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About 70 people attended our Rally for Environmental Leadership at the Schmeeckle Reserve here in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Since our room could only hold 50 people, we quickly moved outdoors, and our speakers addressed our crowd from the deck of the Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center. A field of big bluestem, switchgrass, and other native plants provided a backdrop behind the participants, who sat on Aldo Leopold benches. Dan Dieterich began by welcoming everyone on behalf of the Interfaith Community for the Earth and Step It UP 2007. He then gave a tribute to Fred Schmeeckle, the visionary leader who, in 1946, founded the first Conservation Education Major in the nation.

Next, Mike Dombeck, conservationist and former Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, gave an overview of recent national legislation dealing with the environment. Wisconsin State Representative Louis Molepske next described recent state environmental legislation. Prof. Anna Haines discussed the importance of environmental concerns in the construction of our new County Justice Center. City Council Member Amy Heart talked about how those attending could support the work of her Stevens Point Eco-Municipality Task Force. Finally, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Greg Diemer discussed the work of UWSP to get off the grid in five years.

After the presentations, Michele Bjella read a letter that Senator Herb Kohl sent to us to describe his support for the reduction of the carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere. Jeremy Rankin then both described the 1 Sky initiative and invited people to participate in the green finger exercise.

We handed out several flyers from the Step It UP 2007 website, and we all left the rally knowing a great deal more than we had known about the dimensions of global warming and what we can all do to reduce the effects of global warming.