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CooperaN

COOPERATIVE

News

Wisconsin

ENERGY Cooperative

contents February 2018

News

Letter from THE EDITOR

Winter photo contest entries delight.

News BRIEFS

Legislature advances mutual aid bill.

ONCE A YEAR, FOR ALL THE YEAR

Annual meeting season starts.

WHOSE LINE IS IT, ANYWAY?

Federal rulemaking isn’t always what it seems.

15 28 30

On the

COVER

Families flock to Nordic Mountain. (Photo courtesy of

Nordic Mountain)

RECIPES

Get cooking with potatoes.

KIDS & Critters

Cute co-op kids get cozy with their critters.

WHERE DOES ELECTRICITY COME FROM?

33.8 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated by natural gas.

MY CO-OP

Find out what’s happening at your local electric cooperative.

CLASSIFIEDS

Buy, sell, and trade with readers from across Wisconsin.

EVENTS

“Snow” much fun to be had this month!

WECN Feb18TOC.indd 1

February 2018

1/18/18 3:55 PM

LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR Winter photo contest

Winter can be as beautiful as it is brutal. Readers who submitted photos for our “Wisconsin’s Winter Dana Kelroy, Editor Wonderland” photo contest undoubtedly bundled up to capture such amazing images. Submissions came in from many cooperative members from across the state, from as far north as Bayﬁeld, and as far south as Janesville. Grab a mug of hot tea or coffee and your favorite blanket, and enjoy this season’s submissions on page 19 and at wecnmagazine.com. Photo contest winners, announced on our website, will receive a Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News oven mitt and ﬂexible cutting board.

February 2018 Vol. 78 No. 8 The Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News (Formerly Wisconsin R.E.C. News) has been published monthly and distributed since July 1940 to members of Wisconsin’s non-profit, consumer-owned rural electric cooperatives. It is available to non-members for $10 per year or $28 for three years. Published by the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Steve Freese, president & CEO. USPS number: 688-480. Postmaster: please send address changes to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Periodicals postage paid at Baraboo, Wis. Send correspondence to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Phone (608) 467-4650. Web site: www.wecnmagazine.com.

Photo courtesy of Sandra Burghaus, Taylor Electric

Co-op Members: Please send address changes to your local electric co-op. Contact information can be found on page 18. Steve Freese Dana Kelroy Mary Erickson David Hoopman Ann Bailey Dylan Pingitore Geri Miller

WECA president & CEO editor associate editor contributing writer graphic designer editorial assistant advertising consultant

For advertising opportunities please email ads@weca.coop. The appearance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised.

Please recycle

Photo courtesy of Beth Wroblewski, Oakdale Electric

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

WECN FebEditor2018.indd 1

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LEGISLATURE ADVANCES MUTUAL AID BILL

At press time for this month’s Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, the Wisconsin Legislature was moving forward with a bill creating a sales and use tax exemption for mutual assistance services performed by electric cooperatives or telecommunications utilities during a disaster period. Seen here, Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association Government Relations Director Beata Wierzba makes a point concerning Assembly

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS SOUGHT

The Federated Youth Foundation (FYF)—a charitable arm of Wisconsin’s co-operatives—has issued the invitation for students to apply for the third annual Charles Van Sickle Scholarship. The $2,000 scholarship, to be awarded this spring, will go to a prelaw or law student who has an interest in pursuing a career in cooperative law. Eligibility criteria include Wisconsin residency and a minimum cumulative grade point of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Preference will be given to students whose parents or grand-

NUKE PROJECT STAYS ALIVE

The only new U.S. nuclear generating facility currently under construction got a new lease on life at the end of last year. Georgia regulators voted unanimously to allow the expansion of Georgia Power Company’s Plant Vogtle to continue, despite cost overruns and delays. Oglethorpe Power Cooperative owns a 30 percent share in the project, which would add two new units to the two in service at the site since 1987 and 1989. The Vogtle 6

Bill 583 during a January public hearing of the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities. Flanking Wierzba at left and right are Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative CEO Jay Porter and Barron Electric General Manager Dallas Sloan, both of whom presented testimony describing the value of mutual aid among utilities and the effect of taxing materials previously taxed and labor provided in assisting disaster recovery.

parents are members of cooperatives, credit unions, or mutual insurance companies. The scholarship is made possible by an endowment established in 2013 in memory of Wisconsin’s renowned electric cooperative attorney, the late Charles Van Sickle. Detailed information about applications and materials required can be obtained by contacting FYF Executive Director Ethan Giebel at 608-416-3318 or Ethan.Giebel@ cooperativenetwork.coop. The firm application deadline is April 1.

project became the nation’s sole surviving nuclear plant under construction at the end of July, when South Carolina Electric and Gas abandoned the expansion of its V.C. Summer plant after several years’ work and expenditures of about $9 billion. In addition to Georgia Power and Oglethorpe, participants in the Vogtle project include the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and one local municipal utility.

Regional transmission operators took special measures in January to guard against any interruption of electric service as bitter cold weather spiked natural gas demand, drove up wholesale power prices, and raised fuel supply concerns. Readers of Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News had a preview of the dilemma felt mainly in northeastern states. The magazine’s December edition analyzed the tension between organized efforts to thwart pipeline construction wherever it’s proposed, and the predictable return of the polar vortex, which triggered similar problems in the Midwest and Northeast during the winter of 2013–14. The January episode caused both natural gas and electricity prices to rise, a Reuters report noted, “as homes and businesses use most of the region’s gas supplies for heating, leaving little for utilities to burn in power plants.” Short pipeline capacity and the resulting strain on gas supplies caused northeastern power generation to shift toward less clean-burning fuel oil. As early as December 30 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, anticipating extreme heating fuel demand, issued an emergency declaration for 37 states including Wisconsin, temporarily lifting federal limits on working hours for commercial drivers transporting propane and home heating fuels.

FEDS DECLINE RULEMAKING BID

A unanimous Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted 5–0 in January to reject Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s request for new wholesale power market rules designed to keep coal-fired and nuclear power plants economically viable to ensure grid stability. The so-called 24-7 “baseload” plants have struggled economically in recent years, facing competition from inexpensive natural gas as a generation fuel and the increasing market presence of intermittently available renewable generation. Perry had asked for new rules guaranteeing cost recovery for any generating facility that maintains a 90-day on-site fuel supply.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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ONCE

One of the seven cooperative principles our member electric co-ops apply to guide their business practices is Democratic Member Control. The practical intent of this principle is that cooperatives are to be democratically self-governing organizations controlled by their members. When you actively participate in your cooperative, you have the opportunity to influence policy and help direct the way decisions are made to run the utility of which you are a part-owner. Your participation includes the chance to elect fellow members to represent you on the co-op board of directors. You even have the opportunity to run for the board yourself if you have the time and motivation to devote to coop governance. Steve Freese Wisconsin’s electric cooperPresident and CEO atives have equal voting rights giving each membership—each account—one vote, so no one has more voting power than his or her neighbor. This principle is as fundamental to your cooperative as is your right to vote as a United States citizen. In each case, you are voting for an individual to represent you, whether running your local electric utility or representing you at the local, state, or federal level of government. The season for annual meetings that state law requires all member-owned electric cooperatives to hold will soon begin. Annual meetings in Wisconsin take place from March through October, all scheduled based on the cooperative’s fiscal year. Through these annual meetings, members obtain updates on how well the co-op is doing financially, learn what new projects may be planned for the coming year, voice their opinions on co-op policies, and elect individuals to the board of directors. Many annual meetings include a pancake breakfast or a lunch or dinner, so there’s time available to socialize with neighbors and other members. As your cooperative’s annual meeting date approaches, you’ll be notified through this magazine or an individual mailing including the time and date, place, qualifications for nominations to the board, and an agenda for the meeting. It will also tell you if there are any proposed changes

A YEAR, FOR ALL THE YEAR

Mary Colbenson and Henry Shakal, Jr. serve as election tellers at Chippewa Valley Electric Cooperative’s 2017 annual meeting. Staff of the co-op serve a meal after the meeting.

to the bylaws, which are the governing documents of the cooperative, along with detailed financial information so you can be thoroughly prepared for the meeting as an informed member making decisions by majority vote. One result of strong member participation is that the second of the seven cooperative principles usually comes into play, that being “Concern for Community.” Because you’ll participate in making policies that guide the operation of your cooperative, it’s very likely the co-op will work for the sustainable development of your community. Your democratic participation is a win for both co-op and community, so take a few hours out of your busy schedule and attend the annual meeting. It’s where you can make your voice heard.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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WHOSE LINE IS IT, ANYWAY? FEDERAL RULEMAKING ISN’T ALWAYS WHAT IT SEEMS

n 1976 the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), the body of administrative law through which rulemaking agencies supervise innumerable details of daily life in America, was nearing 90,000 pages. Its growth since then has averaged about 2,500 pages annually, bulking up to a grand total exceeding 180,000 pages by the end of 2016. Because virtually every regulation will have some economic impact, it’s no wonder the people affected seek to inﬂuence how or whether a rule is written. One channel for those efforts is a formalized period for public comment, prescribed by federal law. For an agency to receive more than a million comments on a proposed rule is not unheard of. Thanks to a recent major media investigation, it’s also not unheard of for many comments to be fraudulent, falsely attributed to people who had no thought of participation in federal rulemaking. And thanks to Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA) research almost four years ago, it’s clear the use of phony comments to manipulate such rulemaking is not new.

EPA Mind-Meld On March 25, 2014, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would propose a new deﬁnition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) to clarify agency jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. Examining documents proffered by the EPA to simulate a public clamor for the rule, WECA found different individuals in several states quoted one after another pronouncing identically worded sentences praising the regulation—a double oddity, in that the rule’s content would not be publicly revealed 10

until 28 days later. As it turned out, WECA had sighted the tip of an iceberg. More than a year afterward, The New York Times reported in May 2015 that the EPA had rigged public comments on the WOTUS rule. Weeks earlier, then-EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy told a congressional committee her agency received more than a million comments and 90 percent favored the rule. But the vast margin was “orchestrated,” the Times reported, through “a campaign that tests the limits of federal lobbying law” with coordinated efforts by the EPA and allied interest groups. Months later, the Government Accountability Ofﬁce (GAO) in December 2015 ended an investigation by ﬁnding the EPA had indeed violated federal lobbying law. The GAO report said the EPA “engaged in covert propaganda when the agency did not identify EPA’s role as the creator of the Thunderclap message to the target audience,”—Thunderclap being a web platform allowing a single message to be shared simultaneously across multiple social media accounts, in this case to create the illusion of a tidal wave of public support for the WOTUS rule. Earlier in 2015, a federal appeals court had put the rule on hold after a majority of the states sued to block implementation. Opponents argued that the rule would allow the EPA to regulate more than 90 percent of the entire landmass of some states as “Waters of the United States.” Computer-generated support for WOTUS wasn’t the end of the story. In November 2016, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform reported

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that while the EPA was carrying out its hidden role manufacturing favorable comments, it was also sidelining legitimate ones submitted by the public. The committee report concluded that the rule was already written before the agency reviewed genuine public comments and “it cannot be determined how any of the comments were taken into account in the creation of the rule.” The WOTUS rule never took effect. It was rescinded early last year and a new draft is being prepared.

The Neutrality Act

In December 2017, The Wall Street Journal published a lengthy investigative report on enormous numbers of bogus rulemaking comments submitted to a variety of federal agencies. Evidently technological refinements have greatly enhanced the mass distribution of falsehood since WECA noticed the EPA churning out fabricated enthusiasm just a few years ago, and to the extent that partisan interests are involved, fraud seems to be an equalopportunity enterprise. The Journal noted that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received 23 million comments weighing in on its plan (recently finalized) to undo the Obama administration’s “Net Neutrality” regulation of Internet providers. Suspicions, the Journal reported, were aroused last May when thousands of emails suddenly poured in asking the FCC to retain the Obama regulation, soon followed by thousands more demanding repeal. The extent of phony commenting can be measured on the FCC website, where 818,000 identical postings were filed supporting Net Neutrality repeal, while one 369-word comment supporting continuation of the Obama policy was filed 300,000 times, attributed to different individuals, the Journal reported. An FCC spokesman’s remarks to the Journal indicated—not surprisingly— that the agencies are overwhelmed by the difficulty of verifying the identity of people filing comments. It’s a federal felony to submit fraudulent statements to an agency, and that would include using another person’s name without their

consent. But the risk of being caught in the crime appears slim. The Journal also named the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission among agencies where people claimed no knowledge of comments filed under their names. A few days later, the Labor Department was added to the list, after a research firm contracting with the newspaper found that 20 out of 50 people responding to a survey denied having anything to do with regulatory comments posted under their names on the department’s website.

Unclear Origins

So far we’ve heard of no one claiming to know whether the recent spate of fraudulent comments originated within or outside the agencies—or both. Certainly the agencies have an interest in the outcomes of their rulemaking, and certainly we’ve all lived through too much in recent years Morton_WIEnergy_1.18.qxp_Layout 1 11/28/17

to believe no individual employee would ever go rogue. However, there has been no reported evidence indicating an inside job and The Wall Street Journal did report that some bogus comments closely reflected talking points issued by private-sector interest groups. By contrast, in the 2014 WOTUS episode it’s entirely reasonable to believe if the EPA itself did not directly create phony public reaction it was at best complicit—a suspicion in no way diminished by flattering references to the agency administrator by name, repeated in duplicative quotations. In its initial story, the Journal quoted a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission spokeswoman saying “If someone believes that they have been misrepresented in comments filed with us, they should contact us to let us know.” Sound advice, but the story didn’t suggest how, short of a reporter’s query, a person might learn that a false comment had been filed in their name. 11:10 AMHoopman Page 1 —Dave

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WHAT’S

....... .......?

THE WAY YOU GET MOST OF YOUR ELECTRICITY. HERE ARE THE BASICS ON ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FORCES IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE. We depend on electricity 24/7, but have you ever wondered how it’s made, or where it comes from?

To understand the basics of something so important to modern life, think about steam from a teakettle and those magnets stuck to your refrigerator door. Magnetic metals in nature attract each other because parts of the atoms that make up those metals want to match up with others. Those restless atomic particles are called electrons—and that’s where we get the word “electricity.” In the early 1800s, a scientist in England named Michael Faraday noticed that when he rotated a metal disk through the middle of a horseshoe-shaped magnet, he could get electrons to ﬂow together in an electric current. Engineers soon took over and made Faraday’s process really complicated. And really useful. Today, nearly all our electricity comes from turbines that spin a magnet inside a coil of wires. One way to turn those turbines is by heating liquid into steam that forces the turbine to spin, using the same principle that makes a teakettle sing. When you boil water on your stove, that liquid expands more than 1,000 times as it vaporizes. If you’ve ever had your hand burned near boiling water, you’ve felt the power that steam produces. The use of heat to spin a turbine generates more than 80 percent of our electricity using either coal, natural gas, or nuclear power. 12

Coal Coal is dug from the ground, either near the surface, or from deep underground mines, then is shipped to power plants, often by train. At the power plant site, the coal is stored in large piles on the ground until it is ready to be burned. The coal chunks are crushed into smaller pieces, or even a powder, that is burned in a furnace. The heat from that combustion is used to turn liquid into steam in a furnace/boiler that spins the steam turbine/ generator producing electricity. Large transformers at the plant boost the voltage of the electricity (while lowering the current and minimizing line loss potential) for shipment across the country through tall transmission lines. As it gets closer to where it will be used, a substation of transformers reduces the voltage to a level that can be safely delivered to a smaller transformer on the utility pole or pad-mounted transformer in your yard, decreasing the voltage further for use in your home. As simple as that process sounds, each step is extremely complicated in order to make it as efﬁcient and safe as possible. The furnace burns the coal up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and the steam it produces gets hotter than 1,000 degrees. Coal contains harmful elements that get captured and removed through sophisticated pollution controls. That environmental equipment can cost as much as the power plant itself. Coal plants produce about a third of the nation’s electricity.

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Natural gas

Ancient plants and animals that died long ago turned into coal, oil, and natural gas—that’s why all three are called fossil fuels. Like coal, natural gas comes from the ground, and it can burn in a way that can drive a steam turbine or a natural gas-ﬁred combustion turbine. Unlike coal, you can’t hold it in your hand—it’s a colorless gas, like air, and has to be transported by pipeline. Natural gas can also be piped directly into homes where it can be burned in water heaters and stoves. In a natural gas power plant, specially designed combustion turbines burn the gas to make them spin, generating the electricity. The way natural gas turbines work is similar to a jet engine, and in fact they are a large, complicated version of what you see hanging on airplane wings. Natural gas electric generation has advantages over coal: The plants are simpler, cheaper to build, require less staff, and they can be shut down and powered up more quickly. Natural gas doesn’t contain as many pollutants as coal, so fewer environmental controls are needed. Natural gas burning also produces less greenhouse gas. In the past, natural gas was more expensive than coal—until the 1990s when fracking and other new drilling techniques ﬂooded the market. Natural gas prices dropped dramatically and many utilities are using it to replace coal generation. Natural gas plants now produce about a third of the

WHAT

ABOUT

WIND?

Readers may be surprised to see renewable generation virtually unmentioned in this article on how electricity is made, especially with some advocates calling for the United States to power itself with 100 percent renewables by mid-century.

That 100 percent goal is hotly contested, in large part because of two considerations: intermittency and energy density. “Intermittency” is an industry term for what happens to wind and solar when the wind stops blowing, clouds appear, or night falls. It’s why wind and solar don’t displace coal, natural gas, and nuclear so much as exist alongside them, benefiting from their continuous availability. The future may see intermittency addressed with greatly advanced battery technology. Those improvements will bring their own tradeoffs of expense and reliance on toxic materials. A more formidable challenge is “energy density,” industry shorthand for the differing ability of each individual generation source to yield a given amount of energy. Research papers published last year by very different organizations reached similar conclusions concerning the environmental issue of land use requirements for various forms of electric generation. Last June, Strata Policy, a Utah-based free market-oriented research organization, released The Footprint of Energy: Land-Use of U.S. Electricity Production, factoring in “land used during resource production, by energy plants, for transport and transmission, and to store waste materials.” Those functions were translated into acres of land needed per megawatt of electricity produced. The conclusions were that coal, natural gas, and nuclear generation all require between 12 and 13 acres per megawatt of capacity. The paper doesn’t differentiate between photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar using sunlight to create steam and spin a conventional turbine-type generator, but calculates a land-use requirement of 43.5 acres per megawatt of generation for solar overall. Wind is estimated to need 70.64 acres per megawatt produced, or 5.7 times the land required for the same electricity output from natural gas. The Strata paper assigns hydropower the biggest land-use appetite among renewables, at 315 acres per megawatt of production. Another paper, Energy and Land Use¸ was released last September by the United Nations and the International Renewable Energy Agency. While the two papers vary in their analyses and comparisons, both confirm land-use challenges unique to each energy source. Energy and Land Use attributes the smallest footprint to nuclear power, requiring one-tenth the geographic space for the same electricity output from natural gas. Electricity generated from coal needs six times as much land as nuclear, assuming the coal is obtained by underground mining; switch to surface mining and coal’s footprint reaches 82 times that of nuclear, Energy and Land Use says. Among renewables, the footprint for wind per unit of electric output is 13 times that of nuclear; for geothermal, 51 times that of nuclear; for solar photovoltaic, 150 times that of nuclear; for hydro, 169 times nuclear; and for biomass, 8,100 times nuclear. The paper doesn’t endorse nuclear, which simply serves as a convenient baseline. The everlasting question is which environmental costs we accept. There will always be some. These aren’t arguments against renewables. They’re a recognition that like every other energy source, renewables aren’t magic. Each energy source brings tradeoffs between benefits and costs. Energy and Land Use suggests that “To what extent the overall land use of [renewable energy] is more favorable than that of non-renewable sources depends on the mix of renewables, their siting, method of deployment and maintenance/management.”—Dave Hoopman

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nation’s electricity, about the same as coal.

Nuclear

A nuclear power plant works basically the same as a coal plant— making steam to spin a turbine and generator. The difference is that instead of burning coal, heat from a nuclear reactor heats the liquid into steam. The basic fuel for a nuclear power plant is uranium, which is mined from the ground. It must then be formulated into expensive and complex fuel components for utility use. A little uranium can last a long time, making it a promising, incredibly cheap power source. And it produces none of the pollution or greenhouse gas that comes from burning coal or natural gas. But the concentrated radioactivity in the nuclear reactor is potentially so dan-

gerous that complex, expensive safety measures need to be part of any nuclear plant. Highly technical control systems need to be in place to slow or shut down the level of heat produced, and the nuclear reactor needs to be inside a strong containment building to keep radioactivity out of the atmosphere in the event of a low-probability accident in the reactor core. Another controversy still has not been solved—how to dispose of the spent nuclear fuel, which can stay radioactive for millions of years before the radioactivity is brought down to naturally occurring radioactivity in the environment. Most of the spent fuel is currently stored in pools of water and dry storage casks at the site of the nuclear plant. Nuclear power generates about oneﬁfth of the nation’s electricity. Coal and nuclear power plants are

often referred to as “baseload,” meaning that we want electricity to be available all the time, and those plants are well suited to run all the time. Natural gas has long been considered a fuel for “peak load,” meaning it is used for times of especially high electricity use. But with the drop in natural gas prices, it has become base load for the nation’s electric grid. Heat produced by coal, natural gas, and nuclear power generates about 80 percent of our electricity. The rest comes mainly from hydroelectricity, solar, and wind. Paul Wesslund writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-proﬁt electric cooperatives.

DID YOU KNOW? More than 80 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated by coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy. These three energy sources utilize heat (in different ways), which ultimately causes a large turbine to spin. The spinning motion creates the electricity, which is then routed over transmission lines, and eventually delivered to your home.

30.4%

generated by coal.

33.8%

generated by natural gas.

19.7%

generated by nuclear energy.

Source: Energy Information Administration

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Amber Bourassa, Oconto Electric Under the branch

Gary Bartholomew, Bayfield Electric Lone leaf on tree on Spider Lake

Jerome Wilke, Oakdale Electric Winter beauty

WISCONSINâ€™S

Christine Luebben, Price Electric Winter on the farm

WINTER WONDERLAND

Laura Gagliano, Bayfield Electric Snow-covered Island Lake

Jessie Buchholz, Clark Electric Northern Cardinal

Kristi Schumacher, Eau Claire Energy Old frosted oak tree

Jenna Lindquist Bayfield Electric Winter wonderland

Photo Contest Readers did not disappoint in Wisconsin Energy Cooperative Newsâ€™ most recent photo contest. Photo submissions came in from across the state. To view more entries, and to see the winners, go to wecnmagazine. com or find us on Facebook.

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3 Tbsp unsalted butter 8 small red potatoes, skin-on and diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 3 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped, plus additional for topping 1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped, plus additional for topping 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 2/3 cup milk 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 2 slices low-sodium turkey bacon, cooked near crispy 1/4 cup finely grated reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Garlic Herb Potato Hash In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter then add potatoes, bell peppers, garlic, thyme, and oregano, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are fork-tender. Sprinkle flour over potato mixture and stir to coat. Gradually stir in milk until sauce forms. Season with salt and pepper and stir in slices of turkey bacon. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and cover, allowing cheese to melt (approx. 1â€“2 minutes). Uncover and top with additional herbs before serving, if desired.

Recipes and photos courtesy of eatwisconsinpotatoes.com, ArmourMeats.com, and milklife.com.

SUPER SPUDS

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Beef and Potato Dinner 2 lbs lean ground beef 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 cup ﬁnely chopped onion 1 can condensed tomato soup 6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1 cup light cream, undiluted

In a large skillet, brown the beef and pour off excess fat. In a small bowl, mix salt, pepper, onion, and tomato soup. Arrange layers of potatoes and meat in slow-cooker with potatoes on bottom; pour soup mixture on top. Cover and cook on low for 4–6 hours. Turn control to high, pour cream over dish and cook for additional 15–20 minutes. Serve warm.

Recipes and photos courtesy of eatwisconsinpotatoes.com.

Baked Potato Nachos

1-1/2 lbs Wisconsin russet potatoes 1-1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1 tsp Mexican seasoning blend* 1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese* 1/4 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans* 1/4 cup diced tomatoes 1/4 cup sliced black olives 1/4 cup sliced scallions 3 Tbsp canned diced green chilies Optional ingredients: salsa, guacamole, and sour cream

Baked Potato Crab Cakes

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided 3/4 cup ﬁnely diced sweet onion 1 Tbsp minced garlic 3 cups crabmeat, canned or fresh 2 large baked potatoes, peeled and mashed with fork

(If requiring a gluten-free recipe, check that the label of the indicated (*) ingredients are gluten-free.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Place potatoes into a medium-sized bowl with the oil, garlic salt, and Mexican seasoning; stir well to coat potatoes with oil and seasonings. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake for 25–30 minutes, stirring several times, until crisp and golden brown. Top with cheese, beans, tomatoes, olives, scallions, and chilies. Bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese. Serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream, if preferred.

2 Tbsp dill pickle relish 2 Tbsp Old Bay seafood seasoning 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet on medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil; sauté onion and garlic until soft (approx. ﬁve minutes). In a large mixing bowl, combine crab, potato, relish, seafood seasoning, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and onion and garlic mix. Form into 24 crab cakes. Place crab cakes on nonstick or lightly sprayed baking paper and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Bake approx. 15 minutes or until they are lightly brown.

Stuffed Pepperoni Potato Skins 10 baby potatoes 2-1/2 tsp minced garlic 5 tsp pesto 20 tsp mozzarella cheese 10 slices small pepperoni, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line sheet pan with foil, set aside. Rinse potatoes and place in microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove potatoes from microwave and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out the center of each potato to make a boat. Fill each potato boat by evenly stufﬁng minced garlic, pesto, cheese, and pepperoni. Place potato skins on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Remove skins from oven and let cool before serving.

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RECIPE EXCHANGE Submit your favorite recipes to be featured on our reader recipe page. Email to dylan@weca.coop. For bonus recipes, go to: http://wecnmagazine.com/recipes/

Pineapple Custard

Bob Augustine, Pardeeville

1 cup sugar, split 1 Tbsp cornstarch 1 can (9 oz) crushed pineapple 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 (9-inch) unbaked pastry shell 1/4 cup chopped pecans Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend 1/3 cup sugar with cornstarch and add crushed pineapple with juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and clear; cool and set aside. Blend cream cheese, softened at room temperature, with remaining 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Add eggs, one at a time and stir well after each egg is added. Blend in milk and vanilla. Spread cooled pineapple mixture over the bottom of the pastry shell. Pour in cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 50 minutes. Cool and hide it from the family!

Rhubarb Berry Cheesecake Pie

Cherry Rhubarb Jam

8 oz cream cheese, softened 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk 6 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp grated lemon peel 1 tsp vanilla Dash of salt 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust 2 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water, divided 1-1/2 tsp unﬂavored gelatin 1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp lemon juice 1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise

1/4 cup water 5 cups rhubarb 2-1/2 cups sugar 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie ﬁlling 1 box (3 oz) cherry Jell-O

Lavaughn Buehl, Janesville

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Beat in lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. In a saucepan, bring the rhubarb and 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender; drain. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water and let it stand for 1 minute. Stir gelatin and sugar into rhubarb mixture; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until slightly thickened. Stir in strawberries. Spoon over pie. Refrigerate for 2–3 hours or until set.

Crock-Pot Rueben Sandra Fritz, Owen

1/2 lb pre-cooked corned beef, sliced 1 cup mayonnaise 16 oz sauerkraut 10 oz shredded Swiss cheese 4 slices pumpernickel rye bread Layer sauerkraut, corned beef, and shredded cheese into Crock-Pot. Cook on low for at least 2 hours. Serve on pumpernickel rye bread.

Joan Kovatch, Owen

In a saucepan, mix water, rhubarb, and sugar; boil for 10 minutes. Take off heat, add cherry pie ﬁlling and let set for 30 minutes. Add cherry Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Put in jars and store in refrigerator or freezer. Makes 4 jars.

REQUESTS from our

READERS Len Seyberth, New Auburn, is looking for a recipe for fig pudding. If you can help, have a request of your own, or would like to submit a recipe for publication, please write to

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, What’s Cooking? 222 West Washington Ave., Suite 680, Madison, WI 53703-2719 or contact us via our website, www.wecnmagazine.com. Thanks!

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SNOW MUCH FUN FAMILIES FLOCK TO NORDIC MOUNTAIN

Where do you go when you really, really want snow? Speciﬁcally, a snowy slope to descend? If you’re in the vicinity of Mt. Morris near Wild Rose, you can always head to Nordic Mountain. Thanks to the winter recreation facility’s newly expanded, state-of-the-art snow-making system, visitors are pretty much guaranteed a snowy surface all season, regardless of any tricks Mother Nature might play. “In the past 15 years we’ve probably tripled our snow-making capabilities,” said Bill Ringenoldus, general manager of Nordic Mountain. These improvements include the addition of 20 automated snow guns that can be swung around to target a speciﬁc area with the click of a mouse. “We have a better snow surface now than we’ve ever had before,” Ringenoldus said. “We have a lot better capabilities for keeping our snow through adverse weather because we can make a lot more in a short period of time. So if there’s rain or something, we can still provide a good surface.”

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WISCONSIN FAVORITES

Nordic Mountain is known for having some of the best surface in the area for skiing, snow tubing, and snowboarding. (Photo at left courtesy of Keith Wohlfert. All others courtesy of Nordic Mountain.)

Families Rule The abundant, dependable snow isn’t Nordic Mountain’s only draw. With its many options of family-friendly winter activities, the facility is also known as a place “Where Families Rule.” Located on Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative’s lines, Nordic Mountain has 18 ski runs ranging from easy to black diamond level, with 16 lit runs for nighttime skiing. Those runs include three freestyle terrain parks, offering

snowboarders of all skill levels a place to perfect their jumps and tricks. Those who don’t care to ski or board can head to the facility’s popular snow-tubing park. This a great option for anyone (meeting a 42-inch height minimum established for safety) seeking lots of thrill without the need for lots of skill. After all, as the Nordic Mountain website proclaims, “If you can sit, you can tube like a pro.” Added in 2006, the snow-tubing

park just got even better with recent improvements. “This year we added a new conveyor lift, kind of like what you see in an airport,” Ringenoldus said. “We also added more lanes.” The tubing park has 10 chutes, each about four football ﬁelds long. The chutes have a 100-foot vertical drop, with rolling bumps built in to make the descent even more thrilling. There’s plenty of time for families to February 2018

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1. Automated snow guns create beautiful powdered surfaces even in challenging weather conditions. 2. Nordic Mountain is known for having some of the best snow surface in central Wisconsin; for current conditions, visit www.nordicmountain.com/snow-report. 3. The beginners’ area has two conveyor lifts—often called Magic Carpets—to take skiers to the top. There’s an 80-foot conveyor lift, and a new 200-foot lift was added this year. 4. The grounds include a lodge built with timber logged from the hill when the runs were cleared in 1975. The lodge houses two dining options. 5. Nordic Mountain is family-friendly, with hills appropriate for all ages and

take advantage of all that Nordic Mountain has to offer. Because of the improvements in the snow-making system, the season is longer than ever. “We start in mid to late November and go through the middle of March,” Ringenoldus said. “This year we opened on November 11, our earliest opening ever, and that is totally because of our new snow machines.”

Special Events Thanks to the dependable snow, any time during the season is a good time for snow lovers to head to Nordic Mountain. However, some special events on the calendar make a trip here even more fun. For example, February 10 and 11 is Winterfest weekend, when guests can partake in some light-hearted activities like limbo contests, tug-of-war pulls, and the facility’s popular cardboard box race. The latter is as much a show as it is a competition; using a cardboard box and duct tape, participants fashion a cardboard sled of sorts and race down the hill. The cardboard “sleds” are judged on looks, originality, and creativity. Throughout the season, Nordic Mountain offers various one-day specials with discounts, such as College Night, Boy Scouts Day and Girl Scouts Day, Men’s Night and Ladies Day. The facility also offers special group rates for gatherings such as school organizations, church groups, and birthday parties. 26

Safety first

In order to maintain a family-friendly atmosphere, Nordic Mountain emphasizes safety. First-timers are encouraged to book a ski or snowboard lesson with a professional through the Nordic Mountain Snow Sports School before taking to the slopes. Lessons are also available for those who simply want to take their skiing or snowboarding to the next level; online reservations are available and encouraged. Nordic Mountain offers a variety of “Learn To Programs” for children of all ages. There’s even a Parent and Tot Program for children ages 3 and 4 along with their parents, where the youngest skiers can learn the basics through play-like activities. It’s very likely that some of these little tots will return in a couple of decades with tots of their own. Nordic Mountain first opened in 1976 and can now claim generations of dedicated customers. Their preferences may have altered slightly, with many younger guests now choosing to strap on a snowboard instead of skis, and whole families embracing the fun of snow tubing. Ultimately though, all come with the same goal in mind—to find a snowy slope to descend. They always find it at Nordic Mountain.—Mary Erickson

Nordic Mountain is located at W5806 County Road W, Wild Rose. To learn more, call 920-787-3324 or visit nordicmountain.com.

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YOUNG MEMBERS

Kids and Critters February 2018 1. Justin, Adam, and Jake have some fun with their cousin Ella’s fair project, Oreo. Photo submitted by Sarah Halverson, a member of Jackson Electric. 2. Trey and Paisley snuggle Trey’s show calf. Kevin Babcock from Jackson Electric submitted the photo. 3. Peanut was Charlie Marie’s first pony. She lead line barrel raced him this summer. Photo submitted by Charlie’s grandparents, Dan and Betty Staab, members of Eau Claire Energy.

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4. Caution, wet paint. Lydia is distracted by some bovine beauties while painting the fence. Photo sent in by Brittany Hall, a member of Vernon Electric.

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to the new wecnmagazine.com through the “Submit a photo” tab. Send photos of kids with animals, along with a brief description, to WECN Magazine, 222 W. Washington Ave., Suite 680, Madison, WI 53703-2719. Please include the name of your electric co-op. Photos will be returned. If in good-resolution, electronic format, photos may also be uploaded via wecnmagazine.com through the “Submit a photo” tab. By submitting, sender implies that he/ she has rights to and owns the image, and grants WECN permission to use the image. By submitting, the parent or legal guardian also authorizes us the right to publish the image.

February 2018

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CLASSIFIEDS MISCELLANEOUS

COLLECTOR BUYING WAR SOUVENIRS: German, Japanese, U.S. weapons, medals, helmets, daggers, swords, military items. 715-344-5031. WANTED: PAYING CASH FOR WW-2 GERMAN, JAPANESE FLAGS, DAGGERS, SWORDS, GUNS, ETC. 715-340-1974. WANTED: DEER TAGS, back tags. Trapping, bear, hunting, and fishing licenses. Otter, bobcat, fisher tags. Any old traps. David Schober, W4234 Rock Creek Rd., Loyal, WI 54446. 715-255-9284. TARPS–HEAVY DUTY, 14’ x 48,’ hemmed. Expired billboard faces. $50 each or 10’x 30’ – $24 each. Shipping not included. Tarps can also be picked up at Jones Sign, 1711 Scheuring Road, De Pere, WI 54115. 800-536-7446. GOT WOOD! NEW PORTABLE SAWMILLS. We sell Forestry Equipment for the hobbyist to the professional. Band Sawmills, Firewood Processors, Skidding Winches & more. A-F County Market an authorized Hudson Forest Equipment Dealer. Adams, WI 53910. Phone Joe or Rich 608-339-6703. SEPTIC PROBLEMS: Do you have standing water on your drain field? Have you been told you need a new expensive septic system? I have an alternative that works, also comes with a warranty (no digging). Call toll free 855-7976072 or email mmtagm@yahoo.com. LAKE OR POND? Aeration is your 1st step toward improved water quality. 1hp floating fountain aerator with lite just $698.95. Air diffusion bubbler systems: $289-$399 ultra hi-efficiency waterfall pumps up to 11,000gph, just 3.6 amps, solar powered aerators too. 608-254-2735 or www.fishpondaerator.com. IMPROVE WILDLIFE HABITAT. Ecologist will conduct an assessment of your land and suggest ways to restore native plants, attract wildlife. Even small sites can boost biodiversity. Focus: Western Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. www.trillumlax.com.

REAL ESTATE

FOR SALE: Mobile Home on 1 acre with living room addition. Fully furnished. Located on Reshel Road in the Town of City Point, Jackson County. 608-577-6140. 10 WOODED ACRES, 3 BD/2BA CONTEMPORARY HOUSE. 10 minutes from Wisconsin Dells. Custom home with nice second floor guest area. $219,000. Wisconsin Dells Realty, 608-477-3420. VACATION RENTAL. Cape Coral, FL. Beautiful 3 bedroom home on gulf access canal. 10,000 lb boat lift. Weekly rental or more. Call Al 608-295-7433. UPPER MICHIGAN. 1800’ Lakeshore, 35 acres, Pristine Lake. Near trout Streams, golf, casino, ski, snowmobile trails. Surrounded by Ottawa Forest. Very Private. $297,000. 715-495-2081. TIRED OF FREEZING COLD WINTERS IN WISCONSIN? Looking to be a snowbird in Arizona? I can help you find the perfect home. Renie Randall, Realtor, Cactus Mountain Properties, LLC Phoenix, Arizona 608-344-1231. reniekay@hotmail.com. 90 ACRES OF WOODS, 1700’ LAKE FRONTAGE, newer summer home near Minocqua. Great hunting and fishing on private 320 acre lake. No public access. 608-774-6726, $650,000. WANTED: TO LEASE BOW HUNTING LAND. 2 hunters/ bow only in 2018. QDM only. 920-783-8268. Westfield Area.

PLANTS & SHRUBS HARDWOOD AND CONIFER SEEDLINGS AND TRANSPLANTS. Thousands available, Oaks, Maples, Highbred Poplar, Hickory, Cherry, Dogwoods, Hazelnut, Ninebark, Cranberry, Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir, Spruce, Pine, Cedar, Food plot and grafted apple trees too, Large bareroot shade trees including Autumn Blaze. Check us out on the web at www.paintcreeknursery.com, Facebook and Youtube as well. Paint Creek Nursery, Cadott, WI 715-723-2072. FRUIT, NUT, SHADE, & ORNAMENTAL TREES AVAILABLE FOR SPRING PLANTING. Also evergreens & deciduous seedling and transplants, strawberries, blueberries, asparagus, rhubarb, and much more. For additional info: Call Toll Free 888-803-8733 or Write to Woodstock Nursery, N1831 State Hwy 95 Neillsville, WI 54456. Also check us out at Wallace-Woodstock.Com. PREMIUM SPRUCE TREES 7-8 FOOT TALL when planted. balled & burlapped and ready to plant. Perfect for a manicured yard or a natural fence or along a driveway. These are nicely shaped and full from all sides. $79.99 call 608-981-2169. COVER SPRUCE TREES 8-10 FOOT TALL random sizes. balled & burlapped and ready to plant. These trees are nice but they are not perfect. Great for wildlife or blocking a messy neighbor or even making a windbreak. $64.99 Call 608-981-2169.

TRAVEL & CAMPING FOR RENT: ONE WEEK AT CORAL PRINCESS RESORT, COZUMEL MEXICO. One bedroom unit, full kitchen, sleeps 4 adults. $750. Two bedroom units for additional fee if they are available. 715-299-5179.

REACH MORE THAN 171,000 MAILBOXES EACH MONTH

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WANTED: PRE-1970 Motorcycle jackets, helmets, parts, memorabilia, old metal signs, toys, knife collections, and straight razor. Private collector. 920-373-3515.

ads@weca.coop Classified ads reach more than 171,000 mailboxes. RATES: For non-members of Wisconsin rural electric co-ops: one insertion, $25 minimum (up to 20 words); additional words, $1.25 each. For members of Wisconsin rural electric co-ops: one insertion, $14 minimum (up to 20 words); additional words, $.70 each. Count name, address, and phone number as part of ad. Please include zip code. FOR PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP, please include your address label from your copy of the magazine. FREQUENCY DISCOUNTS: 2% discount for 3 months; 5% for 6 months; 10% for 12 months. DEADLINE: 1st of the month prior to the month in which the ad is to appear. All classified ads must be paid in advance. There is no agency discount on classifieds. Make check or money order payable to: WECA. Mail to: WECN, Attn. Dylan Pingitore, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Ph: 608-467-4599. Email dylan@weca.coop

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WISCONSIN EVENTS 3 Vintage Snowmobile Show—Medford. Chelsea Conservation Club, registration 8:30–11 a.m. $5 per sled. Awards at 2 p.m. Trail ride to follow. 715-427-5441. 3 Vintage Snowmobile Ride—Hayward. Trails End Resort, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Ride will finish around 4 p.m., followed by prizes, raffles, silent auction, live music. 3 Wild Game Banquet & Seminar—Oconto. Oconto Falls High School Commons area, 4–9:30 p.m. Guest speakers. Replicas of whitetail mounts. 920-855-2962. 3 9-Pin Bowling Tournament—Reedsburg. Brewster’s Lanes, 1–8p.m. Bowling tournament and steak feed. All proceeds to cancer research and assisting families affected by cancer. 608-495-4848. 4 Fisheree/Meat Raffle—Montello. Mazurek’s Buffalo Lake Lodge, 6 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. Cash payouts. Meat raffle starts at 1 p.m. Register at Holiday True Value or Mazurek’s Buffalo Lake Lodge. 4 Farm Toy Show—Marshfield. Senior High School Field House, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Farm toy displays and vendors. Kid’s pedal pull. Adults $3, ages 10–17 $1, and children under 10 are free. 715-743-7152. 7 Blood Drive—Iola. Iola-Scandinavia Aquatic & Fitness Center, 12–5 p.m. 920-840-1321. 9, 16, 23 Friday Fish Fry—Rosholt. St. Adalbert Parish, 4–7:30 p.m. Fish, shrimp, potato, coleslaw, bread, and dessert. Weekly raffle. 715-592-4416. 10 Ice Fishing Jamboree—Brantwood. Little Spirit Lake boat landing, 6 a.m.–3:30 p.m. No entry fee, cash prizes, brats, chili; refreshments will be available to the public starting at 11 a.m. 10 Bluegold Ice Fishing Contest—Chippewa Falls. Lake Wissota, 7 a.m.–2 p.m. More than $80,000 in cash and prizes. Weighin locations at The Edge Pub & Eatery and The View. 715-836-3357. 10 Fisheree—Tomah. Winnebago Park, Lake Tomah, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Door prizes, good food, gun raffles on ice, and kids fish prizes. 10 Ice Fishing Contest—Menomonie. Lake Menomin, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 1600 Pine Ave, Menomonie.

February 2018 10 Valentine’s Day Dance and Raffle—Phillips. Big Elk Bar & Grill, 5–10 p.m. Join the Northwoods Hi-Riders Snowmobile Club and dance the night away while participating in rafﬂes for prizes. 10 Candlelight Ski and Snowshoe—Mellen. Copper Falls State Park, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Candle luminaries along a groomed trail. Bonﬁre for roasting marshmallows. Chili and hot drinks for sale. 10, 11 Snow Train Rides—North Freedom. Mid-Continent Railway, all day. Firstclass dining services 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Coach rides at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. 608-522-4261. 13 Pancake Supper and Silent Auction—Hancock. Community Center, 4:30–6:30 p.m. A monetary donation will get you pancakes, sausages; and your choice of coffee, juice, milk, or water.

17, 18 Frozen Activities and Ice Fishing—Tony. Dairyland Reservoir, Leonhard Lane, all day. Snow sculpting, face painting, vintage snowmobile swap show, lawn mower and barstool races; pancake breakfast and ice fishing contest. 17 Ice Fishing Contest—Holcombe. Big Swedes Pond, 12–3 p.m. Chance for prizes at local schools when kids register fish. 18 Antiques, Appraisal, and Chili Lunch—Richfield. Friess Lake School, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Quality dealers, appraisers, antiques, and collectible items. Dealers welcome. 18 Kid’s Ice Fishing Day—Willard. Rock Dam Rod & Gun Clubhouse, 12–3 p.m. 715669-3813 or 715-773-0311. 24 Adult Fishing Day—Willard. Rock Dam Rod & Gun Clubhouse, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Ice Fishing contest. 715-669-3813.

16, 23 Lenten Friday Fish Fries—Wisconsin Rapids. St. Lawrence Church Hall, 4–7 p.m. Fried or baked ﬁsh; potato salad or french fries; coleslaw and tartar sauce.

24 Poker Snowmobile Run—Phillips. Comfort Cove Resort, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Pick up sheets at Comfort Cove Resort from 11 a.m.; $10 per sheet.

16, 23 Friday Night Fish Fry—Phillips. St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, 4:30– 6:30 p.m. Dinners include: Baked or battered ﬁsh, baked potato, coleslaw, rolls, milk, coffee, and dessert.

24 Sportsmen’s Expo & Wild Game Feed— Ogema. Baptist Church, 2–8 p.m. 20 venders. Free wild game meal at 5 p.m., Speaker, prizes. 715-820-2214.

17 Snowmobile Poker Run & Picnic—Phillips. Birch Island Resort Bar & Grill, all day. Ride the trails or drive your vehicle to designated locations and collect cards for the best poker hand. Register at 3-Mile Corner, Birch Island Resort, Corner Connection, or the Elk River Pioneer Picnic. 17 Lake Emily Fisheree—Amherst Junction. Lake Emily, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Heated tent, food, refreshments, and raffles. 17 Fisheree—Phillips. Soo Lake Resort, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Five categories: walleye, northern, perch, bluegill, and crappie; prizes for 1st & 2nd place; Fee is $10. 17 Fisheree and Raffle—Rosholt. Tree Lake boat launch, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Prizes in each fish category. Live music, basket raffle, food and refreshments available. 17 Ice Lawn Mower Races—Little Suamico. Geano Beach Bar & Grill, 1–5 p.m. Come and watch your favorite summer ride race on the ice of the bay! 920-826-2631.

24 Candlelight Hike—Blanchardville. Yellowstone Lake State Park, 6–8 p.m. A one mile hike along the the Wildlife Loop. Warming ﬁre and refreshments provided. 608-523-4427.

Upload events directly to the new wecnmagazine.com through the “Events” tab.

Upload your March events by February 8. Wisconsin Events is a public service for our readers. Submissions should be received early in the month prior to the month in which the event will occur. Due to space limits, we may need to eliminate details, so be sure to include a phone number (with area code) where callers may obtain more info. If we receive more listings than space allows us to print, we reserve the right to select those we believe will be of interest to the greatest number of readers.

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Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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Winter Energy Savings 1.

Set your programmable thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and lower the setpoint when youâ€™re sleeping or away from home.

2. Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as recommended. 3. Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure theyâ€™re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.

4. Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you

are done cooking or bathing; when replacing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models.

5. During winter, keep the draperies and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

6. Select energy-efficient products when you buy new heating equipment. Your contractor should be able to give you energy fact sheets for different types, models, and designs to help you compare energy usage.

7. Plan household chores that require electricity during off-peak hours (when energy demand is low).

Source: U.S. Department of Energy Brought to you by:

Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association

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