CONSERVATION POLICY
Science-based. Practical. Nonpartisan. Speaking up for people and nature
The bill helped to simplify the process from a legal perspective—in effect incentivizing Missouri landowners to do them. TNC’s board of trustees worked for over four years on this effort and were applauded for their leadership by Missouri land trusts and the National Land Trust Alliance. Local Successes First approved by voters in 1984, the Missouri Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax was established to fund state parks and soil and water conservation efforts. Much of the soil and water portion is used to assist agricultural landowners through voluntary programs administered by the Soil and Water Conservation program in all Missouri counties. This tax must be reinstated every 10 years—the tax has never failed to pass and was reauthorized in 2016 with its highest approval rating of 80.1%. In 2020, TNC helped advocate for an increase in the cost share rate for landowners to offset expenses for stream stabilization projects on their property—from $5,000 to a new maximum of $25,000, which better aligns with costs associated with those projects. Additionally, TNC helped establish a new cost share program for landowners wanting to implement 4R practices on their fields, which focuses on the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place.
Influencing policy decisions is critical but complicated work. Since the formation of our chapter in 1956, The Nature Conservancy in Missouri has been advocating for nature on federal, state and local levels. Federal Successes Two recent big wins came from the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018 and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in 2019. The Farm Bill is the largest source of federal funding for the conservation of private lands in the United States. To support this bill, TNC teamed up with farmers, ranchers and partners across the country to promote its conservation benefits, including clean water, healthy lands and thriving rural communities. LWCF uses offshore energy revenues, not taxpayer dollars, to conserve our lands and waters. It also helps ensure important recreational access for hunting and fishing; protects national parks, refuges and forests; creates urban and neighborhood parks and trails; and preserves historic battlefields and cultural sites. State Successes The Private Landowner Protection Act of 2011 made it easier to establish conservation easements in Missouri. Conservation easements are one of the most powerful and effective tools available for the permanent conservation of private lands in the United States. These voluntary, legally binding agreements protect the property’s ecological and open space values.
Connecting our work with our federal, state and local leaders is necessary for change.
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