After holding out hope that lawmakers in Madison could reach an agreement on the future of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, Door County Land Trust Executive Director Emily Wood is now looking for ways to move forward without it.

Democrats and Republicans adjourned without reaching a deal to reauthorize the program, allowing it to expire June 30.

About 93% of Wisconsinites support the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program as a way to protect some of the state's most valuable and vulnerable lands, making it one of the few conservation programs to receive broad bipartisan support. The disagreement centered on how the program should continue.

According to Wisconsin Watch, lawmakers considered several proposals to preserve the program, including a compromise that would have provided about $28 million annually through 2030. The proposal would have shifted the program's focus toward maintaining existing public lands rather than acquiring new ones. It also would have required full legislative approval for any Department of Natural Resources land purchase of $1 million or more using stewardship funding.

Wood said the land trust has been working to identify other funding sources, including grants and private donations, to continue its conservation efforts.

While Democrats and Republicans have blamed each other for allowing the program to expire, the Door County Land Trust's work continues. The organization is working to secure a 338-acre parcel near the Gardner Swamp Wildlife Area in Little Sturgeon. Wood says the land trust has been pursuing the property for years because of its ecological importance. She says the organization is knocking on doors to raise the remaining $750,000 needed to complete the purchase, including a $25,000 matching challenge from the Thriving Earth Fund and the Wong family.