The Heartland Retreat Center
Submit your personal story about the HRC for the Public Service Commission
You can help us keep the power lines away from the HRC. We are collecting personal stories from sangha members who have visited the HRC.
We will present the stories in a professional package to the Public Service Commission. Stories from all over the world will show that the HRC is a precious thing in the state of Wisconsin which should be preserved.
Here are the full details:
We need your support to help preserve the HRC. Please share this project with your sangha members and encourage them to submit their HRC story. The details are below. Thank you!
As many of you are aware, the American Transmission Company (ATC) is going to build a 345V transmission line between La Crosse and Madison, Wisconsin. The decision has not been made about whether the transmission line will be built along the Northern route (along highway I90), or the Southern route (which goes across the HRC land). We are doing everything we can to argue our case that the power line should not be built along the southern route and we need your help!
The Public Service Commission encouraged us to submit unique, personal stories. They receive lots of letters with a negative "not in my backyard" tone. Our goal is to portray our unique and personal experiences of the HRC land and why we value it. We want to emphasize what makes our story distinctive, and sets us apart from the many other letters they will receive. We want to convey how the current conditions of our land support our ability to practice our religion through meditation, which requires an inspiring natural setting, and how disruptive the sight and sound of power lines would be to this practice.
We want to present our stories as a gift of inspiration to the PSC commissioners and touch them on a human level. Now is the time that we need to write our personalized and heartfelt testimonials and submit them to the PSC.
What to include:
- A nice headshot photo of yourself to include in the document
- Your name
- Age
- Profession
- Your story
The goal is to demonstrate that the members of our group have a variety of professions and are from all age groups.
Some ideas to get your wheels turning:
- Tell about how often you go to the HRC, how you travel there, and what you experienced
- The PSC wants to hear unique points of view
- Tell a story about a time at the HRC that touched you
- Share why the natural environment at the HRC is important to you
We will collect all the stories and assemble them in a professional document. Our team working to oppose the power lines will present the stories to the PSC in the last week of December 2015.