Among the likely many items that are under discussion at this year’s legislative session are a handful of conservation items, some are years in the making but some are new, such as attention on data centers. The Georgia Conservancy is following along, lobbying for those bills that protect land and water and working on behalf of Georgia’s natural environment.
One of the items is the funding for the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program, an annual expenditure now from the dedicated funding mechanism collecting 40 percent of the states sales and use taxes on outdoor sporting goods. The funding is dedicated to "stewardship projects for existing state and local parks, acquire and develop new state and local parks, and acquire and protect new lands critical to the protection of our wildlife and clean water supplies.” In place since 2019, there are a number of projects around the state that have already seen additional investment thanks to the program. This year’s funding represents a $10 million increase from last year.
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