Respond to a recent newspaper article on the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program with your best arguments.
The campaign to renew and strengthen the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is in the news. A recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article features Gathering Waters’ Executive Director, Mike Carlson, discussing the importance of Stewardship. Mike says a strong land conservation program is key to Wisconsin’s robust outdoors industry. Wisconsinites spend nearly $18 billion a year on outdoor recreation.
The article also features Senators Tom Tiffany and Duey Stroebel who claim that Wisconsin has too much public land and spends too much on conservation. We encourage supporters of land conservation to offer a counterargument.
This is an opportunity for Knowles-Nelson supporters to have our messages published in Wisconsin’s largest newspaper. Write a brief letter to the editor rebutting the senators’ misleading claims and emphasizing what a good investment the Stewardship Program is for Wisconsin’s land, water, and wildlife.
It’s easy to write a letter to the editor. The Journal Sentinel has a submission page for letters. Letters should be 200 words or less and include a specific reference to the article.
Some important points that can be made:
- Polling shows that more than 90% of Wisconsinites support continuing Knowles-Nelson and more than 70% want to see funding increased.
- Protecting 650,000 acres is a great start, but there is much more work to be done,
- Our cities are growing quickly and residents want places to hunt, paddle, hike, and play close to home. Knowles-Nelson grants fund this crucial conservation work in our backyards.
- Only 17% of Wisconsin land is protected in some form. We lag behind our neighbors in protected land. Michigan protects 28% of its land and Minnesota protects 23%.
- Protecting land increases our quality of life and benefits property values.
- Knowles-Nelson does more than pay for land purchases. It funds trail building, campground development, signage, boat launches, and more. We have to take care of the land we have protected and the Stewardship Program helps us do that.
- Access to public lands is good for our mental and physical health as well as for the environment.
- Statements made by Tiffany and Strobel about the costs of the program are misleading.
- Stewardship’s $33 million authorization is a small fraction of the $547 million in debt Wisconsin took on in 2018. Further, Wisconsin’s finances are in excellent health. We only borrow 13% of what we could. Debt service is not really the problem. Choosing to prioritize land and water is our challenge.
- Knowles Nelson debt accounts for only 2% of the state’s debt. Arguing that cutting the Stewardship Program would meaningfully impact state debt levels is a red herring.
- Put the cost in context. The Stewardship Program costs each Wisconsin resident about $15 per year. That’s a really good deal.
Here’s a sample letter:
Dear Editor:
The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is one of the best investments Wisconsin makes. I couldn’t disagree more with Senators Tiffany and Stroebel who want to end or shrink the program (GOP senators warn of rising costs of state land purchase program).
Wisconsin does not conserve as much land as our neighbors. Michigan conserves 28% and Minnesota 23%. We’ve only protected 17% of ours. The senators pay a lot of attention to big land deals up north, but Knowles-Nelson funds hundreds of smaller conservation projects in and around our cities. Wisconsinites want places to hunt, paddle, hike, and play close to home, and Knowles-Nelson makes that possible.
The Stewardship Program is an investment in Wisconsin’s future. The money is well spent. The senators mislead us on the program’s finances. We must be careful with state dollars, but Stewardship is a tiny fraction of Wisconsin’s debt, only 2%. Choosing to prioritize WI’s land and water is our challenge.
Polling shows that more than 90% of Wisconsinites support Knowles-Nelson, and I’m one of them. It’s time for the legislature to commit to caring for our land and water, for us and for our kids and grandkids.
Write your letter now and then send us a copy. Thanks!
