The Friends of the Parks and Trails of Saint Paul and Ramsey County is extremely pleased with the overwhelming support for the Minnesota Legacy Amendment to continue allocating funds from the Minnesota Lottery to the environment and natural resources. More than 77% of the ballots cast supported the renewing the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund amendment to the Minnesota Constitution for 25 years.
The revised amendment will also:
- increase the amount of money that can be spent from the fund each year from 5.5% to 7.0% of the fund’s market value;
- create a grant program to provide funding for projects related to addressing environmental issues in affected communities, environmental education, and natural resource conservation.
- set up an 11-member advisory council appointed by the commissioner of natural resources to review new grant applications.
Since 1991, more than $1 billion in proceeds from the lottery have funded some 1,600 projects “for the public purpose of protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources” throughout Minnesota. Projects affecting Ramsey County include researching and preventing introduction and expansion of invasive species into waters and land-based habitats, enhancing pollinator habitat, improving drinking water quality and more.
