August 20, 2025

Reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program

August 20, 2025

Dear Mark M,

The Wisconsin Legislature is about to head back to the State Capitol to take up unfinished business, including reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

Unfortunately, the outcome of the state budget negotiations between Governor Evers and the Legislature was a big disappointment for conservation advocates. The budget included no new funding for Knowles-Nelson and left the future of the program in a precarious position.

Now, legislators have an opportunity to reauthorize Knowles-Nelson with separate legislation, but the outcome of that process is far from certain.

As we've shared in recent updates, Rep. Tony Kurtz and Sen. Patrick Testin co-authored legislation that proposes making significant structural changes to the program and funding it for four years.

This standalone legislation has some positive elements—it provides stable funding for land trusts and local governments, offers four-year planning certainty, and creates new grants to help manage already-protected lands. However, it also includes concerning provisions that could make it harder to protect new land by always prioritizing management over acquisition. The proposed oversight process for major purchases lacks clear timelines or guarantees that projects will even get a vote.

While this introduced legislation provides a foundation, reauthorizing Knowles-Nelson will require bipartisan cooperation and compromise from both parties and the Governor.

With that in mind, here are some key components of a meaningful, workable compromise:

✔️ Continue Land Acquisition for Public Access

Purchasing conservation lands is the core of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. The standalone legislation would sharply curtail or even eliminate land purchases by directing the DNR to always prioritize habitat management over land acquisition. Funding for land management is a crucial need, but the two priorities should be on equal footing.

Why does this matter? Wisconsin needs to continue providing access to public land for hunters, anglers, hikers, bikers, birders, ATV/UTV riders, and other outdoor enthusiasts. Whether it’s adding on to Devil’s Lake State Park, acquiring new sections of the Ice Age Trail, or providing recreation opportunities close to growing communities, Wisconsinites want more places to get outside.

This demand has built Wisconsin's $11.2 billion outdoor recreation industry, but too much public land remains out of reach. A recent report from the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership identified more than 50,000 acres of public land in Wisconsin that are inaccessible because they are surrounded by private land. Clearly, there is still work to do.

✔️ Transparency, Not Gridlock

We welcome new ideas for oversight of Knowles-Nelson that increase transparency and accountability while giving stakeholders, legislators, and agency officials a productive forum to improve the program.

The current bill's "major lands acquisition" process doesn't do that. Requiring grants over $1 million to go through the full Legislature is unrealistic in today's competitive real estate market, especially since there is no guarantee projects would even get a hearing or vote. This effectively creates another legislative veto that would turn conservation decisions into political favors rather than merit-based choices.

Why does this matter? Approving projects through the Legislature would create winners and losers based on political favor rather than conservation value. Just look to this year's budget for an example: Two projects in Assembly Speaker Robin Vos's district were approved while projects in other districts were left out, and no new Knowles-Nelson funding was authorized.

Instead of further politicizing conservation, we would support creating a Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Advisory Council that reviews grants and has approval authority for large projects. Such a council could include legislators from both parties, stakeholders, and agency experts. Clear statutes could establish predictable processes and timelines for grantees.

✔️ Defending Public Lands

We must also rigorously defend against threats to public lands. Senate President Mary Felzkowski recently told the Badger Institute that she wants local governments to have the ability to sell lands acquired with Knowles-Nelson dollars and to convert them to non-conservation uses. Sen. Felzkowski suggested that such land sales should be part of reauthorizing the program. We disagree.

Why does this matter? Once public lands are sold off to developers, they're gone forever. These lands were bought with taxpayer dollars specifically for conservation and public access, not to be turned into strip malls or condos. A similar effort recently failed at the federal level because Americans from all walks of life stood up in huge numbers to defend our public lands. Our partners at the National Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Ducks Unlimited, Sierra Club, and others all worked together to prevent selling federal lands to developers.

Any similar ideas here in Wisconsin deserve the same response - a resounding NO from anyone who cares about our public lands.

The Path Forward…

Now is the time to reauthorize Knowles-Nelson before current funding expires. Without action this fall, there will likely be a funding gap starting in July 2026 that would halt conservation projects statewide.

True compromise must be bipartisan. More than 90% of voters—Democrats and Republicans alike—want to see the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program renewed. We urge legislative leaders to work with conservation supporters in both parties to craft a plan that stays true to Knowles-Nelson's core mission.

If we work together in a constructive, bipartisan way, we can get this done and Knowles-Nelson will keep working for Wisconsin.

Charles Carlin
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Gathering Waters: Wisconsin's Alliance for Land Trusts