Congress is poised to pass landmark legislation that could ensure the future protection of some of Wisconsin’s most precious outdoor areas. From the Chippewa Flowage Forest Legacy Project – Wisconsin’s third-largest inland body of water, known for its world-class fishery – to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, covering 12-hundred miles across the state, many places in Wisconsin have received support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The program expired in September, but the Senate last week overwhelmingly passed a permanent reauthorization as part of the Natural Resources Management Act. Tracy Stone-Manning with the National Wildlife Federation calls it a rare show of bipartisanship.
Wisconsin has received more than 218-million dollars in L-W-C-F grants over the past 50 years. The money comes from offshore oil and gas royalties. The House could vote on the bill as early as next week. Wisconsin has an outdoor-recreation economy worth almost 18-billion dollars a year. Garett Reppenhagen with the Vet Voice Foundation says it is no doubt boosted by public lands.
Polling shows three-in-four Americans support permanent reauthorization for the program, which Stone-Manning believes is needed to ensure treasured places are protected for future generations.
A 2018 statewide poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and F-M-3 Research showed 86-percent of Wisconsin voters support reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
