FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 23, 2021
CONTACT: Elizabeth Ward, elizabeth.ward@sierraclub.org
Sierra Club calls on Prehn to step down from Natural Resources Board
Madison-- Today, the Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter called on Fred ‘Doc’ Prehn to step down from the Natural Resources Board. Prehn was appointed to a six-year term in 2015. That term has now expired. Governor Evers appointed Sandra Dee Nass to take his place. She cannot take her rightful seat because Prehn is refusing to leave. Sandy is extremely qualified and has a lot of relevant experience; she is an agriculture and natural resources instructor at Ashland High School and currently serves on the Conservation Congress and Deer Advisory Council and previously, worked as a soil and water scientist.
“By refusing to graciously and honorably vacate his seat as his past predecessors have done, Prehn is thwarting the will of the people. The people elected Evers and gave him the right to name a new appointee to the Natural Resources Board. Prehn is preventing Nass from taking her rightful seat and effectively silencing her voice. This is wrong,” said Laura Lane, Chair of Sierra Club Wisconsin, the statewide branch of the Sierra Club. “Nass is extremely well qualified to serve on the Natural Resources Board, and as the Governor's rightful appointee, no one-including Prehn-has the right to withhold her seat from her,” she concluded.
In addition to speaking at the Natural Resources Board meeting today, Lane delivered a petition with over 300 signatures asking Prehn to gracefully step aside and allow Nass to take her rightful seat.
“The decisions made by the Natural Resources Board are important. They determine whether people have clean drinking water, whether we’re upholding court-protected treaty rights, and whether our public lands will be protected for all Wisconsinites to enjoy. These decisions are too important to fall victim to political games. Wisconsinites want their resources protected from partisan agendas and expect our leaders to act with grace,” stated Elizabeth Ward, Director of Sierra Club Wisconsin.
###
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. The Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter’s 18,000 members work 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. For more information, visit [www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin](http://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin).