AB 589

This bill authorizes an applicant for certain authorizations issued by the

Department of Natural Resources (DNR), including hunting, trapping, and fishing

licenses and permits; snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle, and boat registrations; and

state park vehicle admission receipts (approvals), to make a voluntary contribution

of at least $2 in addition to the fees charges for these approvals. The bill requires that

all of these voluntary contributions be collected by DNR and paid, at least annually,

to the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin (foundation) to be used by the

foundation to establish an endowment program to support habitat management

activities on land owned or managed by this state. The bill also requires DNR to

enter into a memorandum of agreement with the foundation with regard to the

payments made to the foundation. The bill requires the memorandum of agreement

to include a description of the types of activities that the foundation will support

under the endowment program, the manner in which the endowment program funds

will be managed, and, if the foundation will make grants under the endowment

program, the methods that will be used to award the grants.