Saturday, March 25, 2017

Ex-GOP State Sen. Kanavas misrepresents DNR magazine

Whether Scott Walker should discontinue the self-supporting Department of Natural Resources magazine WISCONSIN Natural Resource is the topic covered in the latest "Insider Debate video posted by WisOpinion.com between former Democratic State Senator Chuck Chvala and counterpart ex-GOP State Senator Ted Kanavas.

Chvala says during the two-minute debate that the magazine offers important information and should be retained, while Kanavas ends with a predictable, emphatic two-word summary - - "private sector" - - after inaccurately dismissing the publication as "a fishing magazine." or a "hunting and fishing" publication that he claims is
 not central to the DNR's core mission - - "permitting."


More about that soon, and I am glad to see the topic out there because it tells me that killing the magazine may be meeting more resistance - - but "fishing magazine?"


I bet Kanavas hasn't taken a close look at WISCONSIN Natural Resources, so let's do that here.


Everything in the magazine teaches readers about the Wisconsin that belongs to all of us. 


The cover piece in the most recent issue contains a photo gallery of Wisconsin lighthouses.
Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine cover photo
Also featured on the cover are stories, again with plenty of illustrations, are stories about North American wildlife conservation funding and Wisconsin tribal youth programs - - including one run by the DNR itself.

Inside there is a detailed, 12-page insert about Wisconsin groundwater, a fascinating account of how working on forest preservation helps people improve their health, and coverage of subjects as varied as geology, woodlands and a unique ice falls. 


Some natural features rest through the centuries without fanfare. Imagine the entire volume of the Wisconsin River dropping nine stories in a mile-long torrent, and now imagine shoving that entire river into two wooden straws. That would be a place revered by the Ojibwe and called Grandfather by 17th century French missionaries — the steepest plunge on the 430-mile river and an attraction that goes back through a thousand years of portage trails and timber drives. 
There are more than a dozen letters to the editor, a humorous account of an encounter with hibernating bear, dozens more photos of Wisconsin scenes and - - a recipe for fish chowder. 

But does one fish recipe on page 29 of the 32-page issue prove Kanavas' argument?


Hardly. 


Permitting is a DNR function, and Walker has elevated it under the "chamber of commerce mentality" management he has installed at the agency.


But the DNR has a far broader role, and its magazine, with around 
90,000 subscribers does a good job - - obviously too successfully for the anti-science, anti-information, anti-public sector GOP and Walker - - explaining and showcasing and strengthening the DNR's historic public mission "to protect and enhance our natural resources...to provide a healthy, sustainable environment...to ensure the right of all people to use and enjoy these resources..."


Where would I get those crazy ideas?


From the DNR's mission statement, right off its website:

Our Mission



To protect and enhance our natural resources:
our air, land and water;
our wildlife, fish and forests
and the ecosystems that sustain all life.
To provide a healthy, sustainable environment
and a full range of outdoor opportunities.
To ensure the right of all people
to use and enjoy these resources
in their work and leisure.
To work with people
to understand each other's views
and to carry out the public will.
And in this partnership
consider the future
and generations to follow.



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Why does the GOP want to get rid of the magazine? The answer is simple. The Wis Natural Resource magazine does a few things which are anti GOP.
1. It promotes an interest in the Wisconsin outdoors. This is contrary to the GOP goals. After all that we have seen from the Walker dictatorship, if a single outdoorsman thinks the state GOP has him in mind, he is a moron. For example: If Joe goes out fishing he might see manure run off from the local CAFO. If Jenny visits the lighthouses she might hear about "dead zones".
2. It encourages tourism. According to the GOP's obvious dream for Wisconsin, we need to can the tourism industry. The tourism industry might not appreciate a strip mine or a clean stream to canoe down. Tourism gets in the way of real industry.
3. It is educational. Educated citizens scare the hell out of these people. The last thing we need is people remembering what it was like before the turds took over.