DNR seeks range of capital and program funding in amended FY26 request
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Summary
Commissioner Rayburn told the Appropriations subcommittee the Department of Natural Resources seeks multiple capital investments and reported results from prior-year programs, including a 4,000+ hog-entry control contest and expanded venison distribution to food banks; funding requests include database replacement, erosion control, Sapelo Island paving and a helicopter replacement.
Commissioner Rayburn of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources told the Appropriations General Government Subcommittee that the agency's amended fiscal-year 2026 budget includes multiple capital requests and program updates intended to strengthen parks, wildlife management and emergency response.
Rayburn said the department's wildlife resources division has enrolled more than "4,000 hogs" in a new "hog down awards" program that offers quarterly prizes to hunters who document feral-hog removals. He also reported the Hunters for the Hungry program has distributed about 106,000 pounds of venison to 99 food banks statewide, short of a 140,000-pound goal.
On operational impact from recent weather, Rayburn described the department's response to Winter Storm Fern: unified incident command with the Georgia Forestry Commission and Department of Agriculture, a Macon command post, more than 200 personnel involved, 16 warming stations north of I-20, and multiple state parks and public fishing areas affected. He estimated cancellations have caused more than $250,000 in lost revenue.
Rayburn outlined specific FY26 requests and capital projects. Among the items he highlighted were: a $500,000 request to replace a 20-year-old coastal-resources database to streamline permitting and public access in 11 coastal counties; a $1,250,000 state match for erosion control at Crooked River State Park in Camden County as part of a $5,000,000 project; a $500,000 pass-through for a financial and operational review of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association; $5,000,000 for road paving on Sapelo Island; $2,000,000 for land acquisitions to expand wildlife management areas; $1,750,000 proposed for Unicoi State Park renovations; $10,400,000 for a replacement twin-engine helicopter for search-and-rescue missions; $3,000,000 for fish hatchery improvements; $1,500,000 to replace gangways at DNR properties; and a proposal to redirect $15,000,000 of FY25 land-acquisition funds to Pine Log Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Bartow County.
When representatives asked for details on the Stone Mountain pass-through, Rayburn said the $500,000 is a pass-through appropriation and suggested committee members contact the memorial association's executive director for specific uses. He confirmed the Sapelo Island gangways had been replaced and said park crews were working to reopen three golf courses affected by the storm, possibly within days. On Veterans State Park, he described replacing earlier structures with new four-unit cabin buildings and said completion and a ribbon-cutting are expected this spring.
Rayburn closed by thanking the committee and offering to answer follow-up questions.
The committee did not take formal votes during the presentation; Rayburn's requests remain pending review by the subcommittee and the General Assembly.
