Enjoy the view from Eagle Tower at Peninsula State Park in Door County
Peninsula State Park’s Eagle Tower in Door County features an 850-foot-long deck access ramp and is the highlight of a $3.5 million improvement project.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, more people visited Wisconsin state parks – and that trend continues.
A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum showed that annual pass sales for state parks remained strong in 2023 – an increase of nearly 50% over 2019.
Based on data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the report says 518,846 people purchased annual parking stickers in 2023, continuing growth that rose from 346,491 in 2019 to 493,206 in 2020.
Sales in 2023 also increased by 3% over sales in 2021.
While this is good news for state parks funding, the report also highlights some warning signs that will impact overall conservation funding in the state.
The problem? Not many people go hunting and fishing.
Sales of hunting and fishing licenses increased during the pandemic, but not enough to reverse the long-term downward trend. Now, participation in hunting and fishing is declining again.
And revenue from other recreational activities – other than hunting and fishing – is “insufficient” to finance both conservation efforts and post-pandemic expansion plans, the report says.
The WPF urged state leaders to “think about ways to ensure stable funding sources to continue the state’s proud outdoor traditions.”
In the past, state parks were funded by taxpayers’ money, but in 2015, Act 55 stripped them of that funding. To make up for the losses, the law increased entrance fees, trail usage fees, and camping fees. Today, the parks fund themselves through licensing fees and admission tickets.
Under this model, revenue from a specific activity is used to manage that activity. For example, revenue from approving fishing licenses could go towards managing fish farms, while camping fees are used for basic maintenance of the facilities.
Tyler Burns, the report’s author, said revenue from hunting and fishing would go towards comprehensive ecological management, such as hiring conservation officers to ensure park visitors do not harm wildlife.
“It’s very important,” Burns said of hunting and fishing revenue, because “everyone interacts with the outside world in a similar way. Everyone wants to see wildlife.”
Without high revenues from hunting and fishing licenses, these conservation efforts would be at risk, he said.
As visitor numbers to state parks increase but hunting and fishing activities decline, without stable funding sources, “challenges are likely to continue in the future,” the WPF said.
“Whatever the choice,” the report says, “leaders may want to consider a new course before the need for additional sources of funding for conservation becomes truly acute.”
