On Saturday afternoon, I saw various protesters at the Capitol fighting for a number of causes. What really caught my attention, however, were the numerous Department of Natural Resources wardens present. I asked two of them, ""Is Scott Walker cutting your benefits, too?"" The only response they gave me was a grim nod. When I spoke to another warden, he responded by informing me that many DNR employees plan to retire shortly. When I ran across a forester outside of the Capitol, she was not happy about Gov. Scott Walker's plan. She told me DNR employees don't make much as it is and they are subject to added burdens from the budget repair bill.
DNR wardens provide an amazing array of services for Wisconsin. The DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, lays out the following Warden Service mission statement:
""1: Maintaining healthy and diverse wildlife populations and habitats.
""2: Enhancing opportunity, safety, and enjoyment of outdoor recreational experiences in Wisconsin.
""3. Enhancing public safety by being ready to respond to emergencies, natural disasters, and acts of terrorism.""
The point is, these guys are vital to the quality of life in Wisconsin. They affect everything from the songbirds in your backyard to the air you breathe. Everything in society comes from the environment, and our conservation wardens make sure our precious natural resources remain intact. When wardens aren't attending public events, they are making sure hunting, fishing, boating, ATV use and snowmobiling activities go smoothly. These jobs are not the ones to screw over.
My experiences at the Capitol inspired me to look into the matter. What I dug up is scary. Apparently, Walker has a grudge against the DNR. According to Fox News, he said, ""The DNR is out of control."" His concerns stem from the management of whitetail deer populations and his limited personal experience deer hunting over the last few years, which is obviously a public relations grab.
Still, under Walker's budget repair bill, wardens face serious cuts. While this is a job with high academic, physical and emotional standards, wardens don't receive ample compensation for their hard work—they are only paid around $21 an hour. There is already a small number of wardens as it is. Columbia, my home county, has only two wardens, making their individual roles all the more vital for the preservation of natural resources.
But Walker says the DNR is seen as a tyrannical force (hypocritical?), neither listening to the public nor bending on issues. Sound like anyone we know? He is proposing reform of the system, which is not a bad idea; the DNR does have a bad public relations reputation. But Walker has no environmental background, so granting him control over environmentally relevant policy is dangerous.
The scariest aspect of Walker's role as governor is the fact that he controls the DNR budget. Over the past few weeks we have seen how much of a control freak he can be. In order to be successful, Walker needs to consult more qualified workers in the environmental field when making these policy decisions.
Perhaps the most tragic loss the budget repair bill brings to the state's natural resources is the loss of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, which is Wisconsin's account for buying public land. Since its birth in 1989, the program has saved more than 500,000 acres of Wisconsin land from the effects of development and urban sprawl. This includes almost 8,000 acres to keep the shores of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and the Willow Flowage scenic and beautiful. The lands saved provide priceless aesthetic value and stimulate the economy by promoting tourism.
The repair bill puts a hold on the program's funding after this year for an indefinite amount of time. And with Walkers love for big business and cuts to public institutions, I don't see it coming back until he's out of office. If Wisconsin is to remain a beautiful and treasured state, this program is imperative. Our quality of life is at stake.
According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Walker stated that he does not plan to withdraw benefits from law enforcement and fire department workers because he does not want to risk public safety, yet despite the fact that public safety is clearly a DNR mission, this immunity does not extend to conservation wardens.
Walker doesn't seem to think education or the environment maintain a high level of importance. What he does think is important, however, is business. Yes, the tax breaks proposed for businesses are equivalent to the current budget deficit; therefore none of the attacks to our state's environment are necessary.
Walker's actions border criminal—taking campaign contributions from rich corporate owners to protect the upper class. He's more concerned about kissing David Koch's ass than he is about the future of our children. In reading this article, I hope you find one more reason, in a figurative sea of reasons, to ""kill the bill,"" and hopefully recall Scott Walker. I don't want my children to see the environmental and educational consequences of this misinformed governor's mistakes. Let's get him out of office so we can preserve the lands that make Wisconsin thrive.
Don Radcliffe is a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
