Wisconsin’s Elected Officials Need to Reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program in 2019

Several people standing on a bluff looking out over water.

Your voice is an answer to the threat facing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program in 2019.

The Republican-controlled legislature and Governor Evers must agree to reauthorize funding for the Stewardship Program in the next state budget. 

Gathering Waters is a leader on this issue. Drawing on decades of experience with protecting the Stewardship Program, we spent time last year laying a strong foundation for the 2019 budget battle.

During the past 12 months, we:

  • Retained professional lobbyists to be our eyes and ears in political circles to get us the right meetings, with the right people, at the right times
  • Organized a coalition and task force with over 20 like-minded organizations around reauthorization
  • Conducted statewide polling that verified land and water protection is very important to a vast majority of Wisconsinites regardless of political affiliation
  • Hosted six advocacy forums around the state to answer questions and get people involved
  • Researched the best tools and tactics for influencing elected officials

These investments will play an essential role in the 2019 budget battle, but there’s a critical piece missing; your elected officials need to know funding land and water protection in Wisconsin is important to YOU.

We’ll make it easy for you to reach out to your elected officials. At key times during the budget debates, we will ask you to call or write your legislators. These personal contacts are often the most effective.

To stay up-to-date on what’s happening to the Stewardship Program, we invite you to join Team Knowles-Nelson.