Outdoor heritage funding gets early committee approval

Eighty-one miles of shoreline and 101,925 acres of wildlife habitat would be restored, enhanced or protected by the Outdoor Heritage Fund appropriations bill approved by the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee Wednesday.

Sponsored by Rep. Dan Fabian (R-Roseau), HF2789, the annual funding bill contains appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019 from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council.

According to the fund website, “Thirty-three percent of the sales tax revenue from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy amendment is distributed to the Outdoor Heritage Fund. Those funds ‘may be spent only to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands, prairies, forest and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife.’"

Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council Director Mark Johnson, left, and Chair Bob Anderson testify before the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee Feb. 28. Photo by Andrew VonBank

The bill would appropriate $113.9 million for the next fiscal year to fund 47 programs throughout the state. These programs would be carried out by 24 organizations comprised of 14 nongovernmental organizations, eight local units of government and two state agencies.

WATCH Full video of Feb. 28 environment and natural resources committee hearing

Of the 101,925 acres of wildlife habitat that would be affected by the bill; 77,835 acres are proposed for enhancement, 18,357 acres are set aside for protection and the remaining 5,733 acres are proposed for restoration.

This correlates to $65 million used for protection, $22.6 million put towards enhancement efforts and $14.2 million reserved for restoration.

Forty-three percent of the total spending would be used on prairie land, 31 percent would benefit wildlife habitats, 16 percent would affect wetlands and 10 percent would be set aside for forests.

HF2789 now moves to the House Legacy Funding Finance Committee. The companion, SF2688, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Lang (R-Olivia), awaits action by the Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance Committee.