(The Center Square) – The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program still exists in Wisconsin statute but, for the first time in 37 years of its existence, it does not have state taxpayer funding for land acquisition.
The funding was removed from Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal and separate proposals from both Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature failed, meaning funding for acquisitions in the program or things like new boat launches, trails, playgrounds and matching grants were not included.
“The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program enjoys tremendous bipartisan support among Wisconsin voters,” the program posted about the end of funding. “Partisan politics in the Capitol killed funding for the program.
“Knowles-Nelson isn’t gone for good, but for now it goes dark. It stays in state statute, still on the books, just with no funding behind it. The Legislature can fund it again whenever they choose to, which means the program’s future comes down to who commits to making it a priority.”
Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim, D-Appleton, said that she looks forward to the chance to renew funding for the program next legislative session.
“The value of this program cannot be overstated,” Dassler-Alfheim said in a statement. “It has impacted every single community in Wisconsin, and there are projects in every single county in the state. Fiscally, it’s estimated to have over a $2 billion impact annually, not to mention the benefits we all receive from having beautiful, well-maintained parks, trails, and more to enjoy.
“Legislative Democrats did everything we could to keep it alive, and I’m disappointed that those in power this session have allowed it to expire.”
Joint Finance Committee Vice Chairs Rep. Tony Kurtz, R-Wonewoc, and Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, proposed a bill a year ago to fund the program, a bill that Knowles-Nelson said it expected to move quickly.
But that bill ultimately was not approved in the legislature.
The bill called for called for $1 million annually to be set aside to acquire land for the Ice Age Trail, which was previously approved, along with $2 million annually for nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire and develop property.
Under the bill, the Legislature would have needed to separately budget and approve projects that cost more than $1 million.
Senate President Mary Felzkowski blamed the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the end of the funding in a recent editorial.
A Supreme Court ruling ended legislative oversight of funding for programs like the stewardship program, which Felzkowski pointed to as a reason that funding was not ultimately approved for the stewardship program this session.
“Supporters of the Court’s ruling may celebrate it as a victory for expanded executive power, but they should also acknowledge its consequences,” Felzkowski wrote. “The Court didn’t merely reinterpret a constitutional provision, it dismantled the accountability structure that made the Stewardship Program politically viable.”
On Monday, Testin wrote an editorial on the topic stating that his bill died in the Senate at Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, informed the Republicans that all Democrats in the Senate would vote against the bill, the same thing that happened in the Assembly.
“After weeks of negotiations, SB 316 never made it to the Senate floor because we were told by the minority leader that not a single Democrat senator would vote in favor of the legislation,” Testin wrote. “So, here we are. The party that says they vehemently support Knowles-Nelson had a chance to continue it, but instead chose to turn their backs on all of Wisconsin.”
