T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporterDNR Commissioner Gene Merriam scans his daily schedule in the morning with relish.
The work the DNR does is so interesting, he said.
ìItís very stimulating, and very challenging ó a lot of headaches,î said Merriam of overseeing a department with about 2100 full-time employees and annual budget of about $300 million.
ìI feel good about how things are going,î he said.
Gov. Pawlenty is interested in clean water, wetland protection, and Merriam has the governorís ear, he believes.
There has been a change in the administration.
Heíd be less than candid, explained Merriam, if not noting the departure of former Pawlenty Chief of Staff Charlie Weaver ó another political product of Anoka County.
ìCharlie and I have had a great personal relationship,î said Merriam.
ìAnd Charlieís passion is more directed towards natural resources than Danís,î he said of current Pawlenty Chief of Staff Dan McElroy.
Merriam, 59, of Coon Rapids, like all commissioners has been dealing with lean budgets and the knowledge additional funding is likely not on the horizon.
Right now, the DNR is drawing up next bienniumís proposed budget and anticipates less money than the last, Merriam explained.
This takes a toll, but provides opportunities, he said.
Department managers have been instructed to focus on core mission ó on things the department does well.
ìIt doesnít make it entirely painless but puts the focus in the right place,î said Merriam.
Department morale remains good, he said.
A former DFL state senator for two decades and power within the caucus, Merriam is a less visible figure at the Capitol today than in former years.
Deputy Commissioner Mark Holsten is the departmentís legislative point man. And in doing so, follows a tradition within the department.
Merriam visits the Capitol once or twice a week during session, but not often enough to prevent old Capitol acquaintances from exclaiming they never see him anymore, he admitted.
He is unconcerned.
At this stage of his life heís not worried about polishing a political image or building a career, explained Merriam.
What is it like being a well-known Democrat in a Republican administration?
To a limited extent, youíre a suspect in both camps, Merriam said with a smile. But the governorís staff has never made him feel like an outsider, he said.
Anyway, things change.
Merriam recalls sitting next to his former Senate seatmate, Roger Moe, wondering how to deal with an irascible Republican minority led by Sen. Dean Johnson ó another changeling, of sort.
Commenting on a few issues, Merriamís doubtful the border clash between Minnesota and North Dakota will be resolved before the fall hunting season.
Thereís legal and political factors involved, he noted.
About 20,000 Minnesotans hunt in North Dakota and about an equal number of North Dakotans fish in Minnesota, he noted.
Although North Dakota has limited opportunities for Minnesotans in that state, Merriam argues against Minnesota reciprocating.
ìItís like a nuclear arms race ó itís feeds upon itself,î he said of such an action.
ìThe other irony is, many, many of those Minnesotans who hunt in North Dakota are transplanted North Dakotans,î said Merriam.
North Dakota has been depopulating since the 1930s, he explained. And many of those whoíve left settled across the border in Minnesota.
ìSo they (North Dakota officials) end up hurting their own,î said Merriam.
Managing natural resources is not a simple matter of examining oxygen levels in lakes or checking under the gills.
Itís about balancing values.
While most people, according to a recent metro daily poll, believe ATVs should be allowed on state lands, about 15 percent donít want ATVs on any state land while another 15 percent of the people donít want any ATV restrictions whatsoever.
But these two groups are minorities, Merriam said.
ìI think itís an appropriate recreational opportunity when done where the resource can be maintained,î he said, noting the departmentís current inventorying of trails and public forests.
Thereís always a balancing act.
Merriam recalls a visit from Green Lake property owners ó a lake near Spicer ó and how the owners were concerned that DNR management of the lake had hurt walleye fishing.
The lake is being managed for trophy smallmouth bass, Merriam noted.
ìAs a result of they no longer were catching walleyes. All they were catching were 21-inch smallmouths,î said Merriam, smiling.
ìIf I could catch 21-inch smallmouths, Iíd forget about walleyes in a hurry,í he said, adding heís not sure any relationship existed between lake management and walleye yield.
But these are the values people bring to natural resources, he explained.
Merriam can note them in the morning scanning his daily schedule.
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