Audit finds DNR largely complies with purchase rules but missed two reporting duties; acquisitions slow

The Office of the Legislative Auditor told the Legislative Audit Commission on April 25 that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources generally complies with statutory requirements for acquiring land but has not satisfied two reporting duties written into state law.

Sarah de la Cueva, evaluations manager with the Office of the Legislative Auditor, presented the office's review of fee-title land acquisitions and said DNR "generally complied with statutory requirements for land land acquisition process. However, DNR did not fully comply with 2 requirements for reporting that are established in statute." She told commissioners the OLA's analysis covered acquisitions that closed in fiscal years 2020 through 2024.

Why it matters: State law requires DNR to report periodically on lands the agency manages and on transactions from the land acquisition account. Those reports provide transparency about how public money is used to expand and manage state-owned recreation and resource lands; lawmakers and stakeholders said they need the information to evaluate past choices and set future priorities.

Key findings and data

- Scope and counts: From fiscal 2020 to 2024 the OLA counted 234 closed fee-title acquisitions: 110 DNR-led and 124 partner-led. - Timeline: The OLA found the median time to close an acquisition in that five-year window was 21…