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State lawmakers encouraged to increase conservation district support

The Michigan Association of Conservation Districts is asking state lawmakers to increase appropriations for districts as federal resources diminish.

Executive Director Rivka Hodgkinson called for a $10 million allocation for operational funding during Wednesday’s House Appropriations Subcommittee meeting.

“This is especially critical as federal staffing declines,” she testified. “As we’re seeing a lot of the staff force being reduced at NRCS and USDA, having those conservation professionals available in local communities is going to become an increasing need that’s only going to grow.”

She says Michigan makes the smallest investment in conservation compared to other Great Lakes states.

“We would love to see Michigan be a leader in the Great Lakes and conservation, which requires funding to do,” she says.

“We have more coastline of Great Lakes than any other state in the region. We have a lot worth protecting here.”

When asked where the 300% increase in funding would come from, MACD President Jerry Miller pointed to models in other regions like Illinois.

“They’re working with their legislature to establish a fund for an acreage fee on farmland that is taken out of production for commercial or housing, or solar development,” he explains.

Hodgkinson says fee increases should also be considered when renewing the state’s Freshwater Protection Fund to keep up with inflationary costs.