Investing in Minnesota’s Outdoor Resources - Internal Staff Page

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Thank you, DNR staff, for sharing your experience and expertise on conservation, outdoor recreation, and funding options!

Your input helped form a vision for the future and identify four actions in four years to move us forward. Now, that input is reflected in the 4 The Outdoors report, which you can find on the project website.

Specifically, the report highlights four key areas of action that will allow us to achieve the vision for outdoor recreation and conservation in Minnesota. These areas of action are:

  • optimize the use of current funding
  • explore use and application of fees
  • increase opportunities for direct support
  • secure stable and predictable base and operational funding.

You can sign up for updates on The 4 The Outdoors project website as we move toward implementing actions. Please reach out to Vanessa Perry or Randolph Briley if you have questions or additional thoughts.

A vision for the future of conservation and outdoor recreation:

  • Future generations benefit from sustained and improved outdoor recreation experiences and conservation of natural resources
    • Robust, diverse, and high-quality outdoor resources offering all Minnesotans nature-based recreation opportunities
    • Ample conservation of high-quality lands and waters providing all Minnesotans the benefits of high-functioning ecosystems
    • Conservation and outdoor recreation decisions based on community values and informed by science and proven best management practices
  • Minnesotans work together to support both diverse outdoor recreation opportunities and conservation of our state’s natural features
    • The relationship between conservation and recreation uses and spaces is fully understood and accounted for in decision making
    • DNR and other Minnesota conservation and outdoor recreation organizations work together effectively, with the complexities of interconnected decision making well understood
    • Resources are managed in a manner that fosters innovation and adaptation to changing ecological, social, and technological conditions
  • Conservation and outdoor recreation opportunities equitably meet the needs of all Minnesotans
    • All Minnesotans can access conservation and outdoor recreation services and resources equitably, and management of resources adapts to meet Minnesotans’ needs as they change over time
    • Support for conservation and outdoor recreation is broad-based with shared stewardship across users and uses
    • Minnesotans know how funding for conservation and outdoor recreation is invested and how their communities benefit
  • Conservation and outdoor recreation align with and are integrated into Minnesota state priorities of strong educational systems, equitable access to health resources, thriving economy, and reliable infrastructure.
    • Conservation and outdoor recreation are integrated with, supportive, and supported by other related state priorities
    • Conservation and outdoor recreation are recognized by all as “need to have”, rather than “nice to have”, in funding and policy decision making.
    • To help identify alignment with other priorities, solutions for management and funding issues are developed by participants with a variety of experiences and perspectives and with a broad definition of nature and nature experiences

Funding solutions to achieve the vision will foster a future where:

  • Minnesotans share in the “business case” and the “social case” for conservation and outdoor recreation investment, understanding what we gain or lose through investment choices, and apply this perspective in decision making
  • DNR and partners have sufficient funding to address natural resource issues, particularly the critical, emergent issues that will most impact Minnesota in coming years
  • Funding is predictable, stable, and flexible enough to meet its intended purposes for conservation and outdoor recreation management

This work is important now in order address the challenges raised by current funding systems while there is time for a thoughtful and organized response. Minnesota’s current natural resources funding system can’t sustainably support continued conservation, natural resource management, and outdoor recreation opportunities. For example, user fees cannot reasonably keep pace with inflation while also ensuring we can appropriately steward Minnesota’s natural resources and provide open and affordable access to the outdoors for all people. While Minnesotans have demonstrated support for the environment and outdoors through the constitutionally-dedicated Environmental Trust Fund and Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, these funds are not available to support key aspects of natural resource management.

Thank you, DNR staff, for sharing your experience and expertise on conservation, outdoor recreation, and funding options!

Your input helped form a vision for the future and identify four actions in four years to move us forward. Now, that input is reflected in the 4 The Outdoors report, which you can find on the project website.

Specifically, the report highlights four key areas of action that will allow us to achieve the vision for outdoor recreation and conservation in Minnesota. These areas of action are:

  • optimize the use of current funding
  • explore use and application of fees
  • increase opportunities for direct support
  • secure stable and predictable base and operational funding.

You can sign up for updates on The 4 The Outdoors project website as we move toward implementing actions. Please reach out to Vanessa Perry or Randolph Briley if you have questions or additional thoughts.

A vision for the future of conservation and outdoor recreation:

  • Future generations benefit from sustained and improved outdoor recreation experiences and conservation of natural resources
    • Robust, diverse, and high-quality outdoor resources offering all Minnesotans nature-based recreation opportunities
    • Ample conservation of high-quality lands and waters providing all Minnesotans the benefits of high-functioning ecosystems
    • Conservation and outdoor recreation decisions based on community values and informed by science and proven best management practices
  • Minnesotans work together to support both diverse outdoor recreation opportunities and conservation of our state’s natural features
    • The relationship between conservation and recreation uses and spaces is fully understood and accounted for in decision making
    • DNR and other Minnesota conservation and outdoor recreation organizations work together effectively, with the complexities of interconnected decision making well understood
    • Resources are managed in a manner that fosters innovation and adaptation to changing ecological, social, and technological conditions
  • Conservation and outdoor recreation opportunities equitably meet the needs of all Minnesotans
    • All Minnesotans can access conservation and outdoor recreation services and resources equitably, and management of resources adapts to meet Minnesotans’ needs as they change over time
    • Support for conservation and outdoor recreation is broad-based with shared stewardship across users and uses
    • Minnesotans know how funding for conservation and outdoor recreation is invested and how their communities benefit
  • Conservation and outdoor recreation align with and are integrated into Minnesota state priorities of strong educational systems, equitable access to health resources, thriving economy, and reliable infrastructure.
    • Conservation and outdoor recreation are integrated with, supportive, and supported by other related state priorities
    • Conservation and outdoor recreation are recognized by all as “need to have”, rather than “nice to have”, in funding and policy decision making.
    • To help identify alignment with other priorities, solutions for management and funding issues are developed by participants with a variety of experiences and perspectives and with a broad definition of nature and nature experiences

Funding solutions to achieve the vision will foster a future where:

  • Minnesotans share in the “business case” and the “social case” for conservation and outdoor recreation investment, understanding what we gain or lose through investment choices, and apply this perspective in decision making
  • DNR and partners have sufficient funding to address natural resource issues, particularly the critical, emergent issues that will most impact Minnesota in coming years
  • Funding is predictable, stable, and flexible enough to meet its intended purposes for conservation and outdoor recreation management

This work is important now in order address the challenges raised by current funding systems while there is time for a thoughtful and organized response. Minnesota’s current natural resources funding system can’t sustainably support continued conservation, natural resource management, and outdoor recreation opportunities. For example, user fees cannot reasonably keep pace with inflation while also ensuring we can appropriately steward Minnesota’s natural resources and provide open and affordable access to the outdoors for all people. While Minnesotans have demonstrated support for the environment and outdoors through the constitutionally-dedicated Environmental Trust Fund and Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, these funds are not available to support key aspects of natural resource management.

Questions from DNR staff

We will do our best to respond to each question, but may compile a frequently-asked-questions page if we have lots of similar questions or a very high volume of interest. 

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  • Share I have noted that each recent attempt at restoring funding (fee increases, mainly) has been more elaborate than the one before, and less successful. This effort is more elaborate than any previously, and is being conducted by people with less experience and, it seems, less awareness of legislative power or willingness. What happens if this fails as well? Do we have a Plan B? on Facebook Share I have noted that each recent attempt at restoring funding (fee increases, mainly) has been more elaborate than the one before, and less successful. This effort is more elaborate than any previously, and is being conducted by people with less experience and, it seems, less awareness of legislative power or willingness. What happens if this fails as well? Do we have a Plan B? on Twitter Share I have noted that each recent attempt at restoring funding (fee increases, mainly) has been more elaborate than the one before, and less successful. This effort is more elaborate than any previously, and is being conducted by people with less experience and, it seems, less awareness of legislative power or willingness. What happens if this fails as well? Do we have a Plan B? on Linkedin Email I have noted that each recent attempt at restoring funding (fee increases, mainly) has been more elaborate than the one before, and less successful. This effort is more elaborate than any previously, and is being conducted by people with less experience and, it seems, less awareness of legislative power or willingness. What happens if this fails as well? Do we have a Plan B? link

    I have noted that each recent attempt at restoring funding (fee increases, mainly) has been more elaborate than the one before, and less successful. This effort is more elaborate than any previously, and is being conducted by people with less experience and, it seems, less awareness of legislative power or willingness. What happens if this fails as well? Do we have a Plan B?

    stperson asked almost 3 years ago

    Hello and thanks for the thoughts, 

    Apologies for the delay responding, I still have some learning to do to make sure I have all the notifications set right for the platform.

    The hope with this initiative is that we are building from past efforts rather than starting fresh. What's the saying: You don't harvest the seed the same day you plant it? Sometimes complex work like this will take several attempts to learn enough and gain the momentum needed to tip over into change. What we have learned from past attempts is that developing solutions at the division level made progress, but didn't address the whole system enough to land on a comprehensive solution. Now we are trying something different by building solutions across divisions. I suppose it could be viewed as "elaborate", however funding is a complex issue, and I have been thinking more of this as just taking that full complexity into consideration. If this was an easy problem it would be solved already.

    I hope, if you don't perceive that the folks working on this have the experience and awareness to be successful, you will bring your expertise to the discussion, or encourage your colleagues with expertise to participate. All of us who care about conservation and outdoor recreation in Minnesota have a stake in creating a future that is funded more sustainably. As the project manager I am very open to others who should be involved or ways of approaching the issue. 

    As for Plan B if this fails? Well... there are worse things than failure! I guess we learn and try again? In the meantime though, we will do the best we can given the constraints we are working under. 

    Please do continue this conversation on the staff engage page so others can participate, or reach out to me directly if you prefer. 

    Vanessa

Page last updated: 02 May 2024, 02:08 PM