Legacy Amendment passes!

Voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution which will dedicate a portion of the State sales tax to clean water, land conservation and habitat improvement, parks, trails and the arts. Minnesotans favored the measure by a margin of 56% to 44%. "Minnesotans care deeply about improving the health of our environment and, as we hoped they would, they were willing to increase their own taxes to do so," said Friends of the Mississippi River executive director, Whitney Clark.

The increase, which becomes effective July 1, 2009, will generate approximately $275 - $300 million annually for 25 years. "As a state, we just haven't been making the necessary investments in clean water and land conservation programs," said Clark. "As a result, more than 40% of the State's waters that have been tested fail to meet quality standards and every mile of the Mississippi River through the Twin Cities is on the the State's list of impaired waters. With this new funding we are finally going to be able to make progress toward cleaning up the river," he said.

Friends of the Mississippi River played an active role in the broad coalition of environmental, conservation, and arts organizations working to pass the amendment. As the campaign heated up this fall, FMR members, board, and staff hit the streets and the phones to get the word out about this critical opportunity to provide resources for conservation and stewardship. "FMR wants to extend a huge thank you to all of the hard-working volunteers who pitched in and made this incredible victory possible," said Clark. "Your children and grandchildren will be the true beneficiaries of this historic effort and we may now be able to say that we lived up to our responsibility to pass along our rivers and lakes, our forests and prairies healthier than we found them."