overview
The 2008 Outdoor Traditions Investment solution recommends smart investments, which are vital today and for future generations: protecting our waters, natural lands, and access to the outdoors, as well as supporting renewable energy. Yielding great returns for Minnesota, these capital investments will support purchasing natural areas, entering voluntary land preservation    agreements, and improving facilities essential to improving water quality, protecting and restoring natural areas, and providing people with access to our lands and waters. Without these investments, we will lose opportunities to protect our lands and waters, our wildlife habitat, our tourism economy, and our way of life. Making these long-term investments to protect Minnesota’s great outdoors is a smart investment in our future.

problem
Many of the priority capital investment projects that Minnesota Environmental Partnership supports are time-sensitive and cannot wait for possible future funding. Land available for protection today will be more expensive in future years, and some opportunities will be lost forever without this funding. In the last decade, the Minnesota Legislature has at times shown a strong commitment to the environment by allocating about 20 percent of the funds in capital investment bills to environmental projects. The challenge for Minnesota and this year’s Legislature and Governor is to continue support of the environment at this level in the 2008 Bonding Bill.

Click here to see Outdoor Traditions Investment Fact Sheet (PDF)