How will raising the DNR licensing fees impact the environment and the people who engage with it?
Background
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also known as the (WDNR) was created in 1967. It merged two Wisconsin state agencies; The Conservation Department and The Department Of Resource Development. The mission of the WDNR is to protect and enhance our natural resources: the air, land and water; the wildlife, fish and forests and the ecosystems that sustain all life. By providing a healthy, sustainable environment and a full range of outdoor opportunities. To ensure the right of all people to use and enjoy these resources in their work and leisure. To work with people to understand each other’s views and to carry out the public will. And in this partnership consider the future and generations to follow. The WDNR is funded through the state budget that is set by the Wisconsin Legislature. The WDNR plan for the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Division directs activities to protect, manage, conserve, and wisely use Wisconsin’s lands, plants, wildlife, fisheries and recreation resources”. Through monitoring and establishing objectives about the wildlife populations, the division is able to gain a better understanding of the population numbers in an area to help make management decisions about a species. Along with a better understanding of wildlife populations, this division is able to preserve and protect future generations of species. These objectives and monitoring will also allow more statewide recreational and conservation activities.
There were many acts that have been passed regarding fees; The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, or the Pittman-Robertson Act, as it's more commonly known, requires that states use their revenues from hunting license fees for wildlife management. It also took an existing 11 percent excise tax on guns and ammunition and directed that money to state wildlife agencies for wildlife restoration and protection. A similar act was later passed to tax angling equipment. Since the fees increased it went towards the tax of guns and ammunition instead of the wildlife conservancies. In 2016, DNR administrators reported a $4 million shortfall in its fish and wildlife programs. The shortfall in the programs lead to many problems in these programs which lead to fewer wildlife biologists, fisheries biologists, lake surveys and habitat improvement projects, to name several significant losses, according to the agency. In early 2017, more than a dozen conservation groups formally asked state legislators to increase hunting and fishing license fees. The organizations, a veritable who's who of state outdoors groups, even included specific suggestions and endorsements for fee hikes. The Wisconsin Department of Natural resources proposed in 2017 to raise hunting and fishing fees. That linked the fees to inflation as options for generating more revenue for wildlife management. They believed that it closed the gap because it was only supposed to be a one-time increase in license fees. They also created a registration fee for non-motorized watercraft, such as canoes and kayaks. Even though they have never increased fees for people who buy licenses every year. Governor Scott Walker proposed higher state parks admission and camping fees for the state’s most popular parks as part of his first budget after withdrawing tax support and raising fees in 2017.
This caused a lot of controversy between communities. Hunters and fishers didn’t and still don’t want licenses and park fees to increase. The license price change could also influence the decrease in hunters throughout the years.
Impacts
There have been several consequences to the DNR raising the fees for several groups of people. Since the fees apply to people who partake in outdoor activities, namely hunting, fishing, and taking trips to national parks, a fair amount of people felt that the rising fees were excessive, especially considering the additional costs for those activities in the first place. Considering the expenses of purchasing hunting gear, or the costs for traveling to the park, or perhaps buying a boat and equipment for fishing, it does impact people’s ability to afford to do these activities. Although there’s only a few people who have chosen to leave behind those activities, some people outright can’t afford to do these things.
So, all of this combined with the issues the DNR is already facing, like already having to deal with insufficient funding, the DNR loses even more money to these issues, heavily impacting their ability to preserve and protect the environment. Specifically, they can’t afford to manage the environment as much. For starters, they’re no longer managing around 2,000 acres worth of wetlands. In addition, the DNR also has to cut back on fish surveys, habitat management, and game warden patrols. In the end, all parties suffer from the cutback on DNR funding. Hunters and fishermen are required to invest more out of pocket money into the sport they love, and the DNR is struggling to come up with the funds to affluently maintain Wisconsin’s wildlife.
Opinions
According to a poll by Wisconin’s chapter of Nature Conservancy, “Nearly 90 percent of Wisconsin residents - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - agree that money should be invested in protecting land, water and wildlife even when the state's budget is tight…” (Rott, 2018). So almost unanimously, residents of Wisconsin agree that funding wildlife conservation efforts is absolutely necessary. Although, the issue of funding becomes controversial as DNR budgeting has continuously been cut over the years.
Wisconsin residents, politicians, and DNR employees are now struggling to come up with a practical solution which successfully funds wildlife management while also keeping Wisconsin residents engaged with the outdoors. Some believe a reasonable option is raising fees for fishing and hunting licensing. The DNR has been supportive of this option, as the government has no longer become a reliable source of funding for the department. Therefore, a viable option could be to raise money through those who already, and will likely continue to engage with the Wisconsin outdoors.
Hunters and fishermen seem to disagree with this proposal though, during a DNR spring hearing, “A proposal to start charging $8-10 for antlerless deer tags to pay for dumpsters for safe deer carcass disposal lost by about 800 votes” (Edwards, 2022). While hunters and fishermen believe that funding should go towards wildlife conservation efforts, most are unhappy with that money coming directly out of their pockets. On top of this hesitant support from outdoorsmen, data shows there's already a continuous decline in hunting licensing sales. According to sociologist Tom Heberlein at the University of Wisconsin Madison, hunting will become extinct in the state of Wisconsin by the year 2050. It is very unlikely that the DNR will have a reliable source of funding if they are forced to depend on licensing sales.
Solutions
With the decline in hunting participation and licensing sales, raising licensing sales does not appear to be the most practical option for funding DNR wildlife management, while also keeping Wisconsin residents engaged with the outdoors. Although, there continues to be a sense of urgency in the wildlife conservation community to broaden the funding base. Another option to consider is Congress tapping into oil and gas revenues, and investing that money into conservation. Some states are willing to add general sales taxes, others are promoting residents to engage with wildlife through commission free activities like wildlife-viewing.
Altogether, if state residents cannot rely on their state governments to invest in wildlife conservation efforts, the national government must play a bigger role in this issue. According to a panel on sustaining America’s fish and wildlife resources, if wildlife and fish financing sees no change, “... we can expect the list of federally threatened and endangered species to grow from nearly 1,600 today to nearly thousands more in the future” (Rott, 2018). This is a national concern. Across the country wildlife is continuously confronted with concerning threats. The federal government desperately needs to interfere and allocate more money towards wildlife conservation, so that future generations are guaranteed the ability to enjoy the great outdoors.
Works cited
Smith, P. A. (2019, January 10). SMITH: Sportsmen favor license fee increases to support programs. the State ought to listen. Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/outdoors/2019/01/09/wisconsin-budget-should-include-higher-hunting-fishing-license-fees-favored-sportsmen/2522861002/
Rott, Nathan. “Decline in Hunters Threatens How U.S. Pays for Conservation.” NPR, NPR, 20 Mar. 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/03/20/593001800/decline-in-hunters-threatens-how-u-s-pays-for-conservation.
Verburg, Steven. “Scott Walker, Legislature Altering Wisconsin's Way of Protecting Natural Resources.” AgUpdate, 4 Oct. 2015, https://www.agupdate.com/news/local/environment/scott-walker-legislature-altering-wisconsins-way-of-protecting-natural-resources/article_e8ed91c3-5bf4-557a-a5ce-040ab7f68115.html.
“Wisconsin DNR Floats Idea of Raising Hunting and Fishing Fees.” Duluth News Tribune, Duluth News Tribune, 29 Dec. 2017, https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/wisconsin-dnr-floats-idea-of-raising-hunting-and-fishing-fees.
Reynolds, Mitch. “Wisconsin DNR Looking to Raise Fees to Help Support Programs.” WIZM 92.3FM, 4 Jan. 2017, https://www.wizmnews.com/2017/01/04/wisconsin-dnr-looking-to-raise-fees-to-help-support-programs/.
Desk, News. “Wisconsin DNR Announces Changes to Fall and Winter Deer Hunting Season Dates.” OnFocus, 23 Aug. 2021, https://www.onfocus.news/wisconsin-dnr-announces-changes-to-fall-and-winter-deer-hunting-season-dates/.
Kremer, Rich. “Outdoor Groups Open to Fee Increases Suggested by DNR.” Wisconsin Public Radio, 9 Jan. 2017, https://www.wpr.org/outdoor-groups-open-fee-increases-suggested-dnr?qt-popularit.