Conflict over the Natural Resources Board flared again. What to know about the latest developments
MADISON - A series of no votes from a Senate committee has once again placed focus on the Natural Resources Board, and set an uncertain future for members of the policy-setting board for the Department of Natural Resources.
The Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage, which held hearings for the NRB appointees over the last several months, voted down four of the members Thursday.
Four of Gov. Tony Evers' appointees received a no vote: Sandra Dee Naas, Jim VandenBrook, Dylan Jennings and Sharon Adams.
Only one appointee, Paul Buhr, was approved.
But this isn't the first instance of drama for the board, which is supposed to play a non-political role in setting policy for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to follow.
Here's what you should know.
When did conflict over the NRB start?
In 2021, when Evers appointed Naas, Frederick Prehn broke with a long-standing tradition of stepping down to allow the new appointee to take their spot. Prehn stayed for nearly two years past the end of his term, bolstered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which ruled that there wasn't a vacancy on the board because Prehn hadn't stepped down.
Prehn held the seat, while claiming that his decision wasn't political, but instead motivated by his desire to vote on issues such as the wolf management plan and the regulation of PFAS.
More: Scott Walker appointee Frederick Prehn resigns from Natural Resources Board after over-staying term
While he was able to vote on those issues, Prehn's motivations were revealed as political through a series of open records requests, showing communications with lobbyists, lawmakers and other board members.
What happened with Prehn?
Prehn stepped down at the end of last year without ceremony, leaving a vacancy for Naas to fill. She sat at the board table for her first meeting in January.
But despite his leaving the board, tension has been left in his wake.
More: Senate committee rejects four Evers appointees to Natural Resources Board
When did Evers make his appointments?
Adams was appointed in 2021, and her term will expire May 2027.
Buhr was appointed in 2022, and his term expires in May 2029.
Jennings was appointed this year and his term expires in May 2029.
VandenBrook was appointed this year and will serve through May 2029.
Naas was appointed in 2021, and her term expires May 2027.
What comes next?
Currently the appointees are serving on the NRB, attending meetings and participating in votes.
The no votes from the committee do not immediately remove the members from the board, but signal what could be a rejection from the full Senate. If that were to happen the members would be removed and Evers would have to appoint new members.
If the full Senate doesn't take up the confirmation, the members will continue to serve on the board with unconfirmed status that leaves them vulnerable to a future removal vote.
Where did the new appointees come from?
Adams is co-founder of the Milwaukee-based Walnut Way Conservation Corporation, a community development organization that seeks to promote economically diverse and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods. She also has served as a board adviser for the UW-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and has advised the City of Milwaukee on policy issues affecting natural resources.
Jennings is a citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a doctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the associate director of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College, where he oversees the institute and the Hulings Rice Food Center. He served two terms as an elected tribal council member for the Bad River Tribe and previously served as the director of public information for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.
More: With two new members, and one conflict in the past, here's the Natural Resources Board
VandenBrook served the executive director of the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association from 2012 through 2018, and served as the water quality section chief for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection from 1986 to 2012. Prior to his role with DATCP, he served as a county conservationist in Vernon and Trempleau counties.
Naas is a teacher in the Drummond School District who also served as the chair of the Bayfield County Conservation Congress and the vice-chair of the Bayfield County Deer Advisory Committee for six years before stepping down after her appointment to the board. She also operates a business focused on soil conservation and is an outdoorswoman.
Buhr, who was approved, is a former dairy farmer who still grows crops on his property in Viroqua. He was selected for his position on the board as a representative of the agricultural community. He said he's hoping to translate his experience as a farmer into informed decisions on issues like managing nutrients from farms such as phosphorous and nitrates that can get into drinking water.
What comes next?
All of the appointees have already started serving on the Natural Resources Board, attending meetings and participating in votes.
The no votes from the committee do not immediately remove the members from the board, but signal what could be a rejection if their appointments came to a vote from the full Senate. If that were to happen the members would be removed and Evers would have to appoint new members.
If the full Senate doesn't take up the confirmation, the members will continue to serve on the board with unconfirmed status.
What are people saying about the no votes?
Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, who sits on the committee, said in a statement Friday she voted no in alignment with what her constituents' values are.
"I think this vote was a necessary step in the right direction. I did my due diligence, gladly met with the appointees who reached out to introduce themselves and have a conversation, researched the nominees, and ended up voting in favor of an Evers’ appointee who, I believe, will help bridge the gap at the NRB between Northwoods values and those of the Governor," she said in an emailed statement.
"I hope, if the opportunity presents itself, that Governor Evers will submit more appointees, like Paul, who are qualified for the position and willing to look at all sides of an issue.”
Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, raised the issue of wolves in his statement Friday afternoon regarding his no vote on the candidates.
"Because of their refusal to listen to the people of northern Wisconsin, Ms. Adams, Mr. Jennings, Ms. Nass, and Mr. VandenBrook have not earned my vote in committee or on the floor when they come up for confirmation," he said. "Paul Buhr was the only appointee who showed a glimmer of hope that he might understand the devastation that wolves have done to the people of the 29th District — therefore he got my support. The rest of them showed no interest.”
Evers' office blasted the no votes Thursday night.
"It’s outrageous that four dedicated and qualified public citizens who are volunteering their time, energy, and expertise to serve our state continue to be subjected to the political ire of Wisconsin Republicans whose own resumes wouldn’t pass muster for filling these very roles," Evers spokeswoman Britt Cudaback said.
Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, and Sen. Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, who both sit on the comittee and were the only two yes votes, released a joint statement Thursday night, criticizing their Republican colleagues.
“Governor Evers appointed Board members who embody what Republicans have claimed they are looking for: Wisconsinites from every corner of our state whose relationship with our state’s agricultural traditions and sporting heritage is a foundational part of their lives. It is obvious that Republicans set all that aside to push a partisan agenda."
Tony Wilkin-Gibart, the executive director of Midwest Environmental Advocates, an environmental law firm, also said the decision seemed political in nature.
"The committee members who voted no have shown that they are out of touch and part of a small echo chamber," he said.
"We have important decisions to make in Wisconsin to reach compromise on a host of issues that impact the health of all of us, that impact businesses and property owners. These political games with the NRB are a waste of time and money and preventing the people of Wisconsin from getting that important work done."
What's the issue with wolves?
The DNR's proposed a flexible management plan earlier this year that would likely keep the state's wolf population between about 800 and 1,200 animals, or about the number found in the state in recent years, according to documents released to the public in August.
Republican legislators have pushed back on the agency's proposed plan, asking to set a much lower population goal of 350 animals.
The back-and-forth over wolves is related to the argument over how many wolves could be harvested by hunters if the animals are taken off the endangered species list, and over the concern that the wolf population in the state is harming farmers and the state's deer population.
Were any other appointments held up by the Senate?
Yes.
Prehn’s replacement is one of dozens of Evers appointees the Senate refused to confirm. But after Evers won reelection last year, Republicans began taking up appointees, though not many have received votes from the full Senate yet.
DNR Secretary Adam Payne is one of the appointees who has received a public hearing at the committee level, but has not yet received a vote or been passed along to the full Senate.
What is the NRB?
The Natural Resources Board sets policy for the Department of Natural Resources and is made up of seven members. Board members are nominated by the governor for six-year terms, staggered to prevent boards from being appointed within one governor's term.
Under the law, three members are appointed from the northern part of the state, three from the south and one member is "at large." At least one board member must have an agricultural background and at least three members must have held a hunting, fishing or trapping license in at least seven of the 10 years before nomination.
Members are confirmed by the state Senate, which reserves the right to reject appointments by the governor. But to take a seat on the board, appointees don't need to be confirmed, as long as the member they're replacing vacates the seat.
Who are the other members of the NRB?
Bill Smith, the chair of the board, worked for the DNR for 35 years as an environmental engineer and in a series of management positions until he retired in 2013.
He's a hunter and angler who also enjoys making maple syrup and collecting wild rice. He previously served as the board director of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Foundation and the emeritus director of the International Crane Foundation.
Smith was appointed to the board in 2019 by Evers. His term expires May 1, 2025.
Marcy West served as the executive director of the Wisconsin Land Conservation Association, Inc., before working as the executive director of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, a 8,600-acre public property in southwestern Wisconsin. She led the reserve for 23 years, before being appointed to the board.
She is also an avid outdoorswoman, and she enjoys kayaking, hiking, turkey hunting and foraging for morel mushrooms.
West was appointed by Evers in 2020. Her term expires May 1, 2025.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X at @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about the latest conflict over Natural Resources Board
