Don’t split up DNR

State government’s assault on Wisconsin’s conservation heritage and natural resources management continues with the latest attack taking the form of state Rep. Adam Jarchow’s proposal to divide and dissolve the Department of Natural Resources’ responsibilities for maintaining the health of Wisconsin’s natural environment (“Future of DNR at stake,” Jan. 5).

The proposal to place state parks and southern state forest lands under the direction of the Department of Tourism is especially concerning from a philosophical perspective at the very least. Our state parks and forests serve multiple functions that include the preservation of unique landscapes and natural habitats.

The DNR, in its present form, is to be commended for its efforts to balance human use, impact and recreation while maintaining the natural integrity of these parks and forests. I’m not sure a state department dedicated to tourism will properly prioritize the habitat requirements and needs of plants and animals of these very same lands.

The same concerns can be raised for the proposal’s transfer of our northern state forests to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. By name, this department operates under a consumptive use philosophy that may not gel with the multiple-use management currently applied to our state forests.

The placement of the KnowlesNelson Stewardship Program in the Department of Administration causes additional concerns. The Knowles-Nelson Program functions to acquire and preserve natural lands across the state. I worry how the program would fare in the hands of a department administered by a current state leadership that has presided over a 10,000-acre state land sale that included shoreline habitat along lakes and Class 1 trout streams.

Wise multiple-use management has been a cornerstone of conservation at both the state and federal level for decades. Wisconsin already has a department with a history of success in employing this resource management philosophy and a trained staff with a passion for the job.

Over the past few years, our state’s executive and legislative branches have imposed enough ill-advised directives undermining and exploiting both the DNR and the well-being of Wisconsin’s natural resources. This latest one should not be implemented.

Stephen Anderson Hartford