Each year Sierra Club Wisconsin recognizes outstanding volunteers and community leaders for their work on behalf of the environment. From new activists to lifetime achievements, we want to acknowledge their amazing efforts and accomplishments. Please join us on November 17th, as we come together online from all corners of the state to present the chapter awards, celebrate our winners, and hear the inspiring work they do.
This year's award winners are:
Meghan Pierce will receive the New Activist Award. Since joining, Meghan has shown unwavering dedication to the Beyond Coal to Clean Energy Team. She attends nearly every meeting and is always willing to volunteer her time, from testifying for clean energy at public hearings to facilitating team meetings to helping with webinars and participating in vlogs. Meghan also has a deep understanding of the team’s mission and the importance of centering justice in the team's efforts. She provides a valuable perspective when it comes to developing strategy, and her thoughtfulness and generosity make her a wonderful team member.
Erik Pettersen will receive the Wildflower Award. The Wildflower is given to leaders within the chapter who exemplify all that is wonderful in the environment and the club. Erik joined the Sierra Club in 2002, has served on the Four Lakes Group Executive Committee since 2013, and is currently the co-treasurer. He has also participated on several issue teams, including Land Access and Equity, Transportation Equity, and Climate Crew. What’s more, he is also a regular attendee at volunteer nights! Erik’s dedication across issues exemplifies the spirit of Sierra Club. He continually inspires us through his generosity and willingness to pitch in wherever and whenever he can, and has made an impact on all corners of Sierra Club’s work.
Karen Samelson and David Thomas will be recognized with the Wildflower Award for their work with Great Waters Group, in the Milwaukee area. Karen and David are a force within the Group, carry a lot of behind-the-scenes work, and have been admirable advocates for environmental justice in the Milwaukee area and throughout the Sierra Club.
Karen has been on the cutting edge of the use of social media and other communication tools in Sierra Club by leading Great Waters Group’s Twitter account, supporting Facebook content, and attending trainings offered by the Chapter. Additionally, Karen fills gaps and takes on many, many odds and ends with the Great Waters Group.
David has been a local outings leader, has been instrumental in park and river cleanup efforts in Lincoln Park and along Lincoln Creek for many years, has been involved in environmental conservation and education efforts at Havenwoods, and played a main role in starting Nearby Nature Milwaukee.
David and Karen are both involved with Nearby Nature, which serves to build resilient, just, and healthy communities in Milwaukee. Staff and volunteers clean up streams, provide outdoor education to youth, and hike, bike, and paddle trails and waterways in Milwaukee’s Lincoln Creek Greenway. Karen and David strengthen the Sierra Club by each living their commitment to environmental justice, climate equity, and hopes for a brighter environmental future for Wisconsin’s communities.
Victoria Gillet will receive the Merit Award for her dedication to coal and clean energy work. She is an active member and leader of the Beyond Coal to Clean Energy team and her efforts helped push local utilities to announce the retirement of the Columbia Coal plant last year. Victoria has helped build coalition partners, is proactive with new ideas, and readily shares her expertise with others. Her dedication to health and clean energy is an inspiration and he is an amazing advocate who uses her voice to make positive change.
Jodi Habush Sinykin will receive the Merit Award for her relentless efforts to protect our Wisconsin wolves as part of the Sierra Club Wildlife Team. She works day and night connecting with political influencers, the Department of Natural Resources, Tribal leaders and other advocates to try to bring awareness to senseless killing of our wolves. Jodi represents the Sierra Club on both the Wisconsin Wolf Harvest Committee and the newly created Wolf Management Plan Committee, in addition to helping with team projects. This has been an exceedingly difficult year to continue this fight, and yet, Jodi has been resilient, impactful, and an inspiration to all.
Masaru Oka will receive the LD Rockwell Award for his contributions to our state budget committee. The flip side of electoral advocacy is legislative advocacy and accountability, which was a key role of the budget committee. Masaru shined on this committee. He took on difficult tasks like research, summarizing the budget, and identifying areas of opportunity. He also worked with other volunteers unfamiliar with the budget process to help them create plans and get engaged. Beyond his involvement in the budget committee, he also is a regular member of the transportation team.
Mary Faydash of Friends of the Black River Forest will be recognized with the Good Citizen Award for her work to protect the rare ecosystem adjacent to Kohler Andrae State Park from a golf course proposed by Kohler Company. Mary started this group around her kitchen table with a very small group of concerned people and has led the cause valiantly since 2014. She’s been a role model in speaking out for injustices, whether those injustices be against person, animal, wildlife, or plants, and the result has been the empowerment of many concerned residents and a significant series of victories in Wisconsin courts. Mary’s commitment is outstanding and inspiring.
The Torchbearer Award will be presented to Dane County Parks. Over the last 18 months of the pandemic, we have learned graphically how important parks and public lands are to our individual and community health. The Dane County Parks system has over 17,000 acres of public lands, including 26 parks, 20 wildlife areas and 14 natural resource areas, that they care for and which serve many. In their work, according to the 2018 Dane County Parks and Open Space 5-year Plan, Dane County parks aims to provide an inclusive parks system for all residents. Among other things, they have:
- Expanded and focused its programming for youth
- Provided information on current and new access to public lands and parks via, transit, bike and other non-auto transportation
- And advocated for expanded public transit and alternative transportation options to parks
The work to make the Dane County park system inclusive, accessible and welcoming is ongoing, and we appreciate the efforts and commitment of parks staff and leadership in pursuing these goals.
The chapter’s highest award, the JJ & Pat Werner Award will be presented to Melissa Warner. For many in Southeastern Wisconsin, when they think of Sierra Club, they think of Melissa Warner. As the Chair of Sierra Club’s Southeast Gateway Group for six years, she helped the Group tackle a variety of conservation issues, create a vision for the environment in the region, and keep the Group strong with monthly programs, work days, and outings. Melissa has been a leader in keeping Racine clean by hosting highway clean-ups, workdays to remove invasive species and tree plantings. In her own words, Melissa beautifully captures the importance of her work, “The local work to preserve less charismatic species is also important. Humans brought the invasives in, and humans must deal with the consequences.”
In recognition of this work, Melissa won the 2013 Invader Crusader Award, presented by the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council. In addition to her leadership on our natural places, Melissa has been a key leader for the Chapter’s water work. As a member of our Water Team, Melissa has reviewed proposals for lead pipe replacements, the Waukesha diversion and FoxConn facility application and more. In addition to leading our advocacy on the local impacts of proposals, Melissa has helped the Sierra Club take a position on a multitude of federal proposals related to protecting the Great Lakes. As a former science teacher, Melissa’s advocacy and leadership has always centered science, inclusivity, and the ability to impact change on a small and big level. Melissa is more than deserving of this award.
Please join us to congratulate and thank the winners, during our virtual awards celebration on Wednesday, November 17 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Pre-registration required via this link.