Whitetails Unlimited Urges Return of Wisconsin DNR Secretary Appointment to NRB Board
Category: press release
Dec 23rd, 2009 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Dec 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Whitetails Unlimited, Wisconsin’s largest organization of deer hunters, is urging the Wisconsin legislature to override Governor Doyle’s veto of Assembly Bill 138, which would make the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board responsible for appointing the DNR secretary. Doyle’s veto retains the practice of making the DNR secretary a political appointment.
“We are urging all sportsmen and women in Wisconsin to contact their state senators and representatives and let them know that they want the DNR secretary to be appointed by the NRB board, and to remove this important appointment from the political arena,” said WTU President Jeff Schinkten. “Governor Doyle’s stated position for 14 years, long before he became governor, was that the DNR secretary should be selected by the Natural Resources Board, and we’re disappointed that when he had the chance to make this happen he inexplicably does an about-face.”
“The more we can remove the DNR from politics, the better off the state will be. The management of natural resources needs long-term vision. The problem is that politics has a very short-term attention span,” said Schinkten.
“Whitetails Unlimited does not have a history of becoming involved in specific legislative proposals, but this is a different matter. For 67 years the Wisconsin DNR secretary was selected by the Natural Resources Board, and this bill returns to that system. This is a structural change that makes the DNR secretary more accountable to the citizens of Wisconsin, rather that a political appointment loyal to whomever the current Governor happens to be,” said Schinkten.
“We have a window of opportunity to make a real worthwhile change,” said Schinkten, “but there is no time to waste.” Schinkten urges Wisconsin residents concerned about this issue to contact their members of the Assembly and Senate, and let them know their feelings in a short, polite, direct message. “Just tell them that you want them to override the Governor’s veto of Assembly Bill 138, and leave your name and address so they know you are one of their constituents,” said Schinkten. Wisconsin residents can find contact information for their representatives on the Legislature’s web page, www.legis.state.wi.us.
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Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization. Our mission is to raise funds in support of education, habitat enhancement and acquisition, and the preservation of the hunting tradition for the benefit of the white-tailed deer and other wildlife. When it comes to the whitetail and its environment, WTU’s degree of professionalism and dedication has earned us the reputation of being the nation’s premier whitetail organization.