Head of targeted DNR science bureau departing
Source: Madison.com-WI state journal
1 hour ago • By Steven Verburg | Wisconsin State Journal
Jack Sullivan, 62, said Wednesday he has been told not to talk about budget cuts that will eliminate more than half of the senior scientist positions from the state Department of Natural Resources Science Services Bureau. .............
Critics of the budget working its way through the GOP-controlled Legislature predicted Sullivan’s departure signals the beginning of an exodus of DNR scientists mirroring the loss of some top talent at UW-Madison, which is also facing significant reductions and uncertainty about tenure rights.
“These are very skilled individuals and very marketable, and they are going to go to other states and we are going to lose a great deal of skill, knowledge and talent,” said George Meyer, a former DNR secretary who now directs the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. “Budget cuts have consequences, and these will damage natural resources in Wisconsin.”
State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said the state would suffer without top scientists to guide policy.
“It’s symbolic of this politicization that we see under Gov. (Scott) Walker, that scientists can’t even make conclusions that aren’t opinion and are based on fact without consequences,” said Taylor, a member of the Democratic minority on the Legislature’s budget committee.....
Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/environment/head-of-targeted-dnr-science-bureau-departing/article_92b11bb1-cb35-5041-8f22-10e080180281.html#ixzz3e4nLp8ZZ
This is not the Wisconsin I grew up in. Sad and disgusted!
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