Team Knowles Nelson partnered with Friends of Wisconsin State Parks for a day at the Wisconsin State Fair – and it looked nothing like our usual outreach. No trailheads, no muddy boots. Just a fairground packed with people from every corner of the state, there for the rides and the cream puffs, not necessarily for a conversation about conservation funding.
And that was the point. Knowles-Nelson doesn’t only benefit the people who identify as “outdoorsy.” It funds neighborhood parks and bike trails across Milwaukee County as much as the state parks up north. Some of the most valuable conversations were with people unfamiliar with Knowles-Nelson by name who recognized its importance once we described it: the bike path they ride to work, the campsite they return to every summer, the land they hunt every fall.
For people in urban areas especially, green space isn’t guaranteed. It has to be built and maintained deliberately. Knowles-Nelson is part of how that happens, and plenty of fairgoers recognized that importance and made a plan to contact their legislators. Just as many recognized the name outright, having caught it in the news this summer and understood it was worth paying attention to. And it’s safe to say everyone we talked to was excited to slip a Knowles-Nelson koozie onto their beverage.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat during their day at the fair!
