Take action to support Knowles Nelson funding!
December 8, 2022 | Topics: Issues
Dear friends of The Natural Realm,
I urge you to join me and follow the link in the message forwarded below from our project partner, Gathering Waters, to help support Knowles Nelson Stewardship Foundation funding, one of the best programs in Wisconsin for protecting our wealth of nature. It takes less than a minute!
Eddee Daniel, Preserve Our Parks
A message from Gathering Waters, Wisconsin’s alliance for land trusts:
The Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) is at it again. An anonymous legislator, without any public explanation, has blocked the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from completing the largest land conservation project in state history.
The Pelican River Forest would conserve more than 70,000 acres of private forestland in Langlade, Forest, and Oneida counties for public recreation and forestry. This single project would get Wisconsin more than halfway towards the goal Governor Evers’ set in his executive order calling for 125,000 acres of forestland to be conserved by 2030 as part of the state’s effort to address the climate crisis.
How did this happen?
The last step to approve a Knowles-Nelson project like the Pelican River Forest is what’s known as passive review by the JFC. JFC’s oversight comes after the DNR has thoroughly vetted the project and after the Natural Resources Board approves it. A lot of smart and qualified real estate and natural resources professionals have worked very hard to put together this high-value project for the benefit of Wisconsin residents and visitors.
Unfortunately, at the eleventh hour, the JFC has threatened to scuttle the whole thing. And their secretive approach nearly defies belief.
A single, anonymous legislator can object to a project for any reason, or for no reason at all. That objection stops the project in its tracks.
JFC’s review process lacks the most basic elements of good governance: there is no transparency, no accountability, and no clear path for an up-or-down vote. Knowles-Nelson projects have languished for years because of a JFC objection.
This arbitrary practice of anonymous objections has to stop.
Please contact your state legislators and the members of the Joint Finance Committee and urge them to lift the objection, approve the Pelican River Forest project, and provide accountability and transparency in the JFC review process.
Taking action is easy. Just click the button below. We’ve identified your legislators and drafted the messages. Reaching out takes less than a minute.
6 thoughts on "Take action to support Knowles Nelson funding!"
Comments are closed.
Stop this unfair, anti-democratic practice of allowing one anonymous JFC legislator to block Knowles-Nelson projects that have been vetted and approved. The JFC should have a transparent review process where the public knows where their legislators stand.
Approve the Pelican River Forest Project for the benefit of all Wisconsin residents.
Sincerely,,
Stephanie Sandy
Thank you Stephanie! Eddee
I am very upset to hear that the Joint Finance Committee is holding up funding for the DNR to complete the Pelican River Project’s purchase of land through the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Foundation. This kind of an opportunity for the state to protect 70,000 acres of land for public recreation and forestry uses. Wisconsin has historically been a leader in land conservation efforts, and it is appalling that the objection of an anonymous legislator can block such a worthwhile project. Please listen to the DNR and the citizens of Wisconsin who, like me, are proud of our beautiful state and its record of land conservation. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Please protect nature!
I support the Knowles Nelson funding to help protect nature and the environment.
Thanks Joyce. If you haven’t already, make sure you tell that to the legislature. 😉