How Many Permits Will It Take to Enjoy Wisconsin’s Outdoors? Or – How Much is a Walk in the Woods
- Scott Harbridge
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
For More Information Contact: February 6, 2026
Scott Harbridge – (608) 797-3338
There are some new bills of concern that have been introduced by Representative Chanz Green and Brent Jacobson, co-sponsored by Senators Romaine Quinn and Rob Stafsholt. Assembly Bills 977, 978, 979, 980 and 981 all require NEW permit fees (i.e. taxes) for non-motorized boats, skiing, hiking, bicycling, and foraging. Chanz Green wants to charge families to hike trails, paddle rivers, and forage in forests. At a time when family budgets are already razor thin, to fund the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; it appears the $114 billion budget they passed isn’t enough. It never is, is it?
Wisconsin is known as a place where outdoor recreation is accessible, welcoming, and family-friendly. Visitors come from across the Midwest to hike our trails, paddle our lakes, and explore our Northwoods. When the state begins placing additional costs and layers of regulation on simple outdoor activities, we risk changing that image. Families planning a weekend getaway may start asking themselves: how many permits do we need? How much will it cost just to enjoy a walk in the woods or paddle a quiet lake?
Tourism is a major economic driver for much of northern Wisconsin. Over time, these additional costs will result in fewer trips, shorter stays, and less spending in our small towns that depend on tourism dollars.
For Wisconsin families, the concern goes even deeper. Outdoor recreation has always been one of the most affordable and meaningful ways for parents and children to spend time together. Many sportsmen who already feel disenfranchised (from Republican backed legislation like this) already don’t bother to vote.
There are also practical questions that deserve answers. If new permits are required, additional enforcement will be necessary. That means more oversight, more administrative work, and potentially more pressure on conservation wardens and local law enforcement. Where will the funding for enforcement come from? Will these costs truly support conservation efforts, or will they create additional bureaucracy that requires even more funding in the future?
It is reasonable to have a conversation about how we properly fund and protect our public lands. Our trails, forests, and waterways do need care and maintenance. But we must be careful about how we approach that responsibility. Policies that place new financial barriers between families and the outdoors are not where we should start.
As we consider these proposals, we should be asking a simple question: are we preserving and strengthening our outdoor heritage, or are we slowly putting a price tag on it?
Wisconsin’s outdoors belongs to the people, not to a growing list of permits and taxes. With the latest 15-million-dollar budget Increase, do we still have to figure out ways to nickel and dime the people to fund our government?
I will stand for access, affordability, and common sense. I am asking for your vote so that I can work to help protect that freedom for future generations.
Thank you,
Scott Harbridge for the 74th Assembly District & All of Wisconsin
"AB981, AB980, AB979, AB978, AB977- Did Chanz Green buy part ownership of the State Parks? Where is this going? We all know a “minimal fee” is the first thing that turns into a “substantial fee”. We had good reasons to endorse Scott Harbridge for Assembly; these are a few more." Bill Savage Editor WCD