When the pandemic sent unemployment skyrocketing and shut down bars, movies, and concerts, Wisconsinites found an outlet in the outdoors. Parks visits, sporting goods sales, and fishing licenses all shot upward, with the latter seeing first-time purchases surge. The extent to which this trend will continue is unknown, but local and state officials may wish to consider it as they set state spending for the next two years on parks, other public lands, and the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship land purchase program.
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