Audubon relies on essential public funding sources to do the conservation work that benefits birds and people in this region. When those programs are threatened, weakened, or barred from implementation, we mobilize to protect or establish funding that the residents of Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri overwhelmingly support.
We work to preserve the availability and process integrity of the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment, two essential public funding mechanisms for the conservation work that Audubon and so many others are doing to benefit wildlife and the people of Minnesota.
ENRTF:
The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) was created in 1988 with Minnesota’s voters approving a constitutional amendment. The ENRTF is designed to provide a reliable source of funding for activities that protect and enhance Minnesota’s environment and natural resources for the benefit of current citizens and future generations.
40% of the net proceeds from the Minnesota State Lottery are deposited to the Trust Fund each year, a contribution guaranteed by the Minnesota Constitution through 2050. Voters overwhelmingly approved the reauthorization of this funding for another 25 years in the 2024 election, a result that Audubon Upper Mississippi River actively worked towards.
The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) makes funding recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. The LCCMR is made up of 17 members: 5 Senators, 5 Representatives, 5 citizens appointed by the governor, 1 citizen appointed by the Senate, and 1 citizen appointed by the House.
To date, over $1 billion has been invested in our environment through the ENRTF; each year, the ENRTF funds over $80 million in projects in communities across the entire state, work that benefits wildlife, habitat, and recreation. Additionally, the 2024 renewal created a community grants program, promoting greater equity by ensuring organizations that are smaller, more rural, and diverse have access to funding to address local environmental issues.
Legacy Amendment:
In 2008, Minnesota’s voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (Legacy Amendment) to the Minnesota Constitution, which protects drinking water sources; protects, enhances, and restores wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; preserves arts and cultural heritage; supports parks and trails; and to protects, enhances, and restores lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
The Legacy Amendment increased the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent beginning on July 1, 2009 and continuing until 2034. The additional sales tax revenue is distributed into four funds: 33% to the clean water fund; 33% to the outdoor heritage fund; 19.75% to the arts and cultural heritage fund; and 14.25% to the parks and trails fund.
We advocate for funding the voter-approved constitutional fund for the environment, Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy (IWiLL) and mobilize against attempts to dismantle it.
63% of Iowans voted for a constitutional amendment to create the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund in 2010, and it has yet to be funded by the Iowa legislature, requiring a state sales tax increase of 3/8ths of a cent – the same as Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment. This would be a permanent and protected funding source dedicated to clean water, quality agricultural soils and wildlife habitat.
The sales tax is in place and dedicates funding to the environment. When this is under threat, we are aligned with the coalition ensuring this remains intact.
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