SF2077 appropriates $191.1 million from Minnesota's Outdoor Heritage Fund for 54 projects involving wildlife habitat-restoration; land conservation; and the protection of forests, prairies, wetlands, and other natural areas. The fund receives revenue from a voter-approved statewide sales tax. SF2077 also modifies acquisition and management requirements for state lands, authorizes the sale or transfer of certain state-owned properties, funds agricultural research, and extends unemployment benefits for certain iron-ore miners.

The Minnesota State Senate passed SF2077 on May 17, 2026 by a vote of 47 to 20. We have assigned pluses to the nays because land conservation and environmental stewardship are best handled by private landowners and organizations, not government or taxpayers. Government ownership and management of land undermines private-property rights, restricts productive land use, and imposes unnecessary financial burdens on taxpayers. Moreover, government has repeatedly demonstrated its inability to manage public lands efficiently and responsibly. Rather than expanding taxpayer-funded conservation programs and government land ownership, Minnesota legislators should protect private-property rights and reject government involvement in conservation.