ST. PAUL - The commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has appointed 10 Minnesotans to three-year terms on citizen oversight committees that monitor the agency’s fish and wildlife spending.
Among the appointments are two area men who are both avid hunters and anglers.
Steve Okins of Willmar, finance director with the city of Willmar, will serve on the wildlife oversight committee.
John Haukos of Ortonville, the sheriff of Big Stone County, will serve on the fisheries oversight committee.
The Fisheries Oversight Committee and the Wildlife Oversight Committee continue a citizen oversight function first created in 1994. Almost 50 people applied for oversight committee positions. Factors in choosing the new appointees included geographic distribution, demographic diversity, and a mix of experienced and new participants.
Minnesota’s Game and Fish Fund is the fiscal foundation for much of the state’s core natural resources management functions. Upwards of $90 million a year is deposited into this fund from hunting and fishing license sales, a sales tax on lottery tickets and other sources of revenue, such as reimbursement based on a federal excise tax on certain hunting, fishing and boating equipment.
The dollars that flow into this fund pay for the fish, wildlife, enforcement and ecological management that support 48,000 jobs in Minnesota’s outdoor recreation and hospitality business.
Past Game and Fish Fund reports and oversight reports are available at www.dnr.state.mn.us/gamefishoversight/reports.html.
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