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Where does the money come from to pay for the
Stewardship Fund?
Stewardship is funded through state-issued bonds. The state sells
bonds to investors then pays back the
debt over the next 20 years. This spreads the cost over time so
it is shared with future users of public lands.
Debt payments come out of tax revenues, so all tax-payers in the
state are contributing to the
Stewardship Fund, as well as benefiting from its impacts. 
How can
we afford the Stewardship Fund?
At ½ of one percent of the overall state budget, the Stewardship
Fund is a great value for Wisconsin. For
the same amount of money it will cost to rehabilitate Interstate
94 between Mitchell Airport south of
Milwaukee and the Illinois state line, we are able to permanently
protect 30,000 acres of conservation
and recreation lands. The investment represented by Stewardship
strengthens our $11 billion tourism
economy and our forest products industry.
What does the Stewardship
Fund pay for?
The Stewardship Fund is used to buy state and local parkland, wildlife
habitat and hunting areas, trails for
biking, snowmobiling, hiking, skiing, horseback riding, habitat
for endangered species, and working
forests. It also provides funding for acquiring easements to eliminate
non-point source run-off into our
waters, stream bank easements for stabilization and trout habitat
enhancements, as well as urban green
spaces and parks.
Who uses the Stewardship Fund?
The Stewardship Fund is used by the state to acquire land and develop
outdoor recreation facilities. The Fund offers grants to local units
of government for parkland acquisition, recreational facilities,
urban rivers and urban forests and acquiring development rights
on farmland buffering public land. Grants are also available to
non-profit land conservation organizations to purchase land and
conservation easements that protect wildlife habitat, water quality,
working forests, and some of Wisconsin’s most outstanding
natural lands and waters. Together, land trusts and local governments
have raised $135 million to match grants through the Stewardship
program.
Who benefits from the Stewardship Fund?
Everyone who enjoys spending time outdoors in Wisconsin benefits
from the Stewardship Fund.
Stewardship provides special places to hike, watch birds and other
wildlife, fish and paddle, and over
92% of lands protected with Stewardship Funds are open for hunting.
The 85% of Wisconsinites who enjoy
walking in nature have local opportunities to do so, thanks to
the Stewardship Fund’s impact in
communities across the state. All Wisconsin citizens enjoy the
ecological benefits of protected land and
water, including clean drinking water, scenic vistas along our
roads and a high quality of life that attracts
and retains businesses.
 Why does the Stewardship Fund need to be
renewed?
The Stewardship Fund is not a permanent state program. It was initially
created in 1989 as a 10-year
program. In 1999 the Stewardship Fund was renewed by the State
Legislature for an additional 10-year
period. The current program is due to expire in 2010, unless it
is reauthorized by the Legislature. While the
Stewardship Fund has been extremely successful to date – nearly
480,000 acres of land protected – the
amount of land available for habitat and recreation is not keeping
pace with the demand for those
resources. As our state’s population grows and our tourism
industry expands, we need more places for
people to go and recreate on the land.
Why do we need more money
for the Stewardship Fund?
Since 1989, the Stewardship program has been adjusted several times
from its original funding level of $25
million annually to reflect soaring land values across the state.
Both Republican Governors Tommy
Thompson and Scott McCallum recognized the importance of maintaining
the historic purchasing power
of the Stewardship program. With the cost of recreational lands
growing exponentially (forest land values
alone have quadrupled over the past ten years), it is time, once
again, to increase the Stewardship Fund
so that our conservation efforts can keep pace with inflation.
Click
here to download a copy of these Frequently Asked Questions » 
If you have any questions or need extra assistance,
please contact Vicki Elkin at stewardship [at] gatheringwaters.org. |
