Last summer, Environment Minnesota joined a coalition of 200 organizations working to ensure passage of the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment on November 4th.  The amendment passed and will provide dedicated funding to protect clean water, parks and trails, and wildlife habitat.

Over the summer, and right up to election day, Environment Minnesota worked alongside the Vote Yes Minnesota coalition of groups to educate tens of thousands of voters about the amendment, urging them to vote yes.  

Now we face the threat of this long-term conservation funding being raided to fix short-term budgetary shortfalls.  While we all celebrated a victory on November 4th, elected officials with an eye towards balancing the budget may be tempted to ignore the voters mandate.

There is no doubt that Minnesota's special places are at risk.  Right now 40% of our state's tested waterways are polluted.  And we are losing our open spaces to development at an alarming rate.  Meanwhile, state funding for natural resources remains at an all time low.

Allies from this powerful coalition of over 200 conservation, environmental and arts groups will be watching the legislature closely this spring to ensure that even in these tough economic times this new, vital funding source is protected, and to ensure that these new funds supplement traditional sources of funding, rather than substitute.