Contact: Cassie Steiner, Senior Campaign Coordinator
(262) 930-3963, cassandra.steiner@sierraclub.org
September 24, 2025
*Press Release*
New dashboard explores conservation in Wisconsin
Sierra Club releases new, online mapping tool that explores wildlife, land, carbon sequestration, cultural sites
Madison, WI-- Today, the Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter released a new online dashboard that dives into 30x30 conservation goals, an ambitious but necessary effort to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030. The recording of the press event releasing the tool is available online here. Members of the public can access the map at sc.org/widashboard.
Layers of Wisconsin Life & Landscapes has two parts: an easy-to-use interactive website, and a more detailed GIS map with layers of data from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and research institutes. The dashboard is being released amidst widespread threats to conservation at the federal and state levels, including the proposed rollback of the federal Roadless Rule and the state legislative debate around the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter Executive Committee Member Amy Mueller, who helped create the dashboard, said: “I think this tool is important because it connects people to natural communities in a high-tech way. Essentially, it provides a new lens to use when looking at why we should be protecting these habitats all around us. Ideally, it gets people asking questions and playing with the mapping tool like: ‘Should I look for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee in my garden? Where can I go to maybe hear a wolf howl in the wild? What is the closest State Natural Area?’ And hopefully, as a result of this computer-based curiosity, we get people out to explore.”
The Layers of Wisconsin Life & Landscapes dashboard is being released just days before National Public Lands Day, September 27. The Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter has held dozens of events this month to uplift the importance of connecting with nature and advocating for protection and conservation.
Elizabeth Ward, Director of the Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter explained, “All month long, the Sierra Club has been celebrating Public Lands Month. This has included tree plantings, hikes, paddles, attending the Line 5 hearing, gathering to take action to protect our public lands, opposing attacks on the Roadless Rule, and the launch of our toolkit to get lead out of our natural spaces, and more. And today we are excited to launch our interactive conservation dashboard! The Wisconsin Life and Landscapes dashboard showcases the importance of our lands, from their support of biodiversity to cultural importance and climate change mitigation.”
Mueller continued, “Certainly, we know that connecting people to the outdoors is one of the best ways to ultimately help protect wild places. And as it turns out, this is more important now than ever in our state, given that the popular Knowles-Nelson Stewardship funding is now in danger of not getting the funding it needs from our WI Legislature. Hopefully, this tool can inspire people to help support conserving our public lands and the Knowles Nelson Program going forward.”
Sierra Club has a history of combining outdoor recreation and advocacy, and continues to do so. Sierra Club’s successful outings program has helped thousands of people explore the outdoors in a safe and welcoming environment.
“As an outings leader, I help people fall in love with nature both near and far. This dashboard has helped me find lesser-known parks and trails near me, and it will make my job as an outings leader really easy!” said Peter Jobe, Sierra Club - Fox Valley Group Outings Leader
The dashboard can help everyday people take action on the things they care about, whether it be policy advocacy or changes to what plants they grow in their own yard.
“The tool is also important because it gives very practical ways to protect and restore nature around you – by starting locally. In addition to advocating for better policy, we provide simple steps that you can take to help restore nature right where you are! Examples include maintaining a pollinator friendly lawn and reminders to skip the fall clean up. Many pollinators and other insects need those expired plant stems, leaves and dead wood from this summer year, in order to survive our upcoming winter.” concluded Mueller.
Access the Layers of Wisconsin Life and Landscapes dashboard at sc.org/dashboard.
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. The Wisconsin Chapter of the Sierra Club represents more than 15,000 members in the state. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin.