Voters back enviromental trust fund

Voters approved Iowa's Water and Land Legacy constitutional amendment which will create a trust fund for improving the natural environment.

As a state, Iowa ranks 49th in the nation for public land and 47th in conservation funding.

The approval will not immediately provide money for efforts such as soil conservation, water quality and outdoor recreation. It establishes the framework for the constitutionally protected trust fund, which would administer about $150 a year generated by a 3/8 of 1 cent portion of the next sales tax increase authorized by the Legislature.

The largest shares of the fund's annual proceeds will be allocated to fish and wildlife habitat, soil conservation and watershed protection. Other funded categories include trails, lakes restoration, the Resource Enhancement and Protection program and projects administered by county conservation boards, cities and non-governmental organizations.

Two of Iowa's neighboring states, Minnesota and Missouri, have enacted similar sales tax-funded natural resources trust funds.

In Missouri, the 1/8-cent conservation tax, approved in 1976, raised $84.6 million last year for projects and programs related to forestry, hunting, fishing and other recreation activities.