DNR signs off on 12 Stewardship projects after Supreme Court blocked legislative vetoes

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has signed off on $7.7 million for a dozen projects under the state’s land purchase program following a Supreme Court ruling that barred the Legislature’s finance committee from blocking conservation projects.

Gov. Tony Evers announced the funding awards under the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program on Friday.

“Wisconsin’s tradition of being good stewards of our lands has long been supported through the Stewardship Program, and I’m excited that we’re continuing to build upon our conservation efforts through these 12 projects that will help bolster the accessibility, enjoyment, and preservation of our natural spaces in local communities across our state,” Evers said in a press release.

First created in 1989, the Stewardship program provides funding to purchase public lands for conservation. It also provides grants for local parks, boat ramp facilities, county forests, friends groups and snowmobile and ATV trails. The projects awarded Friday include $1 million for a boat launch facility in Ashland, which the Joint Committee on Finance rejected several times.

In July, the Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that certain statutes governing the program unconstitutionally authorized the Republican-controlled committee to block Stewardship funding. The decision came after Evers sued the committee’s Republican leaders for violating the separation of powers through legislative vetoes of 27 projects since 2019.

The committee’s GOP lawmakers had raised anonymous objections to land purchases through its passive review process, leaving projects in limbo by failing to hold hearings on them. That amounted to a “pocket veto” of projects, including a $15.5 million conservation easement for the Pelican River Forest. The committee eventually voted to kill $4 million in Stewardship funding for the project, but Evers went around lawmakers to finalize the purchase with federal funds.

Charles Carlin, strategic initiatives director with Gathering Waters, said many groups had stopped trying to apply for money under the program as lawmakers objected to funding Stewardship projects.

“The fact that all those dollars have been awarded, it certainly demonstrates that now that that obstruction is a thing of the past, we’re seeing money moving again,” Carlin said.

Even so, Republican lawmakers have criticized land purchases under the program, saying it takes private lands off the tax rolls and contributes to the state’s debt.

Evers has said he looks forward to approving the DNR’s request to reauthorize the program for a decade at $100 million each year beginning in 2026. It’s currently funded at roughly $33 million, including $8 million in cash and $25 million through bonding.

One of the committee’s Republican co-chairs, Rep. Mark Born of Beaver Dam, has said the entire Stewardship program is in jeopardy following the court’s decision.

“It’s unfortunate that Governor Evers’ lawsuit removed all accountability of the Stewardship program, which helped ensure local voices were heard and that taxpayer resources were spent wisely,” Born said in a statement last month.

Ashland Mayor Matt MacKenzie said the city is excited to receive funding under the program. He said city officials hope to secure remaining funds for the project and install the boat launch next year.

“We’re looking forward to getting it done,” MacKenzie said.

MacKenzie said the boat launch is part of the city’s strategic plan because it’s an important economic driver for Ashland. He said the city currently lacks a boat landing in waters deep enough to support larger watercraft on Lake Superior.

“It’s going to be not only good for us, but it’s going to be good for the region and the whole state in that we’re so close to Minnesota and Michigan,” MacKenzie said. “It’s going to allow them to access the lake in Ashland instead of having to go further north to do it.”

Without it, Ashland’s mayor said it would have been tough for the city to raise funds for the project amid restrictions on raising property taxes under levy limits. He said the governor understood that some objections to awarding Stewardship funds were used as a “political football” rather than doing what’s right. 

The list of projects approved Friday include:

• $1.02 million for an ADA-accessible boat launch facility in Ashland
• $1 million for reconstruction of a seawall and armored shoreline in Neenah
• $920,000 for realigning the Jefferson Park boat launch in Menasha
• $766,133 for riverwalk construction in downtown Beloit
• $723,320 for development of new gathering spaces at Echo Lake in Burlington
• $710,347 for an ADA-compliant stairway and more at Cascade Falls in Osceola
• $560,370 for construction of a Wisconsin River Trail project in Boscobel
• $513,617 for construction of facilities at Albert Field Memorial Park in Hillsboro
• $433,000 for a shelter and more at Gruetzmacher Park in Caledonia
• $403,625 for a paved walking loop at Metcalfe Playfield in Milwaukee
• $363,617 for riverfront trail development and other infrastructure in Prescott
• $300,000 for ADA-accessible restrooms at Wirth Park in Brookfield