The Perpetual Notion Machine host Catherine Garvens speaks with Jason Stein, Vice President and Research Director at the Wisconsin Policy Forum. In March 2023, they published a report titled This Land is Our Land: The Past and Future of Conservation Funding in Wisconsin, which examines how Wisconsin ranks nation-wide in public land use and funding, the economic impact of outdoor recreation in the state, and how conservation funding in the state has changed.

Here’s an excerpt from the report:

Despite its strong reputation for conservation and outdoor pastimes, the state has seen steady erosion in state tax funding (also known as General Purpose Revenue) for conservation programs and for the state Department of Natural Resources more broadly, and a rise in other funding sources such as fees imposed on state park visits and garbage heading to landfills (know as tipping fees on solid waste).

We also discuss possible alternative funding models used with success in other states.  Click here to read the full report.

 

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