North Dakota Chapters Support Ballot Initiative

A ballot initiative to provide more funding for wildlife conservation will be included on North Dakota’s ballot this November. Measure 5 proposes allocating 5% of state tax revenues from oil extraction activities to conservation for the purposes of providing grants to public and private agencies.

The Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Amendment would set aside millions of dollars each year into a conservation fund, based on current state tax revenues. The fund would provide grants to projects that implement activities to improve water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreational opportunities, among other things. The initiative would establish a 13-member citizen advisory board to review grant applications and make recommendations to a commission composed of the governor, the attorney general, and the agriculture commissioner. The commission would determine final grant recipients.

Both the North Dakota Chapter and the University of North Dakota Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society have endorsed the initiative along with over 25 other organizations.