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Legislative Audit Bureau finds DNR spending consistent with statute; board, staff say challenge is long-term revenue
Summary
A Legislative Audit Bureau review found 89% of fish-and-wildlife-account expenditures benefited hunters and anglers (or hunters/anglers and other users) and that federal grant spending met eligibility. The DNR and board members said the audit supports the need for long-term revenue solutions to maintain program capacity.
A Legislative Audit Bureau audit released this month reviewed how the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources used revenue in the Fish and Wildlife Account and certain federal grants.
The audit covered state fish-and-wildlife-account spending and selected federal grants (Pittman-Robertson wildlife-restoration and Dingell-Johnson sport-fish restoration). The audit concluded that 89.3% of DNR expenditures (roughly $83 million in the audit sample) benefited hunters and anglers, or hunters/anglers and other users; 0.3% were expenditures that did not directly benefit hunters and anglers but supported other wild-plant and animal programs. The audit also found the department's use of federal Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson funds was eligible under grant rules.
Audit recommendations focused on internal controls and reporting clarity, including documenting methodologies that allocate shared costs across multiple appropriations, improving the formatting of the agency's financial-report outputs, clarifying what line items count toward the department's administrative-cap calculation and enhancing supervisory review and training for time coding. DNR staff told the board they will comply with the recommended changes and report back by March.
Board members and DNR leadership welcomed the audit's confirmation that funds were used appropriately while reiterating a separate point: long-term funding of conservation programs is constrained because hunting and fishing license fees have not increased substantially since the mid-2000s while costs have risen. Deputy Secretary Stephen Little said the audit confirmed the department manages funds responsibly but said the central fiscal problem is the revenue base'not mismanagement. "We are proud of the audit and what it showed," Little told the board; he urged collaboration on sustainable funding solutions.
Why this matters: the audit provides an independent review of how license and federal funds are spent and came with practical recommendations to improve reporting and internal controls. DNR and stakeholder groups said the results should inform discussions about funding for fish and wildlife services.
What happens next: DNR will implement the Audit Bureau recommendations, provide the requested documentation and continue engagement with stakeholders and the legislature about long-term funding options for conservation programs.
