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Gov. Evers releases pro-conservation budget
Proposal would boost funding for Stewardship program.
February 20, 2021
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For 30 years, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been protecting our lakes and streams, securing critical wildlife habitat, and providing world-class recreational opportunities. Here, you can take action to support Knowles-Nelson, read the research on environmental conservation in Wisconsin, and share your love of Wisconsin’s land and water.
The governor’s 2021 budget proposal is out and it includes a bold vision for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program: authorizing the program for ten years and more than doubling the program’s current funding.
Click below to thank the governor and to let your legislators know you support renewing Knowles-Nelson!
If there’s a natural place in Wisconsin that is special to you, chances are the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has made it better.
That’s why we’re working together to make sure that Knowles Nelson will keep working for Wisconsin.
We’re Team Knowles Nelson, a diverse coalition of conservation organizations, sporting groups, businesses, and individuals committed to taking care of our state. If you love Wisconsin’s land and water, then Team Knowles Nelson is for you. We’ll keep you updated on our advocacy work, share success stories, and make it easy for you to reach your legislators with the right messages at the right time.
Across the entire state of Wisconsin, Knowles-Nelson provides funds to protect land, build trails, clean up our waterways, and improve our parks. Non-profit conservation organizations, local governments, and the state of Wisconsin all use Knowles Nelson funds to care for our land and water. Prairies in the Driftless region, forests Up North, the Ice Age Trail, and the neighborhood parks in our backyards all benefit from Knowles-Nelson support.
But if we don’t speak up, Knowles-Nelson will go away. Join the Team and we’ll work together to keep Wisconsin beautiful for our kids and grand kids.
Knowles-Nelson grants awarded to local governments and nonprofits, like land trusts, are matching grants. This means that every dollar that the state invests in a conservation project is matched by another dollar (or more) contributed by local governments or generous individuals.
Knowles-Nelson funds support land purchases, trail building, boat launches, playgrounds, picnic shelters, and more. Check out our impact stories for examples of some of the thousands of projects around Wisconsin that have been supported by the Stewardship Program.
But there’s a lot of work left to be done. Wisconsin lags behind its neighbors Michigan and Minnesota in the amount of land that we protect and the amount of money that we invest in public lands each year.
Wisconsin needs a robust investment in both land acquisition and land management in order to meet the challenges of climate change, to provide accessible recreation for all Wisconsin residents, and to support Wisconsin wildlife.
Image by Gary Shackelford, 2012.
Proposal would boost funding for Stewardship program.
Knowles-Nelson offers rare opportunity for bipartisan consensus.
The governor’s budget proposal would renew Stewardship for ten years at $70 million per year. The debate now moves to the legislature.
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