Governor Evers signed the 2021-2023 state budget, which includes four years of funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program through June 2026.
The Gathering Waters press announcement:
The renewal includes a modest funding increase from $32 million per year to $33.25 million per year.
- The Department of Natural Resources will have $6 million per year to spend on land acquisitions, down from $9 million per year.
- Improvements to DNR lands will see a modest increase from $3 million to $4.25 million per year
- Local governments, on the other hand, now have access to more than $9 million in funding each year, up from $6 million per year.
- Land trusts and other non-profit conservation organizations will continue to have access to $7 million of funding per year.
Thank you for all the support. The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund supports projects to improve our parks and trails, keep county forests working for us, conserve important natural communities, protect water quality and our fisheries, and help us improve public access to natural resources. In short, the Fund helps to honor Wisconsin’s conservation heritage as we look to the future and seek to inspire a conservation ethic in the next generation.
Photo of Houghton Falls State Natural Area near Washburn, Wisconsin courtesy of WNDR.