Transparency in DNR Management of Elk Herds
by Senator Steve Green

Elk herd management has been a hot topic across parts of northwest Minnesota. On September 10th, I attended a meeting on the issue. Since 2016, there has been a moratorium on expanding the size of elk herds in parts of Minnesota. That changed with last year’s legislature. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, (DNR) is now proposing to increase the numbers of the Kittson County Elk herd by 30%.

Traditionally, these meetings were required to be open, allowing people to assemble and discuss issues that affect them. For some years now the DNR has abandoned the open meeting format in favor of an open house. This is designed to prevent assembly. It allows the agency to control discussion. It stifles the people’s voice.  They are also not transparent. I find this unacceptable. Folks being affected by these issues should have every opportunity to sound off their concerns in open meetings. The above-mentioned meeting was also held in the middle of harvest season. so many farmers could not make it. There are too many hoops for people to jump through. It should be simple: open meetings outside of harvest season that encourage feedback from farmers and foster a good working relationship between the DNR and the farmers they should be listening to.

The DNR has spent a lot of time advocating for increasing the elk herd numbers. That presents a big problem for many farmers. Elk are very large animals, and herds of them can wreak havoc on farmland. They have destroyed crops, fences, and stored forage. Because of this, funding has been made available for depredation. There was $150,000 in the fund. It was not enough to cover the claims – it ran out of funding and funding needed to be shifted from the wolf depredation fund to cover costs, which causes issues for those who have been affected by our growing wolf population. Both are clear examples of mismanagement by the DNR.

We’ve all heard about the DNR’s plans to do a multi-year study on elk herds in the Northwest portion of the state, and I encourage them to have open and accessible meetings both before and during this process. This should be the standard. Those most affected by the herds and their movement should be given ample time to voice their concerns on this issue. I will continue advocating for these open meetings until voices are heard.

If you have any interest in being part of an open meeting, please contact either myself at Sen.Steve.Green@MNSenate.gov, or Representative John Burkel at Rep.John.Burkel@House.MN.gov. We are committed to advocating for transparency on this, as well as every other DNR management issue area.