Sarah Stewart, commissioner of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), told the Senate Budget Committee the department met an 11% general‑fund reduction requested by the governor but the House’s proposed 22% cut would go beyond sustainable levels and threaten public programs.

Stewart outlined the department’s portfolio — parks and recreation, forests and lands, historical resources, the state library and the arts council — and noted the DNCR’s total budget under the governor included about $65 million in all funds, of which roughly $10 million was general‑fund support in the governor’s 11% plan. Parks and recreation self‑funds about $41 million via direct revenue and interagency transfers; other revenue sources include timber harvest receipts and conservation license‑plate funds.

The key issue: the House budget lowers general fund support further and requires a $300,000 per year back‑of‑budget cut. Stewart warned that the House language would make New Hampshire the only state to eliminate all public art grants if the arts council funding is removed. “Should the House's proposal to eliminate the Arts Council happen, New Hampshire would become the only state in the country to eliminate all public art grants,” she said. Stewart described the grants as vetted by an appointed advisory board, reviewed by the Department of Justice and approved by the Executive Council.

Other general‑funded items the department highlighted include state library match dollars that unlock federal funds for services such as talking‑books and interlibrary loans, and forest rangers who provide law enforcement, timber‑fraud investigations and emergency response. Stewart noted the forests and lands division shifted some positions to revenue‑funded accounts to meet cuts but said that approach is not sustainable in the long term.

Ending: Stewart asked senators to weigh what to cut and where, and offered to send a district‑by‑district map of arts grants to demonstrate the geographic spread of beneficiaries. She asked the Senate to help restore some House reductions to return the department to a sustainable funding level.