Conservation was on the ballot yesterday, and conservation won big! That means we have a real opportunity to secure lasting funding for Knowles-Nelson and other critical programs in the 2027 state budget.
Across Wisconsin, Knowles-Nelson champions won their elections and are in a position to secure the future of the Stewardship Program. In race after race, conservation-forward messages proved to be a winning strategy.
Take southwest Wisconsin, for example. Rep. Jenna Jacobson soundly defeated Sen. Howard Marklein in the 17th Senate District. Rep. Jacobson has been a strong advocate for Knowles-Nelson, while Sen. Marklein repeatedly voted to cut its funding and stood in the way of reauthorizing the program last year. Ben Gruber ran on conservation as an enthusiastic champion for our natural resources and won the 51st Assembly District. On the Republican side, Rep. Tony Kurtz, a longtime supporter of Knowles-Nelson, won re-election in the 41st Assembly District.
That’s just one corner of the state. We’ve updated our voter guides to highlight the winner in every competitive Senate and Assembly race we tracked, along with where each one stands on Knowles-Nelson. Explore the results >>
Thank you to every candidate and legislator who has made a commitment to funding conservation. We’ve always said the long-term success of Knowles-Nelson depends on bipartisan support. We’ll keep working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to make sure caring for Wisconsin’s land and water is something we can all get behind.
And to every Team Knowles Nelson advocate: you kept Knowles-Nelson front and center through the elections, and it paid off. Thank you!
Now we get to work with all the conservation champions in the legislature and Governor-elect Crowley. Congratulations to all of them on hard-fought wins! We’re looking forward to their leadership as we head into the 2027 legislative session and the next state budget. There will be plenty of important priorities on the table, and our job is to make sure Knowles-Nelson stays at the top of the list.
If you sent a postcard last session, thank you! It’s time to do it again. A new legislature brings new faces and new dynamics to the Capitol, so make a new one for your legislators and Governor-elect Crowley with one clear message: Knowles-Nelson can’t wait. Your postcard will be waiting on their desks the day the session begins.
Legislators set their priorities fast, and Knowles-Nelson needs to be one of the first things they hear about. Pick a photo of your favorite place in Wisconsin’s outdoors, add a few words about why Knowles-Nelson matters to you, and we’ll handle printing and delivery. Then forward this email to a few friends and ask them to make one, too!
Election season didn’t slow us down. This fall, Team Knowles Nelson kept busy:
✅ Leading by example with legislator visits. This fall, Restoring Lands showed there’s no one right way to connect with a legislator. They took Rep. Paul Melotik on a walk around their Spirit Lake Preserve, welcomed Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin to a bird box workday at Koch Woodlands Preserve, and joined her at a Knowles-Nelson community event. Read more >>
✅ Celebrating the Great State Trails Adventure. Sarah Widder crossed the finish line in Menomonie after riding 2,000 miles across 44 state trails in October to raise awareness for Knowles-Nelson. Along the way, she met trail advocates, volunteers, and Knowles-Nelson champions, and supporters joined her for rides and celebrations across the state. If you missed her daily blog, her final post is a great place to start. Read more >>
✅ Honoring our 2026 Advocacy Champion. Cody Kamrowski, executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, has been a leading voice for Knowles-Nelson in the sporting community. When legislators tried to push through a “Knowles-Nelson in name only” bill last session, Cody and the Wildlife Federation resisted pressure to take the easy road and stood firm for conservation. Read more >>
WPR | Wisconsin land trusts continue preservation efforts, even without Knowles-Nelson funding After the expiration of the decades-old Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program earlier this year, land trusts around the state are adapting to the funding challenges coming from the loss of a major source of state support.
Spectrum News 1 | What Knowles-Nelson’s expiration means for Door County conservation Spectrum News 1 covers the Door County Land Trust’s effort to protect Kayes Creek near Little Sturgeon, where the loss of Knowles-Nelson forced the organization to raise $1.5 million privately that would otherwise have come from the program.
WXPR | Wisconsin cyclist hits the trails for Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund ahead of November Elections WXPR follows Sarah Widder through the Northwoods as she bikes Wisconsin’s state trails to build support for Knowles-Nelson reauthorization ahead of November elections.
Oregon Observer | Letter: Support Jacobson and environmental advocacy A Mount Horeb resident’s letter to the editor urges voters to support Jenna Jacobson for State Senate, citing her 100% Conservation Scorecard rating and her commitment to restoring Knowles-Nelson.
Featured photo by ken fager, 2020
