Advocacy doesn’t always happen at the Capitol. Sometimes it happens on a trail around a lake, or with a drill in hand mounting bird boxes! This fall, Restoring Lands showed what a land trust can do when it invites lawmakers to see conservation up close. By hosting two state legislators at their preserves, they built relationships and started conversations about Knowles-Nelson that will carry well into the 2027 legislative session.
First, Restoring Lands welcomed Rep. Paul Melotik for an hour-long walk around their Spirit Lake Preserve. The 155-acre preserve in Mequon winds through hardwood forest, prairie, pond, and wetland, and its stream system helps clean the water before it reaches the Milwaukee River. Rep. Melotik’s relationship with Restoring Lands dates back to his time on the Ozaukee County Board, where he championed the Cedar Gorge–Clay Bluffs acquisition when an anonymous objection nearly derailed the project. On the trail, the Restoring Lands team walked him through the history of Knowles-Nelson projects in his district and why Stewardship funding matters so much to their work. They also talked about how crucial it is for Knowles-Nelson to fund both land purchases and property development.
Next up was Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin, who has become a leading voice for conservation and Knowles-Nelson in the State Senate. Few elected officials have made conservation their top priority the way she has, and the land trust community benefits tremendously from that commitment.
Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin joined a workday at Restoring Lands’ Koch Woodlands Preserve to help install bird boxes. The 2.5-acre woodland in Brown Deer draws migrating birds each spring and fall. Since emerald ash borer took out much of the preserve’s ash canopy, Restoring Lands has been diversifying the trees with the goal of growing it into an oak woodland.
Restoring Lands staff then joined Sen. Habush Sinykin at a Knowles-Nelson educational event hosted by the North Shore Interfaith Green Team. She spoke about why Knowles-Nelson matters, her plans to fund it in 2027, and how attendees can advocate for it. The Green Team brings together members of Jewish synagogues, Catholic parishes, and Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches who share a belief that people of faith have a duty to care for creation. The group has kept 20,000 pounds of electronics out of the landfill and has planned volunteer conservation days with local partners.
A walk in the woods, a volunteer workday, and a community event each looked a little different, and all of them worked. There’s no one right way to connect with a legislator. What matters is continuing to show up, and Restoring Lands did just that. This kind of relationship building is exactly what Knowles-Nelson needs when the legislature returns in January. Thanks to the whole Restoring Lands team for leading the way!
Want to bring a legislator out to your land? It’s one of the best ways to show what Knowles-Nelson makes possible! Check out our tips for hosting a legislative site visit >>
