Door County Land Trust
For more than 30 years, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been the best source of state funding to protect Wisconsin’s land, water, and way of life. Initially funded at $25 million on a 10-year cycle, the Stewardship Fund peaked at $86 million in the 2000s before being cut by state legislators in 2015. Currently, Knowles-Nelson is funded at $33.25 million on a 2-year cycle and will expire this year if it is not renewed during the current state budget debate.
In recognition of the numerous ecological and economical benefits to the state that a strong land conservation program provides, earlier this year, state legislators proposed reauthorizing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program at more than double its current funding level—to $70 million a year—through 2030. That 10-year reauthorization will provide the long-term certainty that non-profits and local governments need in order to plan and carry out environmental conservation projects.
Help support 10 more years of Wisconsin Conservation!
Your voice matters, and we ask that you contact your state legislators! Tell your legislator why the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is important—how land conservation has improved your quality of life and what the Door County Land Trust means to you!
Go to KnowlesNelson.org to send your legislator a letter of support today or contact your legislator directly: call (608) 266-3512 for Senator Andre Jacque and (608) 266-5350 for Representative Joel Kitchens. Every message counts!
About the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program
Created in 1989, and named after the bi-partisan vision of senators Warren Knowles and Gaylord Nelson, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program gives the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources the authority to purchase land and support recreational infrastructure on state properties, and fund a family of grants that help local communities and nonprofits expand parks and public nature preserves.
Since that time, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has helped protect more than 650,000 acres of Wisconsin’s most important and scenic ecosystems at a cost of $1.3 billion. That may seem like a hefty price tag, but consider this: according to research from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it is estimated that lands conserved with Knowles-Nelson dollars return, on average, $2 billion in natural services annually. In other words, every year, lands protected by the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program return almost twice as much to Wisconsin as we’ve invested in the past 30 years.
Door County and the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program
Grants provided by the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program have been a significant source of conservation funding for Door County. To date, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has invested $30,829,500 in 265 projects across Door County. Recent projects include:
- Sister Bay Waterfront Park
- Ahnapee State Trail
- Mink River Estuary
- Jacksonport Lakeside Park Expansion
Door County Land Trust now protects…
Knowles-Nelson grants have also been integral to the Door County Land Trust’s preservation of more than 8,600 acres, providing $10,701,034 in funding for 83 projects, including:
Land conservation is good for your health and the economy
Clean air. Healthy water.
Land Conservation protects us. When we take care of Wisconsin’s natural resources—its watersheds, wetlands and wildlife habitats—those resources take care of us. Trees trap carbon and filter pollution from the air; grasslands store massive amounts carbon in their roots. Forests, grasslands and wetlands that border rivers, streams and lakes filter pollution and contaminants from the water. If we don’t protect our environment’s natural filtration system, those pollutants and contaminants can end up in our food and water—and in our bodies.
Reducing Climate Change.
Protecting natural habitats also reduces the impacts of climate change. Marshes, wetlands and forests reduce the flooding and erosion caused by storms and rising water levels, which saves lives and property and lessens the need for expensive infrastructure projects such as floodwalls and shoreline reinforcement. In Door County, coastal wetlands act as giant sponges, absorbing major rainfall events and releasing the waters into Green Bay and Lake Michigan more slowly.
A better place to live and visit.
Across the country, land conservation supports thousands of jobs and generates billions of dollars annually through tourism, outdoor recreation, forestry and agriculture. In 2019 alone, tourism generated 3,255 jobs and added $480.6 million to the Door County economy. People come from across the country to visit Sturgeon Bay, Baileys Harbor, Egg Harbor, Sister Bay, Jacksonport and Washington Island—all places that, as their names imply, are deeply connected to the water. Imagine a Door County without protected public lands and beautiful waters. Those very lands and waters are the reason people choose to visit. Put simply, Door County’s tourism industry—and the economy it supports—is directly tied to land conservation.
Act now! Contact your legislator today!
Since 1989, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been the best way to protect our land and water resources, and the investments that we make today will benefit our children, and their children, for generations to come. Let’s continue to take care of our environment, our economy and ourselves! Contact your legislator today! Go to KnowlesNelson.org to send a letter of support!