Land & Water Protection Continues

Cropped shot of an unrecognizable womanâ€™s hands under a stream of running water outdoors

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A $50,000 grant from the Madison Community Foundation has helped secure more than $33.2 million per year in state funding for land protection through 2026.

The grant helped Gathering Waters: Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts fund a six-month, statewide advocacy campaign for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, including in-person visits and land tours with legislators in their home districts.

“The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is Wisconsin’s best source of state funding for land and water protection,” says Mike Carlson, Gathering Waters executive director. “Without it, many land trusts and other environmental organizations would struggle to raise funds to protect land.”

On July 8, Gov. Tony Evers signed the 2021-2023 state budget, renewing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program for four more years and increasing funding to $33.25 million per year.

The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program supplies matching grants to land trusts, communities and other conservation organizations across the state. Over the past 30 years, Stewardship grants have supplied more than $60 million to support projects in the Madison area. Funds have been used to protect forests, wetlands and prairies. The money also helps build and maintain community parks, trails, boat landings and campgrounds.

Land & Water Protection Continues

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