WI will be getting a new DNR secretay soon

Preston Cole is stepping down. Hopefully we will get a person with more conservation and biology experience along with the politics that goes with these positions these days.

Bryce

who says who gets that job?

Appointed by the governor?

I looked it up....yes, appointed by the Gov. ..

Hope your gov. is better than ours.

He is not.

Cole can't leave soon enough.

Nearly everyone has a better governor than we have.

I've been disappointed in Cole's performance during his entire tenure. It's possible he's just a puppet for the governor though.

I haven't heard who the new one will be.

I think it should be appointed by the Natural Resources Board

Natural Resources Board are appointed by Governor, too!

No DNR position should serve at the pleasure of any politician. They should serve at the pleasure of the Citizens who vote them in. Wouldn't it be great to have our DNR's be like the County Sherriff and they just had to win our votes and not be forced to kiss butt to politicians to keep their jobs?

Careful what you wish for.

If they had to be elected they would be bending to which ever way the majority of the population blows.
Nowdays I don't think the majority of citizens think like those on this forum when it comes to trapping and host of other outdoor subjects.

Sad to say but the odds of getting someone who is going to make choices based on scientific knowledge will be slim to none. It will be a left leaning political lackey.

I'd rather take my chances with the people, at least that would be a true result. Not a Rhino, a R that's really a D, or a flat out D, appointing DNR Directors and Wildlife Council's. If the people speak then you know if it's time to get out there and enjoy, move, or hang the Victors up above the fireplace and remanence of times past.

That's a great idea if you want a California styled wildlife department.

And things are going great the way they are in Cali? Of course it won't change there, what positive change could come from there? That's a very narrow view. What about here in Ohio, heck, what about in NY even? They have the numbers in their favor but don't turn out and then gripe about the outcome.

You honestly think that across the board in all States, it's better to serve at the pleasure of the Governor, then the people? I personally think voting for the DNR's will bring a better turnout in our favor than voting for Governor's.

Most of calis terrible wildlife laws were because of voter referendums. Atleast a few other states have lost trapping g or bear baiting etc because of voter referendums.

Way to easy to appeal to the masses emotions on wildlife issues.

Ok, so lol. A lot of trapping and outdoors issues actually are on the ballot and the people choose? I've never seen any here. Letting a Governor choose the people who set wildlife laws is better then the people? You didn't answer.

Would a actual vote for wildlife laws bring out more voters then a Governor vote? If outdoor laws were on the ballot, I think States like NY would have had a different turnout, I've just never seen them on the ballot it's the people appointed who make the rules.

I greatly dislike voter referendums and would prefer to not have them, at all. Letting 51%+ of the voting population control the other 49% is bad policy. I don't like democracy, the country was founded as a representative republic because of the inherent flaws of democracy and I believe we should stick with that model.

Poor Washington was elected on a farce lol. Carry on and again, lol.

I don't think you understand my point. If these position were by election they will become One issue elections. Someone will run on ending trapping or hunting with hounds or ending Wolf hunting and they will receive a TON of out of state money to run adds that play to emotion. Get an anti elected with out of state funds with the promise to end consumptive use and it's over.

A lot of States have these restrictions and does your last sentence not sum it up? Point blank, Is control better suited for one Man or Women, or we the people?

I don't think we do.

Voter referendums have been the death of trapping and hunting opportunitues across this country. Horrible idea.

As far as voting for DNR commissioner/secretary, or whatever your state calls them, the only way that would be a good idea is if only licensed hunters, trappers, anglers were elegible to vote. General election would also be a horrible idea.

Governor's appointments are better than we the people in this instance.

That might fly if the agency only managed fish and game, but our DNR in Wisconsin is a single agency that also includes forestry, air, water, soil, etc. Lots of stakeholders besides just hunters, trappers and anglers.

Though I do agree only licensed hunters, anglers and trappers should get to vote in our spring hearings that directly influence hunting, fishing and trapping regulations. Online voting for that was the worst thing to ever happen.

If you live in a liberal state like ours there is no difference -- We haven't had a R gov. in over 30 years -- I would rather take my chances with single issue voters - at least we can win some of the smaller elections where the citiots don't pay as much attention.

So wonderfully spoken Donner. Good luck

Let me know when wildlife issues on a ballot go our way.

Let me know when they're on the ballot, said in a Groucho Marx accent.

I personally would rather lobby or discuss issues with a gov and his/her staff even if policy does not fit my thoughts the best than turning things over to 4-4.5 million citizens who don't, hunt, fish, trap or really think wildlife management should include lethal dispatch of a whole host of species. If we were under the whims of the general public in the whole US most of us would be hunting less with less place to hunt and trapping would have some serious head winds to face.

Bryce

It would be nice to see someone named that had worked their way up the ranks from warden, preferably someone that also hunted, fished and trapped. I know that is hoping for too much.

Correct as can be Donnersurvivor. Well said.

If anyone questioned Coles ability to effectively run the WDNR and what his politics were, only needed to watch his participation in the zoom meetings.

This was Coles' previous job:

Preston Cole, Commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood Service.

Prior to moving to DNS Cole was the Director of Operations, City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works.

His forestry experience was tree trimming and planting trees in boulevard medians in the City of Milwaukee. Being a minority it would have been racist to question his qualifications. I expect a similar political appointment from Gov. Evers this time around.

In these Democrat administrations there are a whole lot of boxes to check before you ever get to experience and qualifications. Been going on in MN for a while.

The only box that matters is the size of the campaign donation.......

........as long as you checked the right race, gender, or preferred pronoun boxes.

X2

He was also chair of the NRB as well as a past forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
He received a Bachelors degree in Forest Management from the University of Missouri.
That said, I still don't like what he has done for WDNR.

https://www.patrickdurkinoutdoors.com/post/cole-failed-wisconsin-as-dnr-secretary-the-past-4-years