By John Goss
The 2025 Indiana legislative session will include approving a state budget for the next two fiscal years, 2025-26 and 2026-27. IPA’s 3 Top Priorities for the DNR budget are:
- $27 Million for the McCormicks Creek Campground Replacement. It is hoped that this will be included in Governor Holcomb’s final proposed budget bill. In 2023 a tornado destroyed the old campground, including structures, trees and even roads and utilities. All trees and structures have been removed with the $5M previously appropriated.
- $10M for conservation land acquisition for DNR and land trusts is the second priority for inclusion in the DNR budget.
- $5M or more for DNR trail maintenance is the third priority that should be added to the budget. IPA members have been hiking and documenting significant trail maintenance problems statewide that need fixing. A few glaring examples include the Indiana Dunes stairs, Ogle Lake trail, and numerous McCormick’s Creek trail rebuilds after the tornado devastation.
Sales Tax on Outdoor Recreation Equipment
The Indiana Conservation Alliance (of which IPA is an active member) is seeking Republican sponsors for a bill to earmark the Indiana State Sales Tax that is already collected on outdoor recreation equipment to fund conservation projects. Indiana would join Texas, Georgia, and Virginia in adopting a dedicated sales tax revenue stream to fund Indiana Natural Resources projects. In 2019, a similar bill was introduced, but did not get a hearing. It is projected that this dedicated fund would generate at least $60 Million per year providing a reliable source for boosting conservation land acquisition, significant DNR property capital improvements, and matching funds for new initiatives like Recovering Americas Wildlife Act, increasing habitat investments for fish and wildlife.