Take a Stand for Wisconsin's Special Places

Contact Your Legislators TODAY about the State Stewardship Fund

Since 1989, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund has helped save more than 475,000 acres of our most beautiful scenery and pristine lands and waters for all Wisconsinites to enjoy – now and forever.

From the majestic solitude of the Turtle Flambeau Flowage to the urban Lakeshore State Park and Hank Aaron State Trail in Milwaukee - north, south, east or west – the Stewardship Fund protects the landscapes that say Wisconsin. At the same time, it has provided special places for residents and visitors alike to hike, bike, ski, hunt, fish, camp, canoe, learn, and simply relax. Citizens across the state enjoy lands protected by the Stewardship Fund.

But while the Stewardship Fund has been a resounding success, we need to do more. Wisconsin’s great natural areas are a finite resource. If we fail to protect these places today, they may be lost forever. Once gone, they cannot be replaced, and our children and grandchildren will be the poorer.

Our lawmakers in Madison are in heated debates over the future of the Stewardship Fund. Some are arguing that the Stewardship program is a luxury we can no longer afford. Others say that we’ve conserved enough land already; our job of protecting Wisconsin’s special places is done; our parks and trail systems are good enough.

Without legislative support, the Stewardship Fund will end.

YOU CAN HELP – but you need to act by June 7!

The members of the Joint Finance Committee will take a decisive vote on the Stewardship Fund on Friday, June 8.

Contact the chairs of the Joint Finance Committee and your representatives in the Senate and Assembly today. Tell them to support the Governor’s proposal to renew and strengthen the Stewardship Fund. That means:

    • Funding the Stewardship program at $105 million a year to keep pace with skyrocketing
        land values and inflation.
    • Extending Stewardship through 2020.
    • Providing $30 million a year in grants to land trusts and local communities who match
         state dollars with local funds and private contributions.
    • Protecting Wisconsin's pristine waters and priceless natural lands for our children and
        grandchildren.

To contact the chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, write to:

Or call them at 1-800-362-9472

Send copies of your letters to your Senate and Assembly Representatives at:

Don't know who your legislators are? Go to waml.legis.state.wi.us/ to find out

Don't know what to say? Here’s a sample letter:

Dear Representative,

As it stands currently, the Stewardship Program, which helps to purchase lands that are important to Wisconsin for natural resource preservation and outdoor public recreation and tourism, is due to expire in 2010.

The Governor has called for extending the Stewardship Program through 2020 and increasing funding for the program from $60 million to $105 million in 2011 as part of his 2007-2009 Biennial Budget.

Across Wisconsin, citizens enjoy the lands preserved by the Stewardship Fund, from hunting and fishing to hiking and biking. From the majestic solitude of the Turtle Flambeau Flowage to the urban Lakeshore State Park and Hank Aaron State Trail in Milwaukee - north, south, east or west – the Stewardship Fund protects the landscapes that make Wisconsin a national treasure. We must continue to protect this rich natural resource.

The Stewardship Fund is about preserving our quality of life. I want to enjoy Wisconsin’s pristine lands on a weekend off or perhaps on an evening when I get home from work. I want to spend time hunting or hiking with friends and family on land I know will be protected for generations to come.

Please support the Governor’s proposal to increase Stewardship funding from $60 million to $105 million. We must protect our pristine lands, not only for ourselves but for future generations.

Sincerely,

If you have any questions or need extra assistance, please contact Vicki Elkin at 608-441-8819 or stewardship [at] gatheringwaters.org.

Photo provided courtesy of Bill Pielsticker

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"The Stewardship fund has fulfilled its promise to the people of Wisconsin by preserving thousands of acres for use by sportsmen, conservationists and nature enthusiasts alike. The time, however, has come where we must devise a new program and strategy to ensure Wisconsin enters the 21st century as America's environmental leader."
– Governor Tommy Thompson on Stewardship Reauthorization in 1998