Divided Minnesota? Not when it comes to outdoors and lottery money.

Minnesotans are politically divided on a lot of issues, but clearly not when it comes to investing state lottery proceeds in the outdoors.

Voters set a record Nov. 5 in approving the ballot question extending dedication of lottery proceeds to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. It sailed with 2,526,205 “yes” votes, according to Minnesota Secretary of State data. That’s a quarter million more approvals than any other proposed constitutional amendment in state history.

The 77.2% victory margin was second only by a hair to the 77.4% margin set in 1988 that created the environmental trust fund in the first place. The new extension of dedicated funding passed in all 87 Minnesota counties — from a low of 52.2% in Clearwater County to a high of 84.56% in Hennepin County.

Minnesota’s previous record-breaking vote total on a proposed constitutional amendment was set in 2016. That’s when 2,265,835 voters said “yes” to a measure that blocks state lawmakers from setting their own pay. The margin of victory in that vote was 76.3%.

Minnesota’s powerful embrace of dedicated funding for the protection and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources was the lead talking point for speakers last week at the Department of Natural Resources’ annual “Roundtable,” an all-day issues forum attended by more than 400 people.

“This is a big deal,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said. “We absolutely have our disagreements in politics these days, but I am thrilled to acknowledge and to know that we absolutely can agree on our shared values around clean air and clean water.”

Keynote speaker Adam Snyder of The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit, said Minnesota continues to shine as a leader in conservation of natural resources. The lopsided vote on Nov. 5 was a mandate and further proof that the state is an outdoors mecca, said Snyder, who is based in Birmingham, Ala.

“It is the economic lifeblood of this state,” he said.

Snyder said Minnesota was one of 15 states to approve ballot measures on Election Day related to dedicated funding for the outdoors. Together, the votes will deliver $19 billion for conservation efforts, he said. In Minnesota, the annual allotment from the voter-approved Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund now exceeds $100 million a year for land acquisition, habitat projects, fish and wildlife research, environmental education, trails and other projects.

Rita Albrecht of Bemidji, a member of the legislative-citizen commission that recommends how lottery funds should be spent on the outdoors, said the lopsided support indicates how badly Minnesotans want to maintain the state’s premier natural resources. According to federal data released last month by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation is growing in Minnesota and in 2023 boosted the state’s economy by $13.5 billion.

“That vote really shows that we wear our natural resources as a badge of honor,” Albrecht said.

She said she was a bit surprised by the record-breaking vote because there wasn’t a loud campaign for a “yes” vote.

“In my head, I was thinking that a lot of people didn’t know about this amendment,” said Albrecht, a former mayor of Bemidji and former Northwest Region Director for DNR. “I was thrilled. It sort of renewed my belief that Minnesotans want to take care of our natural resources.”