Summary
Despite strong bipartisan support and a powerful advocacy push by thousands of Wisconsinites, led by our partners at Gathering Waters, leaders in both political parties failed to act. We must now plan to complete conservation projects without Knowles-Nelson funding once it expires on June 30, 2026. Please continue to contact your legislators to demand that the state provide robust conservation funding.
This summer, we fought hard to protect Wisconsin’s conservation future. One of the state’s crucial land protection tools — the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program — needed renewed funding.
With support from Knowles-Nelson, Groundswell has helped protect more than 6,000 acres of land forever in south central Wisconsin, including special places where you hike, paddle, and explore.
Despite strong bipartisan support and a powerful advocacy push by thousands of Wisconsinites, led by our partners at Gathering Waters, leaders in both political parties failed to act. As a result, we must now plan to complete conservation projects without Knowles-Nelson funding once it expires on June 30, 2026.
But we remain hopeful.
Some lawmakers are still fighting for conservation. State Sen. Kelda Roys showed true political courage and leadership, voting against the state budget and naming the lack of Knowles-Nelson funding as a key reason. State Rep. Tony Kurtz and Sen. Patrick Testin have introduced a stand-alone bill to bring Knowles-Nelson back. And most recently, Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin and Rep. Vinnie Miresse introduced a new proposal to reauthorize Knowles-Nelson for six years, funded at $72 million annually. This proposed legislation is co-sponsored by all 60 Democratic lawmakers and lays the groundwork for negotiations as the two parties seek ways to work together to reauthorize the program.
To get a solid conservation funding bill passed, we need your help. Over the last seven months, you sent thousands of messages in support of Knowles-Nelson to lawmakers and called the Governor’s Office. Your voice was heard and may be the reason that conservation funding still has a future. Please continue to contact your legislators to demand that the state provide robust conservation funding. Keep an eye on our emails and Facebook page for specific calls to action.
In the meantime, our work continues. We received a Knowles-Nelson grant for an upcoming project and are working with Ducks Unlimited on another state-supported land protection effort. It’s possible that a stand-alone bill could pass before we run out of Knowles-Nelson money, and we never have to confront a world in which our state leaders have abandoned conservation.
We’re going to work hard, alongside our partners at Gathering Waters, to renew Knowles-Nelson and advance conservation where you live.
And we did have one big win: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act preserved federal funding that helps protect farmland. We’re excited for future partnerships, like those with the towns of Dunn and Dunkirk, to keep farmland available for the next generation.