Check out this video clip to see why budget cuts for the Iowa DNR are really "Bugging Andy."
Andy Fales is a correspondent for WHO TV, a local NBC affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa and he's pretty annoyed that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is having to reduce staff positions and eliminate important programs due to budget cuts. He explains just why this is such a big deal in his regular "Bugging Andy" segment.
As you can see, this is not just an important issue for hunters and anglers. Indeed, everyone in Iowa who enjoys the outdoors will potentially feel the negative impacts of budget cuts to the Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR (or whatever the equivalent agency is in your state) is an under-appreciated and often maligned organization. However, a well-funded DNR is essential for maintaining state public lands and ensuring wildlife populations are well managed.
Unfortunately, this problem is not limited just to Iowa. The federal government and many other states are having similar issues with getting appropriate funding for the organizations that manage wildlife and public lands.
So what can you do about it? Randy Newburg has some pretty good advice if you want to make a difference: educate yourself on the situation, contact your elected and appointed representatives (at the local, state, and federal levels) and get your friends and family to do the same. If you bring enough heat on the decision makers, they will eventually listen and take your concerns into account when they make budget decisions.
Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by John McAdams on his hunting blog. Follow him on Facebook The Big Game Hunting Blog or Twitter @TheBigGameHunt.
NEXT: EVER WONDER WHY THERE IS SO MUCH FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES?
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