Given the precarious and polarized nature of relationships in the state Capitol, a two-year reauthorization is not enough.

Is it time, 30 years after the program’s formation, to discuss potential changes and improvements? Absolutely.

Gathering Waters executive director Mike Carlson thinks so, too, but not at the risk of delaying a long-term deal and setting the stage for another funding debate in two years.

“We’re still supportive of the idea of bringing stakeholders together to talk about improvements to the program, but not at the risk of losing long-term funding for it,” Carlson told me.

The stewardship program is an “integral cog” in wetland conservation efforts throughout the state, explained Brian Glenzinski, Wisconsin biologist for Ducks Unlimited. The organization has secured $36 million in federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant funds for Wisconsin, most of which would not have been possible without a match from the Knowles-Nelson program, he said.

“The machine that’s at work is really unique and probably more delicate than most people understand, and so removing a cog like the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program can collapse the whole machine,” he told me.