Advocate for a strong and well-funded Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program

Please support funding land acquisition in Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program

I urge you to prioritize the strength and effectiveness of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. I hope that you will ensure and legislation you vote for: 1) Upholds the removal of the “legislative veto”, which could be a poison pill for the program, and 2) Includes adequate funding for land acquisition, a cornerstone of the project. The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program has been extremely successful, effective and important, and must continue to be. I was happy to see the subamendment that removed the “legislative veto” from AB315/AB612 and SB316/SB685 that would have unnecessarily slowed down conservation projects while adding a layer of politics to the approval process for every project. The removal of this was a big step towards a functioning renewal of the program. However, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program was created to help acquire land for conservation and recreation, and the removal of funding for new land acquisition prevents the program from carrying out its core purpose. I encourage you to fight for the acquisition funding to be restored before agreeing to support this legislation. The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is one of Wisconsin’s most exciting achievements and a rare bipartisan success story. I believe that with your help and strong negotiations to better fund the program, we can ensure it continues with bipartisan support.