66. History & Status of IWiLL - Iowa's Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund

There's an effort in the Iowa Senate to repeal what would be the most impactful funding mechanism for parks and conservation that has ever existed in the state of Iowa.

Iowa's Water and Land Legacy fund, also known as IWiLL is technically the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. It was established by a 63% majority vote by Iowans in 2010, writing the fund into the state's constitution. But the fund sits empty because no legislature since has passed the necessary 3/8-cent sales tax increase to fund it.

This episode goes over how this fund came to be, beginning with a legislatively appointed Sustainable Funding Committee back in 2006, up to today's efforts to just scratch it from the constitution altogether.

If you are involved in parks or conservation in any capacity - from soil health to trails - this fund will have a profound impact on what you do once it's funded. As leaders in this industry, we need to be educated on what this fund is, how it came to be, and impacts it would have. That's why I wanted to publish this episode.

To learn more about the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, go to www.IowasWaterandLandLegacy.org, or read the various posts I've made about it over the years on my blog at www.OutdoorExecutiveDad.com.

Thanks for what you do!