Scott Walker Merges Science and Unpopular DNR Enforcement Divisions in DNR Website

Under the Scott Walker administration the Department of Natural Resources has conflated the unpopular Enforcement Division with the Science Bureau in the Department's website.

This is a move in the Walker administration to use state websites to further the special interest agenda of Walker's donors such as billionaire John Menard Jr. ,and a PR initiative to take an unpopular (yet small) part of the DNR and associate it with science and law—protecting water, land and air, per the Wisconsin Constitution's Public Trust Doctrine.

In Wisconsin the face of the DNR is for many citizens the law enforcement division, politically unpopular and associated with monetary fines for violations of fishing and hunting regulations.

Walker's merging the DNR's Enforcement and Science Division is justified in part, the website reads, because "The methods the DNR uses to manage wildlife and handle other environmental issues is built upon the research completed by this bureau."

This is a political move with partisan objectives, using public state websites for Walker's political gain.

Science Chief of Wisconsin DNR Retires in Face of Hostile Walker Admin

Steven Verburg writing in the Wisconsin State Journal reports on another scientist leaving public service in the face of the hostile Scott Walker administration:

The director of a state science office facing severe budget cuts after riling Republicans with research on topics such as climate change has confirmed that he is retiring, with some predicting additional departures.

Jack Sullivan, 62, said Wednesday he has been told not to talk about budget cuts that will eliminate more than half of the senior scientist positions from the state Department of Natural Resources Science Services Bureau. But he said this budget had been the most challenging of his 36-year career and the impending cuts played a role in his decision to leave now.

Critics of the budget working its way through the GOP-controlled Legislature predicted Sullivan’s departure signals the beginning of an exodus of DNR scientists mirroring the loss of some top talent at UW-Madison, which is also facing significant reductions and uncertainty about tenure rights.

Scientists, intellectuals, non-partisan auditors, non-Republicans in government, community control, minorities, and college students are all under varying degrees of attack by Scott Walker and Wisconsin legislative Republicans.