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Endowment fund surpasses $1M for habitat projects

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 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. “Public lands pay dividends for generations to come.”

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 nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. In addition to major donations from individuals and businesses, the fund also is 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 4 million annual license purchasers, approximately 1% 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, said Keith Warnke, DNR Fish, Wildlife and Parks Division administrator.

“The use of Wisconsin’s public lands has increased in recent years, and so have barriers to keeping them healthy, thriving and pristine,” Warnke said. “Addressing unprecedented challenges such as invasive species and increased flooding requires more resources. To ensure these lands are available, viable and continue to benefit our economy, we must work together to properly manage them.”

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a recent surge of interest in spending time outdoors. Wisconsin state parks, trails and forests have seen a 15% increase in attendance, with more than 19.5 million visitors from January to October.

For every $1 million in the endowment, approximately $50,000, or about 5% per year, will be distributed for land stewardship.

Projects are selected by a stakeholder group including organizations such as the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.

Examples of future projects that may receive funding include improving habitat and forest health, controlling invasive species, the restoration of wetlands, grasslands, forests and migratory bird habitat along migration pathways or the placement of lunker structures to improve fish spawning habitat, including both game and rare fish and aquatic invertebrates.

The public can donate to the fund through the CherishWisconsin.org website.

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