This calendar year marks our 30th anniversary as an organization. A few months ago, we shared highlights from our first 15 years. In this blog article, we’re focusing on the second half of our history, from 2010 to 2024.
In 2010, Gathering Waters hosted a series of workshops in partnership with American Farmland Trust about the state’s Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) program. In the first year of the program, 16 projects protecting over 5,000 acres of farmland were funded.
Gathering Waters launched a partnership with the Land Trust Alliance called the Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program (LEAP). The technical assistance and grant program helped Wisconsin land trusts through coordinated training and education.
In the 2011, 2013, and 2015 state budgets, Gathering Waters and the conservation community mounted significant advocacy campaigns to defend the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. During this time, program funding was cut from $86 million to $33 million per year. There was talk of eliminating state funding for land protection altogether, but a broad coalition effort ensured it continued.
In 2014, Gathering Waters formally changed its name from Gathering Waters Conservancy to Gathering Waters: Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts to better describe our role as a statewide organization providing services to the land trust community.
The organization continued to grow.
After working his way from intern to government relations director, Mike Carlson assumed the role of executive director in 2016. Mike continues to lead Gathering Waters today.
Starting in 2017, Gathering Waters supported a merger between West Wisconsin Land Trust and Bayfield Regional Conservancy. The newly formed organization, known as Landmark Conservancy, continues to serve 20 counties in northwest Wisconsin. The merger signaled a growing trend toward consolidation among land trusts. Since then, several other organizations have merged, bringing the total number of land trusts in the state to about 40.
Gathering Waters launched Wisconsin Land Trust Days in 2018. This annual promotion features events hosted by land trusts to celebrate land conservation and encourage people to visit land trust properties. Since its debut, Land Trust Days has helped thousands of people connect with land trusts and enjoy the places they protect.
Team Knowles Nelson jumpstarted grassroots advocacy for land protection funding in the state in 2019. Gathering Waters also brought together a coalition of over 50 organizations, including land trusts, other conservation partners, businesses, and government agencies, to advocate for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, virtual training opportunities and a hybrid work culture became the norm. During this time, Gathering Waters invested in mapping technology to help land trusts better assess and set land protection priorities.
In 2021, Gathering Waters launched the KnowlesNelson.org website. It would become a hub for advocacy information as state funding was again up for renewal. Funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program was reauthorized for four years at $32 million a year.
Gathering Waters launched the groundbreaking Land Conservation Law Program in 2022. The first-of-its-kind program provides land trusts with legal services and is helping to build a community of attorneys across the state familiar with land conservation.
Also in 2022, advocacy made headlines when the state’s Joint Finance Committee rejected a Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grant application from Ozaukee Washington Land Trust to protect the Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs in Port Washington. Governor Evers stepped in with American Rescue Plan Act funds to save Cedar Gorge Clay Bluffs and four other conservation projects.
In 2023, Gathering Waters worked with the Wisconsin Policy Forum on a report titled, “This Land Is Our Land,” which took a deep dive into the status of conservation funding in the state. We discovered that Wisconsin ranks 22nd in the U.S. for protecting public land, behind our neighbors Minnesota and Michigan. And while Wisconsin ranks fourth for hunting and fishing licenses, the state was dead last for reinvesting in parks.
Also in 2023, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee rejected funding for the 70,000-acre Pelican River Forest. Public outcry was immediate and loud. Governor Evers stepped in again and permanently protected the forest with support from The Conservation Fund and the Forest Legacy Program.
Enough was enough. The governor filed a lawsuit against members of the Joint Finance Committee. For the first time in our 30-year history, Gathering Waters intervened as a party in the case and testified about the hardships created for land trusts when previously approved funding is withheld.
In April 2024, the Wisconsin Supreme Court heard the case. In July, the Court handed down a 6-1 decision, ruling that the Joint Finance Committee’s actions to block land protection projects were unconstitutional.
As a result of the ruling, the committee stopped blocking projects. By the fall of 2024, land trusts had used all the Knowles-Nelson funds allocated to land protection, something that had not happened for decades.
“We’ve faced significant changes during my time with Gathering Waters, but through it all, I’ve been impressed and heartened by how our board, staff, land trusts, and other supporters have responded and rallied. Our supporters have been with us through thick and thin, and I am very grateful. Their faithful support has been critical and has placed Gathering Waters in a strong position for the future. Thank you.”
~Mike Carlson, Executive Director
To read more about our 30-year history, visit gatheringwaters.org/timeline.
