Michigan DNR’s Miracle Christmas! They Found $20 Million
December 22, 2007
Art Summer at Simply Outdoors sent me an email yesterday asking me if I had been following the story in Michigan about budget shortfalls with the Department of Natural Resources. I admitted I had been remiss in not more closely following up on previous stories I had written about their woes. As a matter of fact, back in July I was contacted by the Cadillac News and asked if I would be interested in presenting what I would consider negative effects of sharply raising license fees.
Art included in his email a link to the article he had written about how the DNR, who begged the Michigan Legislature for money because of a projected budget shortfall of a few million dollars, was now somehow rolling in the dough! In short, the DNR was expecting a deficit of $10.8 million and instead wound up with cash on hand of $10 million. How can that be?
The Michigan United Conservation Clubs, in an article presented at their website, was of course upset as they had actively promoted the need for license fee increases in order to keep the DNR running at a level they believed to be necessary for good conservation.
Michigan United Conservation Clubs took a stand for the DNR and the outdoors we all love so dearly. We encouraged our members to support a license fee increase despite the fact that it wasn’t always a popular position. In fact, at times it was a downright unpopular position and certainly created some ill will.
MUCC, along with our dedicated coalition partners, took this position because we felt it was the right thing to do and, according to the information that we were provided by the DNR, was the only viable option to prevent devastating cuts in DNR staff and programs – cuts that would directly impact hunters, anglers and those that love the outdoors.
The facts are now clear that the entire picture wasn’t being presented.
Although upset about the turn of events, MUCC’s approach in how to deal with this solution is admirable but I’m not sure completely in everyone’s best interest. On one hand they have decided to have an independent audit find out what went wrong. On the other hand they don’t want to point any fingers.
In situations such as this, anyone would be compelled to point the finger and lay blame. But that’s simply not productive and it’s not how MUCC – or any credible leader or organization — operates. Instead, we must learn from this experience and apply those lessons in the future.
Well, you’ll have to put me into that category as being a leader lacking credibility because I think there first has to be some serious finger pointing and accountablity. These are no small potatoes! Someone made a $21 million booboo and now few people can put much trust in the MDNR when it comes to future budget requests. MUCC is quite responsible and sensible in requesting an audit but audits will do little if it is shown that those responsible cannot do their job. Perhaps the audit will show the problem and that problem can be remedied.
In an article published at MLive by the Associated Press, the director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Rebecca Humphries, gave reasons why she all of a sudden had nearly $21 million more than she expected.
DNR Director Rebecca Humphries told lawmakers this week that the Game and Fish Fund will have a $10 million fund balance because of an unexpected increase in license sales, operational savings and higher-than-expected returns on investments.
Perhaps the first excuse will bear out that we probably can’t believe the second two excuses. She claims there was an “unexpected” increase in license sales. Oh, really? If there was, it must have come all from fishing licenses but at $13.00 a pop Michigan would have had to sell a lot of licenses to begin to put a dent in $20 million. I would sooner think that any organization that couldn’t project a $21 million surplus surely has no clue as to why.
Just late last week, Eric Sharp, outdoor writer for the Detroit Free Press, talked with Rod Clute, big game specialist for the MDNR. His concerns were that deer hunters hadn’t taken enough deer because it appear fewer hunters were out in the woods. But Clute in this article claims there were no more deer hunting licenses sold than the previous year.
“It’s a real puzzle,” Clute said. “We don’t know why the hunters weren’t out there, but the reports we’re getting are all about the same — fewer people in the field. What really makes it so strange is that we sold just as many licenses as last year. Did a lot of people buy licenses and just not use them?”
So if we can’t wholly believe that an “unexpected” surge in license sales contributed to this “windfall” then how can we believe that $20 million was saved by operational cuts and returns on investments? What investments? Show me the money!
This now becomes a huge trust issue. Sportsmen contribute millions of dollars through license fees and they expect better than this. We are always the ones being asked to pay more in fees. Most sportsmen are willing to pay the money provided they can account for where the money is going. Isn’t that just smart? A certain amount of that trust is now in shambles and the MDNR needs to begin repairing that.
Hopefully, MUCC’s efforts in conducting an audit will begin to mend the bridge. If the MDNR intends to find funds to carry on its programs, this is going to be impossible if they don’t have the trust of those who pay the license fees. If returning that trust means that a new director is needed, then so be it. If nothing else, sportsmen across Michigan should be very angry and disappointed and they should let their representatives know just how they feel. This is your investment and it needs protecting. Don’t depend on government to look out for it.
Tom Remington
After a little internet searching, reading, and checking up on this stuff I found it’s a pretty well established product in Canada and hails from Quebec where they have this funny habit of speaking a lot of French. Thus the name, Jig-A-Loo, and the company’s claim it derives from a saying they have up north, “I’ve got it!” 
Thanks for this article Tom,
Some of the points you bring up are telling what I’ve been saying and writing to the DNR about for the past couple of years. I was born and raised in Michigan, moved away for awhile and then moved back. My family still lives in Clare County and my dad, brother and I have property in the UP. I currently live just across the line in Ohio but have always opted to hunt in Michigan during deer season. I have seen the herds increase from my early hunting days to what I consider a poor level now. The DNR answered one of my letters and informed me that current habitat could not sustain the herd levels of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Their issuing of block permits and many multiple licenses have decimated the herd and Michigan will lose many dollars as hunters find fewer chances to see let alone take a whitetail.
Let me paint the picture I’ve seen over the four seasons prior to 2007. We usually hunt the first week in the UP and where we use to at least see deer each morning and evening (usually does) we weren’t seeing any. Then in the 2006 season we may have gotten the reason. My nephew was at our cabin for the opener of rifle season. He hung a scent strip and climbed into his blind. Less than twenty minutes passed and he had a large timberwolf below the strip. Six were counted during the 2007 season. Where there are wolves, an abundance of coyotes and more black bears there are fewer deer. I had intended on hunting at my parents place in Clare County in 2006 but on opening day I took my dad for a doctors appointment at the VA in Saginaw. After the appointment, we drove all the way back to Cadillac to pickup a log splitter he had ordered and then back home. The US 10 / M-115 highways I traveled that day have always afforded us multiple opportunities to see many deer in years past but on that day we counted a total of six deer in the fields. We saw many orange figures, which normally keep the deer moving but we also didn’t see any of the normal signs of success, that being deer on/in cars, trucks or buck poles. I did manage to get out during the next week but didn’t even see one deer. This had become the norm over those past four years so in 2007 I decided not to use my vacation time and to save the several hundred dollars I would normally spend for gas, food and the out of state tag.
I have seen very little if any habitat improvement for the whitetail, so why shouldn’t the DNR see a surplus in funds. They are forsaking the hunters and sportsmen/women who provide most of the funding for their agency so they can join the PC/Enviro-anti’s to re-establish a wolf population that we didn’t need or want. I’m sure that the insurance industry will also appreciate a smaller deer herd as well, but if hunters find that they stand very little chance of seeing let alone harvesting a whitetail deer in Michigan, they will not be so eager to spend the money that so many businesses in the rural areas depend on.
David - Thanks for the comment. I think you are pretty much right on the mark with your assessment of things from what I understand. Having grown up in Maine and hunted since childhood, I have always had a difficult time relating to hunting areas with ample deer. In other words, some hunters are disappointed in only seeing a handful of deer each day, while I’m used to hoping to see a handful of deer the entire season.
Regardless, all things I believe are relative and when there are substantial changes as you describe, we have to look for, recognized and understand what has caused these changes.
I have to agree with your comment on the PC/Enviro-antis. This is the trend which is being caused by two things in my opinion. One is the growing entities, some well endowed with money, fighting for animal rights and opposing hunting. Most DNRs/fish and game a scared of these groups and opt to give them what they want than fight for what is right. Which brings me to the second reason.
More and more of our DNR officials, including the wildlife biologists are growing up and being too strongly influenced by the liberal education systems that promote anti-hunting and animal rights. In short, many of the people within the DNRs are themselves against killing animals and hunting. It’s sad.
I believe the only way this trend is going to get broken is for hunters and those who understand and support hunting to begin speaking up. After all, this is science backed.
I totally agree. The anti’s got a foot in the door and they are not letting up. I have been hunting in Michigan since 1951. (except for a stint in the military) I have seen a lot of changes. They (the DNR) use to set the seasons, what we could & couldn’t hunt, catch and not catch. etc. I went to the rally at the capital in Lansing for the dove hunt. What a farce. Common MDNR, get back to a system that worked, and you ran.
P S Lets see now, where did I leave that $20,000,000???
Tom,
Amen brother.
I also write and have written a couple of articles detailing the MUCC debacle and the NRA’s involvement in the process here in MI.
It’s funny how much our writings are similar in tone and subject. I would be happy to send you copies. Or, contact Darin Goens in the ILA. He has copies.
I am so happy the NRA is involved in this subject. The power and influence of the NRA is evident when sitting in these meetings between the Michigan Legislators and MUCC. In fact, I was not a member until I witnessed the NRA in action. I was impressed!
I have got to run. The MUCC is about to step in something stinky and I want to be there to see it.
Doug
The North West quarter of Michigan’s lower penisula over the past 15 years has seen a considerable growth in the population of Black Bear, Wolves, Coyote, and Mountain Lion combine these four predators with the increase in the stripping of old growth trees from large tracts of state hunting lands and you will understand why in the last decade the population of deer and small game species have deminished to such low levels.
Perhaps this is where the MDNR found the 20,000,000 dollars. They have litterally stripped thousands of acres of forest, removing all cover and food for the game species.
Art