Following the leadership of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, Milwaukee County and the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin,  we support efforts to uphold the Rights of Nature (R.O.N.) and protect and codify these rights under Wisconsin state law and constitution.  

Believing that all living ecosystems have the right to exist and flourish, we ask our state government to officially recognize that the health of the natural world is directly related to, and has a profound effect on human health and well being, and these ecosystems should be protected for the good of all.

This includes the right of the natural world, all life, to exist free from elimination and eradication of species through exploitation and extractive industry.  

We believe it is possible, with responsible stewardship, to respectfully harvest what is needed from our environment, without depleting resources, and to develop methods whereby we can support replenishment of what is asked of our natural world. 

Rights of Nature is an evolution of basic Indigenous beliefs around the world and has been written into constitutions and legally binding legislation in several countries, including the U.S.  Dozens of municipalities and counties in states across the U.S. have successfully enacted local laws to uphold Rights of Nature as seen in this timeline https://celdf.org/rights-of-nature/timeline/

We encourage Governor Evers to position Wisconsin on the forefront of this movement by ensuring we are among the first states in the U.S. to enshrine Rights of Nature in our communities and constitution.