Solar Energy for Your Home, Business, or Farm 

Wednesday, June 12 from 6:30 PM to 8 PM

Thinking of going solar? This is a FREE virtual presentation. People who have chosen to add solar electricity will be on hand to discuss what led them to seek out solar, how they chose their installer, how they financed the project and how they live with solar electricity. Guests include two PUB homeowners, plus Angela Lowe (Willowood Inn) and farm owner Ron Bula (Bula’s Pleasant Valley Farm.) Solar installers who will participate in the panel include Lisa and Keith Kahlow (All Sky Energy), Dave Pluym (Eagle Point Solar), and Mark Eckstein (Future Electric and Solar). In addition, Greg Wagner of Westby Co-op Credit Union (WCCU) will provide an overview of the LEG UP Energy Loan Program. To register, go to https://www.poweredupbaraboo.org/upcoming-events 

Sustainable Garden Tour

Saturday, July 20 

Join us for a FREE guided tour of Baraboo yards and gardens to learn what you can do at your home to support pollinators,

manage rainwater runoff, and more! 

More information will be posted in upcoming weeks. 

Municipal governments can be important role models for adopting practices and technologies to improve a community’s energy efficiency. PUB supporters, primarily Richard Peidelstein, have been working with the city since 2020 to integrate the routine use of a computer program called Energy Star Portfolio Manager to get a baseline measure of the energy used by each City-owned building. The data can be used to track improved efficiency over time, which in turn leads to cost savings.  
 
In  May the City of Baraboo learned they were awarded a $75,000 grant from the 2023 Rural Energy Startup Program to fund the City of Baraboo Municipal Energy Audit of facilities owned and operated by the City of Baraboo and the Community Development Authority. This will be the first audit of its kind for the city. The application was completed by CDA Director Pat Canon, Mayor Rob Nelson and PUB volunteer Rick Eilertson and built upon work done by Richard Peidelstein.

What does it mean to envision a clean energy/sustainable community? How do new building developments get approved? Who can ask developers questions and when can citizens speak? How can developers keep the cost down including energy efficiency measures and renewable energy to their projects? A team of PUB supporters consulted with community experts to develop an easy-to-read document to answer these and other questions. There are “takeaways” for real estate developers, business owners, homeowners and citizens. Copies of the document are being distributed to local leaders and it can be found at the PUB website - Sustainable Development Guide for Baraboo. 

We’re at the table!

Over the past year, Powered Up Baraboo supporters worked with the City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department to reinstate Baraboo as a “Bird City” community.  

Thirty-eight people attended the free bird banding demonstration presented by UW-Madison Wildlife Ecology graduate students at the Baraboo Arboretum on Saturday, March 11. The students explained the techniques for safely capturing and handling the birds, measurements they record for the birds, and the scientific importance of banding and studying birds that migrate thousands of miles each year. The Bird Banding demonstration was repeated for second grade Al Behrman Elementary students on Monday, May 13.  

LEFT: Ashley carefully holds the captured bird and examines the condition of its feathers while Maia records the data for their records. RIGHT: Ashley has attached the tiny band around this catbird's leg, which links to the information they have gathered about the bird. If this catbird is captured in the future, researchers will be able to compare its location and condition to the record and gain information about its migration patterns.

On May 14, PUB partnered with the Carnegie-Schadde Memorial Public Library for a program about how to prevent bird collisions with windows, a problem responsible for the death of a billion birds a year in North America.  

Brenna Marsicek, Outreach Director for Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, told the audience about the causes of bird collisions and gave valuable tips about how these can be prevented.

Congratulations to all who created the very successful second PUB native plant sale. The weather was pleasant and there was a good turnout. Approximately 1100 plants were sold. A back order of two plant varieties will be distributed later this summer. Proceeds will further PUB projects. Native plants are important for supporting native species of bees and other insects, essential for pollination of foods. A few plants remain at $5 each. Contact lenanissley@gmail.com to arrange to purchase some of them. Thank you, Lena, for your leadership on these many projects.

In late March, Powered Up Baraboo offered three presentations to Baraboo High School AP Environmental Science students. PUB Board member Rick Eilertson described the many upgrades he has made to his home; Ryan Lawrence discussed his role as a VISTA worker with Renewal Unlimited’s energy efficiency program; and Keith and Lisa Kahlow explained how they work with homeowners to install solar. Then, on March 14, the students went on a full day of site visits starting with a tour of All Sky’s off-grid home and solar installation, followed by a visit to Alliant Energy’s hydroelectric dam at Prairie du Sac and a visit to the Sauk Prairie Historical Society. Then they were off for a drive by visit of EPIC’s wind turbines in the Town of Springfield and finally, EnTech Solutions Middleton waste digester and PV solar array. Powered Up Baraboo provided funds for the bus rental. Hats off to Rick for this outstanding effort! 

Speaking of hats, PUB now has hats available for $15 each. If you’re interested, leave a message on the PUB website contact page. We will submit an order when we have at least 12 names. 

Do you know someone who might be interested in receiving the occasional newsletter and favors working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Baraboo and Sauk County area? Leave a message at the PUB website contact page.