On May 16, 2023 there will be an important opportunity to speak up in-person for conservation in Wisconsin

Conservation groups hope to keep the project alive and are searching for new avenues after legislators on the state’s powerful finance committee blocked a key funding request.

Gov. Evers’ 2023-25 biennial budget proposal makes several key investments, including for the conservation and preservation of public lands through the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

The conservation community is concerned for the future of the Pelican River Forest after the Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines to reject a $4 million Knowles Nelson grant.

The legislature’s Joint Finance Committee is under fire for ruthlessly denying funding for several requests, including the largest land conservation project in state history.

Twelve committee members brushed aside public opinion and concern for Wisconsin’s environment in order to cast their votes against land and water conservation.

The Wisconsin DNR pledged to get local governments more involved in the process of land conservation.

Land trusts are forced to alter their land conservation strategies to avoid project delays.

People spent a lot of time outside during the pandemic and that trend appears to be continuing, but the state’s financial support of outdoor recreation has been on a long decline.