[Madison, WI] – Representative Calvin Callahan (R-Tomahawk) issued the following statement in response to the release of the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau’s (LAB) Report 25-15, which examined the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) use of funds from the Fish and Wildlife Account:
“The numbers don’t lie. The DNR is spending less and less of hunters’ and anglers’ money on the very activities it was meant to support. In FY 2023-24, only 49.8% of state revenue from the Fish and Wildlife Account went to programs that primarily benefit hunting and fishing. That’s a steep drop from 57.3% in 2006, even though revenues have increased by nearly 24%.
“Sportsmen and women are paying their fair share, but the DNR isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. The Fish and Wildlife Account includes license fees, taxes, and revenues that come from Wisconsin’s outdoorsmen. It’s not a slush fund for bureaucracy and pet projects. Unfortunately, without a $25 million bailout from the Forestry Account, the DNR would have run the Fish and Wildlife Account into a nearly $10 million deficit. That’s fiscal mismanagement at the expense of the people who fund these programs, and I won’t stand for it.
“The LAB made nine recommendations to improve transparency and accountability, but the DNR will likely sit on their hands and ignore them. You deserve better. The DNR needs to stop diverting dollars away from the woods, waters, and wildlife and actually support the hunters and anglers who have built Wisconsin’s outdoor heritage.”
