A recent letter to the editor by Platteville resident Dave Swanson, published in both The Cap Times and the Telegraph Herald, urges lawmakers to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
In a recent letter to the editor, published in The Cap Times, The Telegraph Herald, The Monroe Times and The La Crosse Tribune, Platteville resident Dave Swanson urged lawmakers to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
Reflecting on the end of trout season in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, Swanson highlighted both the natural beauty and economic value of the region, which is home to a $1.6 billion annual fishing economy, according to a 2017 UW–La Crosse study. He notes that Knowles-Nelson has played a key role in improving public access and habitat on local streams and called on legislators to put aside partisanship to ensure continued investments in land and water.
“The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has to be passed,” Swanson wrote. “This is no time for political partisanship.”
The program is authorized through 2026, and lawmakers are now debating competing reauthorization plans, with discussions focused on funding, oversight, and the program’s long-term structure.
