Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton moved swiftly and responsibly to fulfill his promise to all Minnesotans in displacing cronyism from the office of Commissioner of Natural Resources. During the campaign, Dayton promised …”if I am governor, the sportsmen and women of this state are gonna have a friend in the governor’s office. I will veto any legislative attempts to usurp the authority of the Lessard-Sams Council. I will work closely with the hunting, angling and conservation groups to select a strong supporter of your interests as the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources. I will appoint members to the Lessard-Sams Council who represent all of Minnesota geographically. … And I will veto any legislative attempt … to repeal the Legacy Amendment, which was passed by a vote of almost 60 percent of the Minnesotans in 2008 who voted on that amendment…”
Dayton’s appointee for Commissioner of Natural Resources is Tom Landwehr, long known to Minnesotans for his varied rôles as educator, scientist, wildlife manager, lobbyist and, above all, conservationist. Landwehr holds Master’s degrees in Wildlife and in Business Administration from the Gopher Mound. His outstanding career in public service includes over 15 years in wildlife research and management, Conservation Director responsibilities for Ducks Unlimited in Iowa and Minnesota, and the Assistant Directorship in Minnesota and the Dakotas for The Nature Conservancy. No stranger to politics, Landwehr served the Shoreview, Minnesota, City Council and resigned his designation as a conservation lobbyist in order to accept his new appointment.
Landwehr’s appointment terminates an unhappy period in resource management direction in the Land of Sky Blue Waters. Neither the Boy Governor, nor his Wrasslin’ predecessor could see the need to go beyond cronyism in their natural resources appointments. Those administrations seemed to think that companionship in the blind or duck boat (duties amply served by competent Labrador retrievers) was sufficient qualification for a Natural Resources Commissioner. Dayton rightfully recognizes the value that Minnesotans place on their wildlands and outdoor recreation, and his appointment reflects the challenge and gravity of resource management.
Landwehr will face these challenges with professionalism, dignity, humor and, above all, with respect for all things wild and the public that owns them. This will be no trivial task. Resource managers have long known that anyone who ever toted a gun into the woods or marsh, or cast a plug or a worm into the lake, considers him/herself an expert in fish and wildlife management. Reason, persistence, and strong adherence to basic principles of resource management are required to overcome seat-of-the-pants “management” and the body of folklore that enables it. Landwehr’s passion for rational management, coupled with one of the most professional and competent Natural Resources Departments in the country, will provide the foundation for a dawning new age in Minnesota resource management. Tom, welcome to the fray.
Isn’t it nice to see a responsible adult in the Governor’s Mansion once again? Someone who selects qualified, responsible adults to work for us as public servants?
Hey, Landwehr very likely even knows how to track a deer he’s just struck with a bullet or an arrow, unlike Tim Pawlenty, the former Governor Gutshot.
[...] head of the state Department of Natural Resources. Instead, he picked Tom Landwehr, a man who, as Neil Haugerud states over at Renaissance Post, is “long known to Minnesotans for his varied rôles as [...]