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Darby Nelson: House Omnibus Heritage Funds Bill Released

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The Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council advises the Legislature on how to invest habitat money raised by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Darby Nelson, a member of the Council as well as a member of the board of Conservation Minnesota, is keeping track of how the Council's recommendations are faring now in the Minnesota Legislature.

Two hours ago, H.F. 1231 was released to the public by Representative Murphy’s Cultural and Outdoor Heritage Finance Division. The 95-page bill provides for appropriations, governance and management for the Outdoor Heritage Fund, Clean Water Fund, Parks and Trails Fund and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. We are scrutinizing the bill to learn what they gave us or took away.

First, the GREAT NEWS! Every one of the Council’s funding recommendations remains in the bill at the amounts of money we recommended! We know that not all legislators agreed with all of our recommendations but they honored the hard work and deliberations of the Council in producing those recs and let the guts of our process work. We thank them for their forbearance.

However, the emerald ash borer issue does potentially affect our emergency reserve fund. H.F. 1231 taps our reserve for $2 million to respond to the ash borer threat “if sufficient resources are not available from state, federal or other sources.” There is reason to believe that those other sources are available so perhaps our reserve will remain inviolate.

The bill contains a number of non-funding provisions we don’t like and we are evaluating what amendments need to be offered. The bill will be up for public comment and amendments from committee members next Tuesday May 5.

I, for one, greatly appreciate how Rep. Murphy has run her committee. She has been very deliberative, methodical, fair and very open. Her “bill walk-through” committee hearings have alerted interested parties to committee member’s concerns ahead of when actual votes take place, allowing us time to prepare and work with committee members. I also appreciate the speed with which Murphy’s Vice-Chair, Rep.Will Morgan, responds to emails. Sudden changes in committee schedules, while not pleasant for those of us driving to St. Paul, are at times unavoidable – an offshoot of a very dynamic legislative process.

As mentioned earlier the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council has a few gripes about some non-financial issues in the bill. I’ll conclude with just one. The bill strips “Lessard”, the namesake of our Council, off our Council name, making us the OHC instead of the LOHC. While that may appear a trivial matter, I think it was unfortunate. I have disagreed with Senator Bob Lessard on many issues over the years, but the guy deserves his due.

The importance of passage of the constitutional amendment, with the new money it brings to conservation in the state cannot be overstated. It was arguably the most important event in Minnesota’s environmental-conservation history. Finally, finally we have money to tend to the natural resources of this state. Bob Lessard was the instigator that led ultimately to the amendment’s existence. Lessard has given Minnesotans one huge legacy. History will treat him very well.

Lots more to come next week.

-- Darby Nelson

Darby Nelson: House Omnibus Heritage Funds Bill Released

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