Court rules Wisconsin Republicans are improperly blocking conservation work

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of Gov. Tony Evers in a case contending that a committee co-chaired by an area lawmaker was obstructing executive branch functions. Evers’ suit, filed in October, cited three instances of alleged obstruction by Republican-led legislative committees. The state Supreme Court ruled on one of those instances, pertaining to the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. The program allows the state Department of Natural Resources to expand public access to natural resources by acquiring land, developing recreational property and providing grants to local governments and nonprofits. In the original filing, the governor said the committee had blocked 27 projects — nearly one-third of proposed Knowles-Nelson conservation projects — since 2019. The high court struck down statutes that required the Joint Finance Committee to approve some of DNR’s land acquisitions and fund allocations pertaining to the program.