Comparing State Natural Resources Agencies Hard to Do

Not all state natural resources agencies are created equal.

And comparing those from neighboring states with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources can be tricky at best.

“Comparing natural resource agencies from one state to the next is an apples and oranges comparison,” said Stephen Sellers, spokesman with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Capsule descriptions, however, can give some insight into staffing levels and the ways agencies are funded and organized.

Iowa and Wisconsin, for example, combine the functions of natural resources management and environmental protection into a single agency. The Illinois DNR oversees the Illinois State Museum and scientific research at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Some states combine parks and historic sites. In Missouri, the Department of Conservation oversees fish, wildlife and forestry, but not state parks.

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

* Operating budget, fiscal 2005: $188.8 million. 1,710 employees. No capital budget for ’05, but $29 million World Shooting Complex near Sparta to be built through other state construction funds.

* Funding sources: About half comes from state government’s general revenue fund, the rest from permits, licenses, fees, wildlife and fish fund, parks and conservation fund, state boating act fund, marine motor fuel tax, federal dollars.

* 135 parks, recreation areas, wildlife areas and hunting areas, visitation of 42 million people in 2003. (Illinois uses a formula that assigned 3.5 people per vehicle, counted when they drive across a cable upon entering the park. The formula assumes some vehicles will hold only one person, while buses may hold more. Visitors are counted each time they enter a park.)

* Population: 12.6 million.

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

* Operating budget, 2004-05 biennium: About $122 million per year. A $56 million capital budget for preventative maintenance, repair and rehabilitation is appropriated to last two years. About 1,500 permanent full-time employees plus seasonal workers.

* Funding sources: A combination of appropriations from the general fund and income earned by the department.

* 24 state parks, nine reservoirs and recreation areas, Indiana State Museum and some historic sites. Estimated visitation of 20 million per year. “We’re Indiana’s largest tourist attraction,” Sellers said.

* Population: 6.2 million.

IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

* Operating budget, 2005: Just over $98 million, but Iowa combines conservation and environmental protection into a single agency, and much of the budget involves pass-through funds for air and water quality programs. 899 full-time employees.

* Funding sources: Only about $16.9 million in general funds; 59 other revenue sources, ranging from air permits to lab certification fees to snowmobile registration fees. Wildlife, fisheries and law enforcement divisions operate solely on income from licenses, fees and excise taxes.

* 54 state parks, but state-managed wildlife areas, preserves and river accesses also administered by Iowa DNR. Estimated visitation of 14 million a year, though Iowa DNR spokesman Kevin Baskins says he is more comfortable citing 666,861 camping nights. “Camping is a real number,” he said. “The others are estimates.”

* Population: 2.9 million.

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

* Operating budget: $156.75 million, including $97.4 million from sales tax earmarked for DOC. Other funds from permit sales, federal dollars, sales and rentals, interest, other sources. No general revenue support. 1,510 full-time salaried employees.

* Missouri DOC focuses solely on the state’s forests, fish and wildlife. “We don’t do state parks, and we don’t do any of the regulatory things to do with air and water pollution and soil conservation,” said Jim Low, Missouri DOC spokesman.

* 83 state parks and historic sites are the responsibility of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The division of state parks employs 630 people with about 100 seasonal employees and has a budget – both operating and capital improvement – of $36 million. Eighty percent of those funds come from earmarked sales tax – one 20th of one percent. Parks receive no general revenue funds and no admission fee is charged.

* Estimated visitation: 17 million.

* Population: 5.7 million.

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

* Operating budget: $492 million for a “superagency” that combines natural resource management and environmental protection. About 40 percent is pass-through funds for environmental protection. Authorized for 2,820 employees but current headcount of 2,600. Positions in parks, land programs, law enforcement, fisheries, research administration and support number about 1,800. The budget for those programs is about $181 million.

* 93 state parks, state forests, trails, and recreation areas. Estimated visitation of 14 million.

* Population: 5.5 million.