The fall election process has seen the
emergence of two central issues critical to hunters and anglers of
Wisconsin: (a) whether the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
should be divided into two agencies, one dealing with wildlife and
conservation and the other with protecting our natural resources from
pollution, and (b) whether the Office of the Public Intervenor should
be re-established.Both issues have
received substantial attention in other areas of the state, but little
media coverage in the Madison area. This is unfortunate because the
citizens of south- central Wisconsin who love the outdoors need to
focus on how the candidates respond to these environmental issues.
In
the 1960s, then Republican Gov. Warren Knowles asked paper company
executive Bill Kellet to come up with a recommendation for organizing
state government.
The result of the Kellet
Commission process was the creation of a single, integrated agency to
protect Wisconsin's environmental resources. That decision, made four
decades ago, made sense then and makes sense now.
We need to keep striving to
protect our environment holistically. In addition, we simply cannot
afford to duplicate the administrative costs that would be associated
with bifurcating the DNR.
Our ecosystem is
complex, with multiple media that interact and interrelate on many
levels. Effective stewardship of our environment cannot be
compartmentalized into artificial categories.
Instead,
protection of our precious natural resources requires an overall vision
and comprehensive management. Voters should listen to the various
candidates as they discuss how to organize state agencies.
Secondly, how do anglers and hunters navigate the difficult environmental policy decisions affecting Wisconsin?
The
answer is that the conservation community needs to secure the
re-establishment of the Office of Public Intervenor for Wisconsin.
We
need an environmental watchdog that has the depth and professionalism
that the public intervenor provided Wisconsin and will promote the
interests of common people who love hunting and fishing.
These
two issues are not partisan. These two issues are not about choosing
between job growth or protection of the environment. Vibrant business
and agricultural communities can co-exist with a healthy environment.
We can grow our economy while preserving our natural resources that
make Wisconsin such a special place to live.
No one person, no one political party has a monopoly in caring about Wisconsin's environment.
Protecting our natural resources should transcend partisan boundaries.
I urge hunters and anglers to press these issues as they interact with those who seek public office this fall.
Peshek, Madison, was Wisconsin's public internenor from 1976 to 1983.
