“The tower of power” from the January 17, 1978 Door County Advocate
DNR--see how it runs
The tower of power
By HARVEY ROWE
PART I
From his plush offices on the top floor of the 14-story DNR building at Madison, Secretary Tony Earl can look below on the sprawling countryside, secure in the knowledge that almost everything he views comes in some way under the control of his agency.
Situated along University avenue, near the outskirts of the city, the gleaming white cylindrical skyscraper provides an impressive headquarters for the department it houses.
From its top floors one can look in all directions; over the stores and homes of Madison, or towards the state capitol — which seems dwarfed in the distance, or at the mammoth state building housing the Transportation Department. Half way around the circle the view dramatically changes to one of peaceful forests and streams, golf courses and distant farmlands.
Officially known as the “Pyare Square” building, it is irreverently referred to by some as the “tower of power.” The building is not state owned. In fact, the Building Commission recently approved construction of a new nine million dollar facility for the DNR, to be located in downtown Madison. No doubt some of DNR’s charisma will be lost when it moves from its impressive tower.
But it will take more than a new nine million dollar building to change the image of what has become Wisconsin’s most unpopular state agency.
Much of DNR’s unpopularity stems from the fact that the public views it as an agency that is virtually crazed with power, unsure of its own internal operations and decisions, and outside the reach of the legislature, the governor and the people. A frequently asked question is: who set up the Department of Natural Resources, and how did it become so powerful?
The answer is that DNR was a major proposal of the Kellett Commission, appointed by Governor Knowles in 1965 to reorganize state government. This special commission consisted of 18 members, including several legislators and a number of citizen members. Wayne McGown, a top appointee under governors of both parties, served as Commission Secretary; Wallace Lemon, a Department of Administration director (now vice-president of the University of Wisconsin) served as a “citizen member” and the staff was also provided by the Department of Administration.
Thus the power structure which has dominated state government for 20 years — under both parties — was well represented in setting up the DNR. This helps explain why governors of both parties have been reluctant to oppose the department.
In devising the DNR the Kellett group “took the old Conservation Department and attached to it most of the Department of Resource Development. To this they added part of the Division of Health, and lesser functions from several other agencies. This proposal was approved by the 1967 legislature and signed into law by Governor Knowles.
A 7-member citizen board was created to govern the new agency. It replaced the Conservation commission but retained the powers of the commission — including the power to make laws (known as administrative rules). Rule making powers were, in fact, increased to cover newly acquired functions of the agency — such as environmental protection.
Board members, who serve without pay on a part-time basis, also make policy for the department, and appoint the Secretary of Natural Resources — who heads the agency.
DNR today regulates and controls such diverse functions as hunting and fishing, snowmobile licensing and regulation, commercial fishing, water and air pollution, parks and forests, land acquisition, boating safety and licensing, public and private water systems, solid waste disposal, lakes, shoreland zoning and floodplain regulations, youth camps, the motorcycle trail program, preparation of environmental impact statements, various educational programs and operation of the “olympic ice rink.”
“THE TOWER OF POWER”
All of this will cost about $188 million dollars, budgeted by the legislature for the current two-year period. This compares with a budget of $60 million dollars for 1967-69, when the DNR was organized. Creating one large agency obviously did not save any dollars.
So pervasive is the DNR in our daily lives that hardly a radio or television newscast fails to mention the agency, and seldom is a newspaper printed without several articles relating to it. Most of its publicity is unfavorable.
DNR does, however, maintain a public relations unit, known as the “Bureau of Information and Education.” It is headed by Jeffrey Smoller, who previously served as Press Secretary to Governor Lucey.
DNR seems more in need of an analyst than of a public relations staff, as the agency appears unable to comprehend its own shortcomings, or understand why the public resents the arrogant posture it takes in dealing with people — and even with local officials. There is the ever present misconception by DNR and its supporters that its vast and absolute power is needed to protect people against themselves. Its greed for even more power further deteriorates relations.
Item: Lamenting the fact that Lake Geneva is filled with boats, swimmers, scuba divers and others, former DNR board chairman Harold Jordahl was quoted as saying, “...There’s absolutely no opportunity for any kind of quality recreation on that magnificent lake because we are not regulating people.”
The Milwaukee Journal followed up Jordahls’s statement in an editorial of Aug. 9, 1977, saying: “The lesson is clear. . .the DNR will need greater authority to manage lake users.”
“Regulate people...manage lake users:” It is the terminology that somehow typifies the DNR philosophy. There is always the tacit implication that citizens cannot govern themselves — through their elected representatives — at the local level.
The department’s image probably is most tarnished by its over zealous law enforcement people, including undercover agents wired for sound. Some state parks in the summer resemble a police state, with poorly-trained “officers” keeping a constant watch for minor infractions that might net them another arrest. The security is probably tighter in some parks than it is in some of our minimum security prisons.
In peak periods the State Patrol radio network, used by DNR for communications, is often so cluttered with DNR chatter that troopers have difficulty in getting their own messages through.
Indicative of DNR procedure is an incident which occurred in Door county two summers ago. Suddenly, at about 6:00 one evening, radio monitors came alive with excitement as “Unit 1” called for the location of “Unit 4,” while “Units 2 and 3” interjected from time to time about “not spotting the subject vehicle yet, but moving our location to the west end of the bridge.”
This chatter went on for about an hour, putting to shame any production by “Hawaii Five-O” or a metropolitan SWAT team. The average listener would have assumed that the Division of Criminal Investigation was about to bust a million-dollar drug ring — only to learn that the entire operation consisted of four grubby looking DNR cars staked out to intercept a fish truck.
The object of this arrogance and show of force is to prove a point: Like the mythical “LeRoy Brown” in the once popular song, they want the public to know that you just don’t mess around with the DNR without getting your fingers burned.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[The Pyare Square building was deconstructed in 2016: https://www.wmtv15news.com/content/news/Pyare-Square-building-coming-down-388730232.html
Deconstructing the Pyare Square Building, Madison WI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MONk-9qxWxM ]
Posts related to the Department of Natural Resources
http://doorcounty.substack.com/t/department-of-natural-resources