Wisconsinites cherish state lands, with $1 million fund

The Wisconsin DNR reached a major milestone of a $1 million endowment fund, that provides permanent funding for habitat management projects on land owned or managed by the agency.

Created in 2012, by an act of the Wisconsin State Legislature, the Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund, is an endowment that provides a permanent source of funding to care for Wisconsin’s public lands for generations to come. The Legislature established the fund to protect, restore and improve habitat, for Wisconsin’s plants and animals.

“The growth of the Cherish Fund illustrates the importance that Wisconsinites place on access to public lands, and the investment in the future of our natural resources,” said DNR deputy secretary Beth Bier.

The Cherish Fund is an opportunity for people to invest in the public lands and waters where they recreate. The fund is held by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, a private nonprofi t 501c3 organization. In addition to major donations from individuals and businesses, the fund is also supported by donations made when people purchase a hunting or fishing license through the DNR’s GoWild! system, or through donations made on CherishWisconsin.org.

Of the four million annual license purchasers, approximately 1 percent choose to donate, with an average donation of $5.

Wisconsin has 1.5 million acres of publicly owned forests, prairies, parks, streams and lakes. Over the past two decades, the increased demand for conservation lands to recreate on, has outpaced the growth in the state’s capacity to manage these lands, according to Keith Warnke, DNR Fish, Wildlife and Parks Division administrator.

“To ensure these lands are available, viable and continue to benefit our economy, we must work together to properly manage them,” said Warnke.