Committee unanimously recommends re-referral of $168 million Outdoor Heritage Fund package

The Minnesota House Legacy Committee voted 9-0 on March 5 to recommend that House File 1250, a roughly $168 million Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) appropriations bill, be re‑referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.

The bill packages 22 habitat programs and a mix of acquisition, restoration and enhancement projects across the state after review and prioritization by the Lessard‑Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Mark Johnson, the council’s executive director, told the committee the package represents the council’s competitive selections after 16 years of OHF work: “The bill is about $168,000,000 — it’s not small.”

The recommendation matters because OHF money supports land protection, restoration and habitat projects across Minnesota and is one of the state’s constitutionally created legacy funds. Committee members questioned staff about how the money would be spent, how much acreage was included, how phased projects work and how the state may leverage federal conservation dollars.

Johnson and Joe Pavelko, the council’s assistant director, walked members through major subdivisions of the bill. Highlights discussed during the presentation included:

- Funding mix and scale: The package includes prairie, forest and wetland sections. Johnson described about $35 million for prairie work, roughly $20 million for forest projects, about $30 million for…