July 17, 2007
Dear Editor:
Recent reports indicate that our nation’s children are not as active as previous generations of kids. In an era of video games and other competing interests, it is critical that we foster an appreciation and respect for the natural world in our children to help keep them active in the outdoors.
One of the most important steps we can take is to ensure our children and grandchildren have nearby places to take a hike through the woods, swim in a lake, or experience nature. The central element in preserving our outdoor heritage is the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. Through this program, nearly half-a-million acres have been preserved since it began, and Governor Jim Doyle has made the Stewardship Fund a top priority – protecting 180,000 acres since he took office.
These Stewardship purchases not only preserve land, but they provide all citizens – not just those who are lucky enough to own a piece of land – with a place to hunt or fish, hike, watch wildlife, canoe or kayak and experience all that nature has to offer.
The Governor has made a major commitment to future generations by proposing reauthorization of the Stewardship program for another ten years and increasing the funding to protect our waters, fields, and forests to $105 million per year during that time. The increase will allow the program to keep pace with the rising costs of land in rural areas as well as land near more urban areas of our state. However, the state Assembly recently cut funding for the Stewardship program in the state budget, reducing by nearly 60% the funding that had already been allocated for the next three years. Then, they set state land preservation efforts back almost two decades by only funding future years of the program at its level from 1990.
Think about the woodlot or fields you may have ridden your bike past when you were a kid. How many of them look the same today or will tomorrow? We are currently witnessing the largest intergenerational private land transfer in our state’s history, and seeing large tracts of forest land being sold, parceled off and developed. We are also seeing land prices skyrocket in rapidly developing areas, jeopardizing some of the open and green spaces that make community life in Wisconsin so special and attractive to families.
A recent bipartisan poll found that nearly 90 percent of residents believe Wisconsin should find the money to set aside wild places for future generations, even in times when the state budget is tight.
Preserving Stewardship isn’t just about protecting our land. It’s about protecting Wisconsin values and instilling the strong ethic of conservation and outdoor recreation, passed on to us by people like Gaylord Nelson, in the generations to follow. I encourage Wisconsin residents to call their legislators, and tell them how they feel.
What we do now determines the quality of life for our kids. Will they enjoy the same Wisconsin outdoors our parents and grandparents gave us? Once the wild places are gone, they cannot be replaced. Now, more than ever, we need to reauthorize Stewardship at the strong level proposed by Governor Doyle to make an investment in the conservation future of our state.
Sincerely,
Scott Hassett
Secretary
