Clean Water Updates

Posted January 24, 2026- The latest Wave Boat news from Last Wilderness Alliance (LWA) makes the case for a minimum operating depth of 30ft.

In the latest LWA newsletter they argue the minimum depth number should be 30ft. They argue current laws are outdated and a new forward-looking solution is needed.

LWA explains why laws are outdated.

Outdated Laws, Modern Needs

Wisconsin’s waterway rules were written decades before wake surfing existed. With today’s surf boats and their more powerful technology, current standards no longer provide adequate protection for lake bottoms, shoreline habitat, wildlife, or other lake users.

LWA also offers the solution.

A Balanced, Forward-Looking Solution

Requiring wake surfing to occur at depths greater than 30 feet is a reasonable compromise. It protects other boaters and near-shoreline users, safeguards sensitive habitat, and ensures that Wisconsin’s lakes remain enjoyable for everyone—now and in the future. 

The full LWA newsletter which also includes a 45-second (Oh Wow!) clip of lakebed damage from a wave boat can be viewed at:  30 Feet in Depth- Why? 

Posted January 24, 2026- Republican Knowles Nelson bill just the latest environmental disappointment related to partisan bickering- While stripping away all land acquisition funding for all land acquisitions, Republicans moved forward with a bill to gut the Knowles Nelson Program. A Wisconsin Cap Times article Wisconsin conservation fund caught in political back-and-forth | Government | captimes.com highlights the latest disappointment. A quote from the article shares the Republican plans:

 "On Thursday, the Assembly passed two Republican-authored bills — AB315 and AB612 — that were amended during the floor session to extend the program through 2028. In those two years, land acquisitions would effectively be paused, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would be required to conduct a study and inventory of all land acquired since the program’s inception, and any future projects in the works. Originally, the legislation renewed the program through 2032 with $28 million a year. 

The lead author of the bills, Rep. Tony Kurtz, R-Wonewoc, did not speak on the legislation or their amendments during Thursday’s floor session, and his office could not be immediately reached for further information." 

In response to the Republican Bills, Gathering Waters the statewide alliance for land trusts stated:

"What passed yesterday is Knowles-Nelson in name only.

Unfortunately, the bills passed yesterday would fundamentally weaken Knowles-Nelson's core purpose: preserving important natural communities, protecting water quality and fisheries, and expanding opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The bills—which were dramatically rewritten since the Assembly Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation considered them late last year—include virtually no funding for land acquisition.

During yesterday’s session, Rep. Vinnie Miresse (D-Stevens Point) argued that “every time Republicans amend the Knowles-Nelson proposal, it seems to get worse,” saying:

“Without land acquisition, Republicans have neutered this program and rendered it Knowles-Nelson in name only.”

Land trusts and local governments would have no dedicated grants to acquire land for public access for outdoor recreation or to protect environmentally sensitive areas."

What You Can Do

Communicating with your Assembly Representative, your State Senator, and the Governor is more important than ever.

We have updated all messages at action.knowlesnelson.org for this urgent moment.

• To your Senator: urge a bipartisan compromise that includes land acquisition funding.
• To your Assembly Representative: reinforce the importance of land acquisition and ask for support if a compromise bill returns.
• To the Governor: thank him for maintaining a firm stance that any reauthorization must fully fund both acquisition and management.

TAKE ACTION 

While the legislative process is not complete, a chance remains the Senate may come to their senses and remember that Knowles Nelson has a long history of bipartisanship. Below we are reprising our June 20th post with Senator Felzkowski sharing her issues with the Knowles Nelson Program by Facebook video and Gathering Waters' response to her concerns.

Setting the Record Straight: A Response to Claims About the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program

June 20, 2025- Wisconsin's Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been a cornerstone of our state's conservation efforts for over three decades, protecting precious natural resources while providing outdoor recreation opportunities for all Wisconsinites. If you hunt, fish, hike, ride bikes, or just enjoy a picnic outside, Knowles-Nelson has worked for you.  And that’s why more than nine out of ten voters support continuing the program. Recently, Senate President Mary Felzkowski, in a Facebook video, made several claims about the program that deserve a close look. Policy debates should always be grounded in accurate information.

Senator Felzkowski claims that Wisconsin spends "over 1.5 million per week" on the stewardship program, presenting this figure as cause for alarm. First, this exaggerates the actual cost by approximately 20%. The weekly debt service for Knowles-Nelson is actually about $1.23 million.

More importantly, this figure lacks context. When we break down the true cost, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program costs each Wisconsin resident less than $11 per year—just 21 cents per person per week. This modest investment has yielded extraordinary returns in protected lands, clean water, and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Knowles-Nelson costs pale in comparison to other debts the state carries. For example, Wisconsin's debt service for transportation infrastructure costs $1.21 million per day—nearly six times more than our weekly investment in conservation. 

Bonding is how governments finance long-term purchases, just like when one of us buys a house. If an investment has a high upfront cost but provides benefits for a long time (think paving roads, building schools, or purchasing land), then it makes sense to spread the cost out over the life of the investment. That’s what bonding does.

Most importantly, Wisconsin is in excellent financial condition, carrying less debt than at any time in the past 25 years. There are no legitimate concerns about our state's debt load that would justify scaling back this successful program.

Senator Felzkowski suggests that Wisconsin already has plenty of public land, claiming that "approximately 20% of all land in Wisconsin is publicly owned." This figure is inflated. The actual percentage of public land in Wisconsin is just under 17% and includes federal land as well as conservation lands owned by the state, local governments, and nonprofits. The difference between 17 and 20 percent is bigger than it may seem at first. Three percent of Wisconsin’s land is more than one million acres. Less than that has been conserved in the entire 35 years of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

Far from having "enough" public land, Wisconsin actually trails behind both the national average of 25% and our neighbors Michigan and Minnesota. Wisconsin's conservation efforts have been comparatively modest, making continued investment in the Knowles-Nelson program all the more important.

Restoring, Not Eroding, Checks and Balances

Perhaps most concerning is Senator Felzkowski's characterization of the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in the case Evers v. Marklein. She claims that Governor Evers' lawsuit "seriously damaged the relationship between the legislature and the stewardship program" and resulted in "an erosion of checks and balances."

This turns the court's ruling on its head. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in a 6-1 decision that crossed ideological lines, ruled that the legislature had grossly overstepped its constitutional authority. The court found that anonymous objections by individual legislators violated the separation of powers enshrined in our state constitution. 

The court recognized that once the full legislature appropriates funds through the budget process, individual legislators cannot anonymously block those expenditures. This decision restored constitutional governance, not damaged it.

Senator Felzkowski's claim that stewardship funds now constitute "a blank check for Governor Evers" is simply false. The Department of Natural Resources operates under extensive statutes and administrative rules that govern Knowles-Nelson. Rigorous applications, appraisals, and strict limits on the kinds of projects that can be funded all direct the DNR’s work. And the legislature retains full authority to modify these rules at any time through the normal legislative process.

Senator Pat Testin and Representative Tony Kurtz, recently introduced a bill to update the Knowles-Nelson statutes and provide new guidance for the program. The bill has not received a committee hearing in the senate. As Senate President, Senator Felzkowski is uniquely empowered to advance such legislation and restructure the program.

The claim that "120,000 acres of stewardship land has literally vanished from the DNR records" is misleading. No land nor records have vanished. What happened was a significant, but correctable, administrative error on the part of the Department of Natural Resources.

The Department of Natural Resources discovered that it had incorrectly attributed some land acquisitions to the Knowles-Nelson program when those purchases were actually funded through other sources. All public lands remain protected. The issue is how those purchases are coded in the DNR database. 

It's worth noting that years of legislative budget cuts have forced the DNR to operate with antiquated computer systems, contributing to such record-keeping challenges. This doesn't excuse the error, but it highlights the importance of adequate funding for basic administrative functions.

Senator Felzkowski states that she is "focused on maintaining the public land Wisconsin currently has." However, her actions suggest otherwise. During her tenure, the legislature has consistently underfunded state parks and land management accounts, creating an enormous backlog of maintenance needs. The very Knowles-Nelson program she criticizes would provide crucial funding for maintaining and improving our existing public lands under the bill introduced by Rep. Kurtz and Sen. Testin.

Legislators who prioritize maintaining our public lands should support robust funding for the programs that make such maintenance possible.

Moving Forward Together

Wisconsin's natural resources are indeed a critical asset, as Senator Felzkowski correctly notes. Our forests, lakes, trails, and parks support a thriving outdoor recreation economy worth more than $11 billion annually.. They provide hunting, fishing, hiking, and countless other opportunities that enrich the lives of Wisconsin families.

The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has been remarkably successful for over 30 years, enjoying broad bipartisan support throughout its history. Rather than mischaracterizing its costs and operations, we should be working together to ensure this vital program continues to serve Wisconsin's conservation needs.

Charlie Carlin

Director of Strategic Initiatives

Gathering Waters: Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts

Posted January 19, 2026- Canadian Company with interests in Oneida County moves forward with drilling project in Chequamegon National Forest.

GreenLight Metals (GLM), a Canadian junior mining company is pushing forward with more drilling in the Chequamegon National Forest. A January 15th WPR  More drilling for copper and gold in northern Wisconsin may begin next month - WPR article documented the latest efforts. The extent of the drilling was related in a quote from the WPR article.

"In December, mining company GreenLight Wisconsin submitted plans to drill up to 20 holes across 15 sites within a 40-acre parcel of the Bend deposit in Taylor County near Medford. The deposit is estimated to contain around 4.2 million tons of ore containing primarily copper-bearing sulfides and gold.

The company is seeking necessary approvals from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service, said Steve Donohue, a director on the company’s board."

Why the GLM drilling in Taylor County is relevant to us in Oneida County was documented in our November 21st OCCWA homepage article about GLM planning on drilling near Lake Lucille in the town of Schoepke. One of the concerns shared in our November article was the impacts an eventual mine would have on our water.

"Environmental impacts from a Metallic Sulfide mine on the other hand are well understood. Sulfide mines are known to create Acid Mine Drainage which causes leaching of heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, copper, and other metals into the ground and surface waters. Clearly heavy metal contamination of water from mining is exponentially more impactful than exploratory drilling. Possible mining contamination could affect not just Lake Lucille, but also Lucille Creek a tributary to the Wolf River as well as nearby aquifers."

Whether the cash infusion GLM received recently will result in drilling in Schoepke this spring is yet to be determined. What should not change is residents' opposition on Metallic Sulfide Mining in Oneida County and the Northwoods. The combination of the water rich Northwoods and sulfide mining is a recipe for disaster. Public opposition to metallic sulfide mining must remain strong, much as it was in the Protect the Willow movement.

A January 8th Letter to the Editor Your letters: Writers argue impacts of mining - Wausau Pilot & Review  in the Wausau Pilot and Review did a wonderful job explaining why metallic sulfide mining is a bad idea in the Northwoods.