Minnesota voters approve maintaining use of lottery funds to protect the environment
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans overwhelmingly agree on one issue on Election Day: to continue using lottery money to protect the environment.
If you have walked on a trail or swam in a lake in Minnesota you've benefited from the environmental natural resources trust fund. The fund was designed decades ago using funds from the state lottery.
"In 1988 Minnesotans decided to have a lottery and from there they said OK if we are going to do this we want some proceeds to go to the outdoors, " said Marcus Starr with Conservation Minnesota.
So whenever you buy that lottery ticket or scratch-off, 40% of the proceeds go to the fund.
"That money goes to the environment it does things like park and trails, clean water research, habitat protection, even cool things like outdoor programs for kids," Starr said.
Starr says to get the fund on the ballot, it had to go through the legislature. He says it was done in a bipartisan fashion and was probably on the most bipartisan bills of the last two sessions. Rep. Athena Hollins authorized the bill.
"Every 25 years it comes back up and we have to reaffirm in fact that is what we want to do with that lottery money," said Rep. Athena Hollins.
"It didn't surprise me that 77% of the people voted yes," Starr said.
Every single congressional district voted over 50% to pass this, something the coalition of organizations that worked together to bring awareness to the need are celebrating.
"It's a group of 150 organizations from across the state, from advocacy organizations about the environment, to businesses like Hospitality Minnesota, to hunters like Ducks Unlimited, to Pheasants Forever, all the way to the Craft Brewery Guild who care about clean water," Starr said.
The fund generates $80 million to $90 million per year. Wth 1,700 projects completed in the last 25 years, the hope is more projects to protect the environment will now be possible.
Maintenance on the Superior Hiking Trail and the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul are examples of projects completed with money from the lottery fund.
