Wisconsin's Land Purchase Program Likely to Expire in June

Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 -- 9:01 AM

(Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) Conservation groups say Wisconsin will lose out on opportunities to set aside public lands as the state’s land purchase program is likely to expire in June.

According to Danielle Kaeding with the Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin Senate failed to take up bills last week on the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, the state’s popular program for preserving public lands. The Senate does not have further floor sessions scheduled this year.

The program has historically received broad bipartisan support. Republicans cite a 2024 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that blocked legislative or “pocket vetoes” of funds that the Legislature had already earmarked for land purchases as one reason for the program’s looming demise.

Land trusts will likely be able to pursue fewer projects and be forced to rely almost entirely on donors, said Charles Carlin, director of strategic initiatives for the nonprofit Gathering Waters.

“Their only stable source of public funding for buying conservation lands goes away,” Carlin said. “We’ve seen source after source of federal funding become unreliable because of the chaos at the federal government.”

The program is currently funded at about $33 million per year. Republicans introduced bills to reauthorize the decades-long program with less funding and more legislative oversight, but Democrats and conservation groups criticized the proposals.

A Democratic proposal to more than double funding for the program didn’t advance. The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 240,000 acres of land with the help of Stewardship funds.

The group hopes reauthorization could be revisited as part of ongoing negotiations between GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers over funding tax relief and special education, said Alex Madorsky, the group’s associate director of government relations.

“We are urging the governor and legislators to include funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program in any package that might be passed in a special session of the Legislature,” Madorsky said.

Senate President Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk, told WPR on “Wisconsin Today” Monday that the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is part of ongoing talks.

“We are still in negotiations with the governor and hoping that we can get a package together and have it on the floor in the next couple of weeks, and Knowles-Nelson will be a part of that,” Felzkowski said.

Felzkowski is among Republicans who have expressed concern over the program taking private lands off the tax rolls, particularly in northern Wisconsin. She said she’s not against purchasing public lands, but she wants to see acquisitions near urban areas.

State Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin, D-Whitefish Bay, tried to extend the program for a year through an amendment on a separate bill Tuesday, but that effort failed.

If a deal can’t be reached, she said the program’s future may hinge on whether Democrats can gain the majority in the Legislature in November’s elections.

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