DNR outlines governor’s $1 billion Knowles‑Nelson reauthorization, board hears oversight and funding details

Deputy Secretary Steven Little and management and budget director Maggie Hutter briefed the Natural Resources Board on May 28 about Governor Evers’ proposed Knowles‑Nelson Stewardship reauthorization: $100 million per year for 10 years aimed at acquisitions, grants and property development across Wisconsin.

Little described the program’s history and scope, saying Knowles‑Nelson has invested more than $1.3 billion and protected roughly 650,000 acres since 1989. He said land acquisition is only one component of the program and that much of the funding flows through grants to local governments and nonprofit conservation organizations.

Maggie Hutter outlined the governor’s allocation priorities. Under the proposal the DNR’s direct fee‑simple acquisition funding would rise slightly to $6 million per year, Ice Age Trail funding would remain at $1 million, and nonprofit land‑acquisition grants would increase from $7 million to $14 million per year. The budget moves substantial new money to property development, tribal co‑management (a new subprogram), habitat management grants for nonprofit conservation organizations, motorized‑recreation grants for local governments, and a large increase in local government development grants and recreational boating facility grants.

Hutter noted the governor would eliminate the statutory limit capping fee‑simple purchases at one‑third of acquisition funds; removing that cap is intended to give the department flexibility to meet demand in more populated southern counties as well as northern areas that currently yield more easement opportunities. She said less than a quarter of the proposed funding would be targeted to land acquisition overall, and about 7 percent would be used for DNR acquisitions.

Board members asked about oversight, tax impacts, and the program’s economic benefits. Little described board approval thresholds for large acquisitions (for example, purchases over $150,000 or over 40 acres outside project boundaries require NRB approval) and pointed to statutory and Joint Finance Committee constraints. He also noted tools such as conservation easements and payments in lieu of taxes to limit impacts on local tax rolls.

Board members and Little discussed program debt and the stewardship bond repayments: interest payments from 2015–2025 totaled roughly $230 million and outstanding principal was about $414 million as of January 2025. Little and Hutter framed the stewardship program as an economic engine supporting outdoor recreation, tourism and jobs; they cited a 2024 estimate that outdoor recreation contributes about $11.2 billion to Wisconsin’s GDP and supports roughly 97,000 jobs.

The presentation was informational; the board did not vote on reauthorization. Board members expressed support for transparency and oversight and asked staff and legislative partners to continue work on details. Several members thanked staff for the historical context and asked for follow‑up materials on program economics and regional impacts.