Governor Walker’s war on science targets popular magazine

Who knew a magazine could be so controversial? Probably not Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. In his budget proposal to the legislature, Walker called for eliminating a state-run nature magazine produced by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine is produced six times per year. It has been published by the DNR since 1919. It offers its many readers information about hunting and fishing opportunities in the state, as well as environmental issues. But Governor Walker argues the state should not be in the publishing business, and that publishing a magazine no longer fits the agency’s core mission. Never mind that the state publishes lots of publications, and that more than 80,000 readers of this beloved magazine entirely fund its costs. This would not save taxpayers a penny. Never mind that part of the core mission of the DNR is to keep the public informed about environmental issues. The Governor’s decision is at its core a continuation of the battle between Governor Walker, the DNR, and science. Under Walker’s administration, environmental regulations have been pulled back, DNR funding has been slashed, and reference’s to climate change have been pulled from state websites. Governor Walker clearly has a problem with science. But stopping publishing a magazine does nothing to change the facts, other than making it more difficult for people to find those facts.