When was the wisconsin dnr established

Celebration of 50th Anniversary during the December 12, Board meeting. Link to Slideshow Presentation. This year's 50th anniversary of the Department of Natural Resources goes hand-in-hand with another milestone: 50 years of the State of Wisconsin Natural Resources Board. In , the state Legislature approved the report of the Kellett Commission, established by Gov.

Warren Knowles to study the reorganization of state government. A year later, the Kellett Reorganization Bill merged the departments of Conservation, which included wildlife, fisheries and forestry management, and Resource Development, whose Water Resources Division was responsible for environmental protection functions. This was done by merging members of the two departments' previous oversight boards into a new seven-member citizen board.

The governor appoints NRB members who serve without compensation, except for their expenses. The state Senate must confirm the appointments. Board members serve six-year staggered terms. All rule proposals, land acquisitions, property management master plans and budget proposals from department staff must be approved by the board before advancing for legislative or gubernatorial review and approval.

The decade that followed the creation of the NRB was one of significant work. Throughout that early period, the board oversaw new rules to implement the federal Clean Air and Clean Water acts and approved a State Endangered Species Act. The board guided implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and was behind one of the most comprehensive groundwater protection acts in the nation. In the s, the board approved DNR air program studies that led to the first rules in the nation to control acid rain and surpassed the goal of cutting sulfur dioxide emissions by half.

In the s, the NRB approved rules for one of the nation's first and strongest comprehensive recycling programs and also oversaw implementation of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, which has protected more than , acres of Wisconsin's most beautiful and diverse lands and waters. Through the early part of the 21st century, the NRB guided a series of rules to oversee management of hazardous materials in Wisconsin and to develop a new Remediation and Redevelopment Program.

That has led to the cleanup of hundreds of contaminated properties across the state. Throughout all of these initiatives, one of the most important aspects of implementing them has been citizen involvement at NRB meetings. The board takes citizen comments on almost all rules and decisions it considers. Meyer says he also plans to write a book. Search Query Show Search. Lake Effect. About WUWM. Show Search Search Query. Play Live Radio. Next Up:. Available On Air Stations. All Streams.

WUWM Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email. Susan Bence. After that experience, Meyer says becoming DNR secretary was a breeze. Susan Bence entered broadcasting in an untraditional way.

After years of avid public radio listening, Susan returned to school and earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. See stories by Susan Bence. Related Content.