Bird & Nature Blog

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Payne a gain for the DNR

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On Dec. 27, Governor Evers announced that he appointed Adam Payne the new Secretary of the DNR.

Mr. Payne might be appropriately named because he has a lot of that awaiting him. The DNR always has contentious issues and he'll step into two of the most controversial: wolf management and water pollution, PFAS  immediately and agriculture-related run off soon thereafter. Powerful legislators and lobbyists for some business and agricultural interests don't want much, if anything, done about the pollution. Wolves always evoke passion; I don't know if any management plan will achieve a consensus among the folks for whom the plan is important. Plenty of other tough issues will arise.

Photo by Karen Viste-Sparkman/USFWS

A big thank you directed to…

Fred Prehn, who resigned from the DNR Board several days ago with the resignation effect on 12/30/22.

This ends a strange and sad saga with Dr. Prehn (he is a dentist) staying in his seat for almost two years after his term ended.  Emails revealed that he had done so with the encouragement of Republican legislators and lobbyists.  His presence sustained a conservative majority of four on the Board with what appeared to be opposition to Governor Evers' conservation and environmental agenda.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

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Stop the holiday planning: this needs your attention

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Charles Carlin and our good friends at Gathering Waters are fighting the good fight to preserve the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program. Click here to read the latest update from their team. You'll recall how an anonymous member  of the  Joint Finance Committee (JFC) was destroying the Pelican River conservation project in NE Wisconsin. The linked article shows that JFC did not even follow its own bad rules and that Governor Evers might have the chance to save the project.

Photo by Joshua Mayer