As the Wisconsin Senate wrapped its final scheduled floor session, lawmakers advanced major bills on PFAS and other issues but left the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program off the agenda, keeping its future unresolved just months before funding is set to expire.
The Cap Times reports that an amendment by Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-08) to extend the program for one year was rejected. Multiple reauthorization proposals have been introduced over the past year, but disagreements over funding levels, land acquisition, and oversight continue to stall progress.
Knowles-Nelson is the state’s primary tool for funding land acquisition and stewardship grants, supporting everything from local park improvements and trail systems to large-scale conservation projects that protect wildlife habitat and water quality. Without a clear path forward, communities, land trusts, and local governments are left waiting on whether projects can proceed.
If lawmakers do not return to take up the issue in a special or extraordinary session, the program is set to expire in June, leaving Wisconsin’s long-standing approach to land and water conservation in question.
Featured photo by Ruthie Hauge/The Cap Times
