Report also Recommends Updates in DNR Policies, Expense Reporting
MADISON – Senator Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) and Representative Robert Wittke (R-Caledonia) released the following statement after the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) released Report 25-15 which evaluated the expenditures the Department of Natural Resources has made from the Fish and Wildlife Account, including the expenditure of federal funds received under the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts:
“Wisconsin is a world-renowned destination for hunters and anglers, and getting sportsmen to stay in Wisconsin directly funds the Fish and Wildlife Account. These funds come from license fees & taxes on sporting goods and are supposed to be used on projects that benefit fishing and hunting across the state,” Senator Wimberger and Representative Wittke stated. “There is no reason that the Fish and Wildlife Account should be over $10 million in deficit, while also spending less than fifty percent of its funds on activities that primarily benefitted hunting and fishing. The DNR must provide reassurance that it will be more accountable with its own finances before it comes back to the Legislature asking us to pass its costs onto outdoor enthusiasts.”
Last August, an audit of the Fish and Wildlife Account was requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. This audit was ordered in response to DNR projection that the account will have a $16 million deficit despite an infusion of $25 million included in the 2023-25 State Biennial Budget. The Fish and Wildlife Account is funded primarily from hunting and fishing user fees. State law requires DNR use these funds only “when it is exercising its responsibilities that are specific to the management of the fish and wildlife resources of this state.”
In the report, LAB found that only $46.3 million (49.8%) of the $92.9 million on state revenue was spent for activities that primarily benefit hunters and anglers. This is down from the $68.2 million that was spent in 2006, which represented 57.3% of expenditures from this account at the time.
The report also includes 9 recommendations for the DNR, including establishing a transparent written process for changing the methodology of sharing costs among all programs in the conservation fund and updating the process for approving time sheets of employees.
