Newly appointed Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Dan Meyer kept his comments brief Wednesday, Sept. 27th in welcoming the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to the Northwoods.
The former Republican member of the Assembly from Eagle River replaces Cathy Stepp in that position. She took a job with the Environmental Protection Agency as deputy administrator in Region 7 in Kansas City. In his comments to board members, who were meeting at The Waters of Minocqua, in Minocqua, Meyer took note of the previous day’s tours of the area made by the board. He took note of the positive aspects that the Northwoods’ natural resources provide to locals and tourists, while adding it’s difficult for some to make a comfortable living. “You can see we have a lot of recreation opportunities here,” Meyer said. “For the last five years, I have been really able to take advantage of them. But I will say this, as beautiful as it is up here and all the opportunities we have, it is a hard place to make a living. Just the way it is. “I look forward to working with you and (to) help protect our natural resources in the state of Wisconsin. And I trust we will have a good working relationship.”
Meyer served in the Assembly from 2001 to 2013. He is a former mayor of Eagle River and former executive director of the Eagle River chamber of commerce. Among the issues he’ll face as department secretary is the state’s wolf population – too many, too few – that has galvanized various segments, including deer and bear hunters in the Northwoods.
Other thorny issues are fish management, waterway pollution and property rights, and now, oversight of environment review of the Foxconn development in southern Wisconsin. The NRB on Tuesday toured a few locales, including a visit to the Lac du Flambeau tribal fish hatchery for a presentation on walleye fisheries management and the summer tribal youth grant program; Crystal Lake Campground in Sayner for a presentation on the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, recreational opportunities; Powell Marsh for a presentation on the Powell Marsh Wildlife Area master plan, and the Manitowish Waters town hall for a presentation on the Dead Pike Lake management plan status.
Wednesday’s agenda included a report on the state’s bobcat population (healthy, and growing); and approval of the Brule River State Forest 15-year master plan review.
