Forestry, agriculture, outdoor recreation and tourism contribute $30 BILLION and over a quarter million jobs annually to our state's economy. Although the Department of Natural Resources, Forestry Commission, Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and the Department of Agriculture protect and promote the natural resources that deliver this significant return on a relatively small investment of public dollars, their combined funding comprises less than 1% of the state budget. Conservation organizations defended the funding requests of these agencies and worked to limit additional drastic cuts. We supported the overrides of the Governor's vetoes that threatened further cuts. The House and Senate thankfully overrode those vetoes during the last weeks of June. The conservation community remains concerned about the human and natural resource fallout from the severe lack of funds at these important agencies. We urge the Legislature to re-evaluate funding for natural resource agencies next year and to recognize the essential boost that they provide for our economy.
