The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program protects Wisconsin’s lands, waters, clean air, human health, working forests and the jobs they provide, tourism revenue, wildlife habitat and the trails, parks, lakes, rivers and forests where we walk, fish, hunt, ski and enjoy the outdoors. The Mukwonago River Unit of the Southern Kettle Moraine Forest was purchased using these funds, as well as several other important parcels in the watershed. Our pristine watershed needs as much land protection as we can get to retain its excellence for our dense population and its future value to southeastern Wisconsin residents.
This important public/private partnership to protect public owned and used land is at risk under Governor Walker’s budget. If you care about the Mukwonago River, you could write your legislators and request that they not allow elimination of this bond funding to purchase open space lands.
This is a K-N Stewardship letter we will be hand delivering to the legislators in the watershed on Tuesday, April 14th, Conservation Lobby Day of the League of Conservation Voters. Feel free to join me at the Capitol that day. Write you own letter to the legislators, and to yours where you live, and help preserve the watershed in its pristine state.
We feel every dollar we invest in conserving our lands and waters at today’s prices is a great value today and in the future. According to the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the debt service for the Stewardship Program is less than 0.5% of the budget General Purpose Revenue expenditures. That means that debt service on the Program costs each Wisconsin resident less than a fishing license or state part sticker each year. Can we afford this small amount each year to preserve public lands for everyone’s use?
Visit Gathering Waters to find what you can do to help.