Minnesota voters reauthorize lottery conservation funding - Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, East Grand Forks news, weather & sports

Nov 07, 2024

Minnesota voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to extend the state’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, a conservation funding source that dedicates 40% of state lottery proceeds to the outdoors, for another 25 years.

With just more than 99% of precincts reporting as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Minnesota Amendment 1 had 2,524,586 “yes” votes and 530,174 “no” votes; another 204,407 voters left their ballot blank, for an estimated “yes” percentage of 77.46%.

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A blank vote was the same as a “no” vote, and the measure needed an estimated “yes” percentage of greater than 50% to pass.

Conservation advocates welcomed the outcome.

“Once again, Minnesota voters showed that we vote 'Yes' when conservation and the environment are on the ballot,” Marcus Starr, campaigns director at Conservation Minnesota, said in a statement. “As Minnesotans, we’re willing to support and invest in what we care about most. The results are a clear indication that investing in our Great Outdoors isn’t a partisan issue, but rather a value we all share.”

Based in Minneapolis, Conservation Minnesota has been among the groups leading the effort to pass Amendment 1 and reauthorize the conservation funding.

The Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources — a 17-member panel made up of 12 legislators and five appointed citizens — makes ENRTF funding recommendations to the Legislature. Since 1991, the fund has provided nearly $1.1 billion to more than 1,700 projects around the state, according to the LCCMR website.

The renewal passed in every county, congressional and state house district in Minnesota, according to a news release from Minnesotans For Our Great Outdoors, a coalition of over 150 organizations, businesses, associations and government entities that worked to support the amendment's renewal.

“Keeping with a strong tradition and commitment to conservation, Minnesota voters understood the importance of renewing lottery funds. The over $1 billion in lottery funds investments in our Great Outdoors has been transformational,” Ann Mulholland, chapter director of the Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said in a statement Wednesday morning. “Minnesotans in every corner of the state will continue to benefit from lottery funds.”

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The amendment Minnesota voters reauthorized Tuesday included a couple minor changes. Key among them was language to increase annual ENRTF allocations from 5.5% of the fund’s balance to 7%, with the 1.5% increase dedicated to a new “small community grant” program available for groups that previously hadn’t qualified for ENRTF funding.

“Minnesotans’ decision to renew lottery funds will enhance our Wildlife Management Areas, parks and state forests, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars for habitat protection and wildlife without using a single tax dollar,” said Jared Mazurek, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. “Twenty-five more years of funding will benefit our natural resources and provide exceptional opportunities for the hunters and anglers of Minnesota.”

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