsin is on the right track! A study from the University at Oxford includes data showing that active transportation will cut carbon emissions far faster and more effectively than just switching to electric vehicles. Read about the study here.
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The EPA is accepting applications for its Clean School Bus Rebate program through August 19, 2022. Does your school district want to replace diesel buses with electric vehicles? Read more and apply here.
The EPA has launched the Let's Talk About Heat challenge, a national competition to identify innovative and effective communication strategies to inform people of the risks of extreme heat and offer ways to keep safe during the hottest days. 10 prizes will be awarded from a pool of $120,000. Submissions are due July 22, 2022. Read more here.
The Foundation for Rural Service is accepting applications for their community grant program through August 31, 2022. Awards range from $250-$5000. Learn more here.
The C.D. Besadny Conservation Fund supports grassroots conservation and education projects that benefit Wisconsin's land, waters, and wildlife, and connects people to natural resources. Awards range from $500-$2000 and the application deadline is September 1. Learn more and apply here.
Little Seeds Pollinator Pals is awarding $500 to twenty youth garden programs nationwide to support new and existing pollinator gardens. Applications due July 15, 2022. Learn more and apply here.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is accepting proposals for the America the Beautiful challenge through July 21, 2022. They seek to support large-scale collaborative conservation programs. Learn more here.
The U.S. DOT has announced a pilot program for Transit-Oriented Development planning. $13m will be distributed to communities to integrate land use and transportation planning. Proposals are due July 25, 2022. Learn more here.
Wheels to Woods is a school to forest or forestry related field trip grant program. They will provide up to $350 to cover transportation costs for a forest or forestry-related field trip for K-12 students. Applications accepted through August 15, 2022 for field trips taking place between Sept. 1-Jan. 31. Learn more here.
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Did you know we have TWO e-newsletters? Along with Active Wisconsin, 1000 Friends sends out e-news every month. If you would like to be on the mailing list for 1000 Friends, sign up here.
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What Active Wisconsin provides to participating communities:
- Resources (grant opportunities, tool kits, 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!
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Stay safe and stay active! |
We are working remotely
so please contact us
via email at:
New Address:
1000 Friends of Wisconsin
P.O.Box 259704
Madison, WI 53725
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