Key Provisions of the Program

Stewardship Goals:

The Stewardship Program was established in 1989 to:

Preserve Wisconsin's most significant land and water resources for future generations.
Provide the land base and recreational facilities needed for quality outdoor experiences.

These goals are achieved by acquiring land and easements for conservation and recreation purposes, developing and improving recreational facilities, and restoring wildlife habitat.

Funding:

The program is funded with general obligation bonds. The state sells bonds to investors now, then pays back the debt over the next 20 years. This spreads the cost over time so it is shared with future users of public lands. Foundations, businesses, and private citizens also contribute to Stewardship projects, and landowners may donate land and easements too. This leveraging of private resources with public funds is an important ingredient in the Stewardship success story.

Funding Level:	$60 million each year
Length of Program:	Stewardship I - 1990-2000 Stewardship II - 2000-2010

Grants: An important component of the program is cooperation and partnership between the DNR, local governments and private nonprofit organizations (NCOs). To foster this partnership, Stewardship provides 50% match grants to local governments and NCOs for eligible projects. These grants enable the state to stretch its dollars by leveraging those dollars with other funding sources. To learn more about grants, see Stewardship Grants.

Priorities: Stewardship is actually an umbrella for several subprograms, each with its own goals, and priorities. These programs provide funds to improve visitor amenities at state and local parks, restore wetlands and prairies, and acquire land for trails, natural areas, state and county forests, wildlife habitat, urban green space, state and local parks, river and stream corridors, flowages, and wild lakes. See Stewardship Programs and Priorities for a complete description of each.

Last Revised: Thursday November 16 2006