Frederica Freyberg:

But first, in our ongoing “Budget Watch” coverage, 57 employees in the Department of Natural Resources received layoff notices this week. 27 of them work in the Bureau of Science Services. As Zac Schultz reports, that Bureau is at the center of a firestorm over research at the DNR and the Governor’s budget.

Zac Schultz:

The Bureau of Science Services is a rather small, somewhat independent, part of the giant bureaucracy that is the Department of Natural Resources. With about 50 scientists, they produce more than 50 reports a year, researching everything from wildlife populations to forest health to the impact of pollution. Governor Walker’s budget proposal eliminates 18 positions from the bureau, nine of which are empty due to hiring freezes. DNR leaders indicate they plan to eliminate the Bureau of Science Services entirely, incorporating the remaining researchers into other divisions.

Cathy Stepp:

They want to see more integration between the research division of Wisconsin DNR into the priorities of what the agencies programs want to see as far as research.

George Meyer:

It’s the worst anti-conservation budget I’ve seen in 50 years.

Zac Schultz:

George Meyer is a former DNR Secretary and current Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.

George Meyer:

If we lose this kind of information, natural resources goes downhill.

Zac Schultz:

He says the scientists’ research is the foundation that helps set harvest limits and season regulations.

George Meyer:

When you start losing data, you start making bad management decisions. You don’t have the numbers. Or you come up with a system of regulation and it doesn’t work.

Cathy Stepp:

Science isn’t everything we do.

Zac Schultz:

DNR secretary Cathy Stepp would not do an interview with us, but told the Natural Resources Board the loss of the scientists would not impact science.

Cathy Stepp

There are scientists all throughout this building. It’s not just that we have “ists,” if you will, in the Science Services Division of our organizational chart.

Zac Schultz:

Republicans have a wide variety of arguments for cutting the scientists. Joint Finance Co-Chair John Nygren says they could farm the science out to the University of Wisconsin.

John Nygren:

The scientific research will be part of a contract potentially with the UW System.

George Meyer:

That’s not viable. And I know that. I did do some contracts with the University.

Zac Schultz:

George Meyer says while UW researchers sometimes partner on DNR research projects, contracting with them can cost 30% more. Plus, they’re interested in theoretical research, not practical research.

George Meyer:

The research DNR does, it’s applied research. You know, on these kinds of lakes what , should we have a slot size for bass or should we have a 15-inch? That’s not the type of research the University does. And they don’t want to do it. And they aren’t as good at it.

Mary Czaja:

There’s a lot of worry about nothing. Nine of those positions are vacant right now and another nine have been doing research projects that aren’t inherent to Wisconsin. They’ve been doing things overseas and internationally.

Zac Schultz:

Republican Mary Czaja is from Lincoln County in northern Wisconsin.

Mary Czaja:

We were studying Yellow Gobi, in China. We weren’t studying anything in the state of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

But Representative Czajz is wrong. The bureau of Science Services doesn’t study anything outside Wisconsin. In the yellow gobi study she’s referencing, the DNR hired a researcher after he completed that project. But the paper wasn’t published until he was working for the DNR.

George Meyer:

A lot of the things that have been done in this budget are more ideological than fiscal.

Zac Schultz:

One argument you won’t hear is that this will help balance the budget.

Christine Taylor:

It is very perplexing, particularly because so many of these positions are federally funded so we don’t save anything by cutting them. In fact, a lot of these scientists bring grants with them.

Zac Schultz:

In fact, the Bureau of Science Services brought in $2.7 million in external grants over the last three years.

Helen Sarakinos

You do have to ask the question, who wants that to happen?

Zac Schultz:

Helen Sarakinos is a lobbyist with the Wisconsin River Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for river protection and clean-up. She says the bureau of Science Services painted a target on its back in December of 2013, when it released a report on the potential impacts of taconite mining in Wisconsin; specifically, the iron ore mine proposed in the Penokee Range in Northern Wisconsin.

Helen Sarakinos:

That report was information. What you choose to do with information is a policy decision.

Zac Schultz:

The report came less than a year after a contentious debate in the Legislature led to the passage of a new mining bill that cleared the way for the company Gogebic Taconite to apply for a mining permit.

Helen Sarakinos:

There was a lot of money invested in the passing of that mining law. So, yes, when you say to me a report comes out that says there will be an impact, are there interests who aren’t happy to hear that? Not surprisingly, there are.

George Meyer:

We’ve got a senator that doesn’t like some of the results, so he’s going to eliminate people that — 18 people, research persons. That’s not good government. That seems almost retribution or vindictive in nature.

Zac Schultz:

State Senator Tom Tiffany was the lead sponsor of the mining bill. And a vocal opponent of the mining study.

Tom Tiffany:

I think it was a valid point when you look at who they were partnering with, who this person was partnering with. They were very anti-mining.

Helen Sarakinos:

I think scientists took a look at the evidence, took a look at what was being proposed and gave an objective assessment of what the potential impacts would be. You may not like the answer. It doesn’t mean it’s biased.

Tom Tiffany:

What animates me is the person that’s been setting the deer goals for Northern Wisconsin now for over a decade.

Zac Schultz:

Senator Tiffany says he’s pushing to cut the scientists not because of the mining report, but because the DNR has allowed too many doe to be shot each deer season severely reducing the herd.

Tom Tiffany:

Yeah, I think he’s agenda-driven. He’s got an agenda that’s different than — I believe it’s a, he prefers to see predators in Northern Wisconsin rather than deer.

George Meyer:

Some of the people making these decisions do not have a natural resources background and do not understand the gravity of what they’re proposing.

Zac Schultz:

George Meyer says no matter the reasoning, the efforts to eliminate the scientists has caused low morale at the DNR to sink to new depths.

George Meyer:

Privately I get calls, other people get calls. I walk in the halls and people pull me aside. They’re not going to come out publicly and I can’t blame them.

Zac Schultz:

DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp would not allow us to interview anyone from the bureau of Science Services. Even former employees were unwilling to talk with us for fear their current position would be targeted.

Helen Sarakinos::

Politics is alive and well, even in the agency. We’ve seen repercussions to staff who speak out of line or who don’t have the same message as the administration.

George Meyer:

I am very concerned, though, for the future of the Department of Natural Resources because of this budget and other things that have been done in recent years.

That was Zac Schultz reporting. When asked about the layoff notices this week, Governor Walker said, quote, “When an issue comes up that requires a report, we can contract for that as opposed to have a component of that agency that just does reports whether they are needed or not.”