Wildfire

This year marks the 40th anniversary of a landmark ruling that reaffirmed the 1837 treaty rights of a northern Wisconsin tribe to hunt, fish and gather on ceded territory. In 1983, two brothers from the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Fred and Mike Tribble, were arrested for spearfishing outside the boundaries of…

A U.S. Department of Defense investigation into a 3,000-acre wildfire at Fort McCoy found that prescribed burn activities at the base did not cause the fire. The Monroe County army base released some information on the results of an investigation into the Arcadia Fire in a press release on Tuesday. The wildfire began on the…

The air quality across portions of Wisconsin has been labeled “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” and is among the worst in the nation due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued a statewide air quality advisory until Thursday because of the smoke, which for weeks has been impacting the daily lives…

Much of Wisconsin was under an air quality warning Friday morning due to wildfire smoke from western Canada. Smoke has caused hazy skies throughout the week. Craig Czarnecki, outreach coordinator for the state Department of Natural Resources’ air management program, said a weather front on Thursday pushed that smoke closer to ground level, leading to…

Burning permits have been suspended in 21 counties by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as the northern third of the state is under a fire weather watch. The record snowfall recorded in some parts of northern Wisconsin has melted away, exposing last year’s dry, dead vegetation. With a week of warm temperatures, low relative…

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is questioning military officials about prescribed burns at Fort McCoy leading up to the outbreak of a 3,037-acre wildfire at the Monroe County base. Baldwin sent a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on Monday asking for an explanation of how the military assesses fire risk ahead of a…

Officials at Fort McCoy are reporting a wildfire on the Monroe County base is now 100 percent contained. In a press release on Friday afternoon, Fort McCoy officials said their efforts “remain focused on identifying and extinguishing hotspots.” “Fort McCoy’s utmost concern is the safety of our neighbors and their property,” said the press release.…

State officials are warning counties in western and central Wisconsin about a high risk of wildfires. On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported very high fire danger in 28 counties in the western half of the state, from St. Croix and Taylor counties down to Dane and Green counties. Much of the rest…

Wisconsin leaders are calling on President Joe Biden to recommit to climate action and investments during Tuesday’s State of the Union address. At a virtual press conference on Monday, state representatives, as well as local labor and environmental advocates, urged Biden and the U.S. Senate to pass a $550 billion federal climate bill — the…

Wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are affecting air quality across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, impacting health and comfort of people in the area. That includes Karen Eagle, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Duluth, who is tracking the air quality situation. Eagle also has asthma, and she said…