For over 30 years, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund has been one of Wisconsin’s greatest instruments to preservation and conservation efforts. The Stewardship Fund has helped Wisconsin cities, counties, state agencies, and non-profits acquire over 650,000 acres to convert into public lands dedicated to conservation and outdoor recreation. It has also expanded access to natural areas and to outdoor recreation projects as well as maintained park infrastructure, boat ramp facilities, and trails by providing grants to create and expand projects across the state.
The Stewardship Fund was created as a bipartisan effort to preserve and protect Wisconsin’s natural wonders for future generations, and it enjoys the support of over 90 percent of Wisconsin citizens.
Even with the program’s incredible success and widespread support, its reauthorization is currently in peril as all levels of government struggle to adapt as budgets are further impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time in the Stewardship Fund’s history, its reauthorization in 2019 was for a period of only two years, a break from the previous three 10-year reauthorizations. Moreover, the Stewardship Fund experienced a significant decline in funding over the course of the last full reauthorization.
Today, it is more important than ever to preserve public lands for the enjoyment of all Wisconsinites and we must find funding that supports a universally celebrated program that supports the physical and mental health of residents in all corners of the state.