Since 1989, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been preserving valuable natural areas, protecting water quality and fisheries and expanding opportunities for outdoor recreation for all. In fact, 99% of Wisconsinites live within 5 miles of a Stewardship-funded project.

Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation economy has responded to these state investments in public lands and now generates over 11 billion dollars annually in economic activity. TU has found that trout angling in the Driftless Area alone generates over 1 billion dollars a year. That’s thanks to the state’s long tradition of conservation and the tremendous success of the bipartisan Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

Without legislative action, Wisconsin’s iconic public lands initiative will expire in the summer of 2026. Bills have been introduced by both Republicans and Democrats to save this flagship Stewardship program, but little action has taken place since. Ask your legislators to come together to find a compromise that works for all of Wisconsin and reauthorizes the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

Learn more and explore Stewardship-funded projects near home and across the state here: https://knowlesnelson.org/