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(June 4, 2024) -- “Today, the Wisconsin Legislature took an important step to protect the state’s flagship land and water conservation program.   

State Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and State Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Steves Point) introduced legislation, LRB-0036/LRB-3557, that would extend the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and would—for the first time—provide Stewardship funds specifically for the conservation of wildlife habitat.  

Birds are in decline and are counting on us to conserve the areas they need across Wisconsin. This extension is critical to providing the certainty that Stewardship projects can continue, without disruption, to be planned and carried out across all of Wisconsin’s 72 counties for the benefit of birds, other wildlife and communities.  

Wisconsin has lost up to 50 percent of its historic wetlands and many of the grasslands that birds depend upon. Dedicated funding for wildlife habitat will help support some of our state’s most vulnerable species like the state-endangered Black-Tern and state-threatened Henslow’s Sparrow.

We thank Rep. Kurtz and Sen. Testin for working to preserve Wisconsin’s long-standing, bipartisan commitment to conserving the state’s most treasured natural spaces for all that depend on them. We look forward to working with the Wisconsin Legislature and the Governor to ensure the continuation of this successful Conservation Program that has been vital to protecting important bird and wildlife habitat for over 30 years.”