WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1987-1988


   The Department of Resource Development was created by Chapter 442, Laws
of 1959, when
 the Division of Industrial and Port Development in the Executive Department
and the State
 Planning Division in the Bureau of Engineering were merged. Chapter 614,
Laws of 1965, gave
 the department a major new function  water pollution control.
   The 1967 executive branch reorganization act brought together closely
related, traditional
 conservation tasks and newly emerging environmental protection responsibilities.
It merged the
 Department of Resource Development with the Wisconsin Conservation Department
to form
 the Department of Natural Resources.
   The Scientific Areas Preservation Council (formerly the State Board for
the Preservation of
 Scientific Areas) and the artificial lake creation function of the State
Soil and Water Conserva-
 tion Committee were transferred and merged into the department. The State
Geographic Board
 was terminated and its functions absorbed into the department. The air pollution
control func-
 tion of the Board of Health and the conservation youth camps program of
the Department of
 Public Welfare were also merged into the new department.
   Since 1967, departmental divisions have changed and various councils have
been attached to
 the department. The Conservation Congress, a private citizen group which
celebrated its 50th
 anniversary in 1984, was specifically designated to serve the department
in an advisory capacity
 by Chapter 179, Laws of 1971. Statutory advisory councils exist in the following
areas: snowmo-
 biles, air pollution, groundwater, mining, waterways, off-the-road vehicle
recreation, pest con-
 trol, natural areas, inland lakes, and commercial fishing.
   Organization: A 7-member, part-time Natural Resources Board is appointed
by the governor
 with the advice and consent of the Senate to provide policy direction for
the programs adminis-
 tered by the department. The board appoints a full-time secretary, who serves
as the chief execu-
 tive officer of the department at the pleasure of the board.
   The board meets each month. From June through September, board meetings
are held in
 different communities around Wisconsin, while October to May meetings are
held in Madison.
 At each meeting the first hour offers Wisconsin residents an opportunity
to raise any natural
 resource or environmental issue with the board. To participate in these
citizen question sessions,
 contact Judy Scullion at least 10 days before the board meeting, DNR, P.O.
Box 7921, Madison
 53707.
   Four functional divisions have the primary responsibility for the department's
programs: En-
forcement, Environmental Standards, Resource Management, and Management Services.
  The field operations of the department are under the direction of 6 district
directors, each
responsible for the total mission of the department in his or her district.
District directors report
to the office of the secretary in Madison.
   Agency Responsibility: The department is responsible for implementing
the laws of the state
and, where applicable, laws of the federal government that protect and enhance
Wisconsin's
natural resources - its air, land, water, wildlife, fish and forests. It
is the one agency charged
with full responsibility to coordinate the many disciplines and programs
necessary to provide for
a clean environment and a full range of outdoor recreational opportunities
for Wisconsin citi-
zens and visitors.
   Unit Functions:
   Office of the Secretary: The secretary is responsible for management of
the department in
accordance with the statutes and the policies of the Natural Resources Board.
The Office of the
Secretary consists of the secretary, the deputy secretary, and an executive
assistant. The follow-
ing functions also report to that office: Legal Services, Intergovernmental
Programs, and Plan-
ning and Analysis.
  The Field Districts: Department of Natural Resources field districts are
under line control of a
single district director, who is directly responsible to the Office of the
Secretary. Each of the
districts is divided into areas, each area being a group of counties sharing
common resources,
geographic similarities or population focus. The intent of this organization
is to make depart-
ment services and programs more accessible to the general public.
  Program control and management of department operations are the main responsibilities
of
each district director. A good portion of the environmental protection and
resource manage-
ment decision-making process has been localized using decentralized authority
vested in the dis-
trict directors. The 6 district directors and 15 area directors are also
responsible for staff, proper-


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