Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee

The Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee is authorized in law and begins operating in 2025. This standing committee is composed of Minnesotans appointed by the DNR commissioner.

The Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee replaces the citizen oversight committees that operated from 1994 to 2024. The 2024 Minnesota Legislature amended the statutory authority in Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.055, subd. 4b to streamline the citizen advisory structure and update the committee’s tasks.

The committe also makes recommendations to the Legislature and DNR commissioner for desired outcomes related to:

• Protecting, restoring and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat.
• Fish and wildlife population management.
• Fish and wildlife monitoring and research.
• Communications and engagement.
• Improvements in the management and use of money in the game and fish fund.

The committee is charged with completing an annual report, with a focus in even-numbered years on biennial budget outcomes achieved from game and fish fund expenditures. Each odd-numbered year, the report must focus on outcomes related to protecting habitat; fish and wildlife population management; monitoring and research; and communications and engagement.

Nearly $100 million flows in and out of this fund each year. The revenue is primarily the product of hunting and fishing license sales, federal reimbursements and a sales tax on state lottery tickets. The Legislature must approve all game and fish fund allocations, which fund DNR budget requests.

Appointments & eligibility

1. The commissioner appoints committee members and the committee chair sets the terms and conditions of appointment.
2. Eligibility:
   • The DNR is committed to appointing a diverse mix of Minnesotans who bring a variety of knowledge and interests about hunting, fishing, and trapping. Applicants must have a strong interest in monitoring the proper expenditure of funds received from licenses, permits, stamps, and related revenue sources.
   • To be eligible for appointment, an applicant must meet both of these requirements:
     • Be a Minnesota resident; and
     • Purchased a personal or commercial Minnesota hunting, fishing or trapping license since Jan. 1 of the previous calendar year or licensed their vehicle with an active critical habitat license plate.
   • Seasonal and temporary employees of the Minnesota DNR Fish and Wildlife Division become eligible for appointment one year after the end of their last employment with the DNR.
   • Retired employees of the Minnesota DNR are not eligible for appointment.
   • Persons whose employment may involve administration of activities funded by the Game and Fish Fund are not eligible for appointment. Examples of such activities are land acquisition; land and water management; fisheries and wildlife management; pass-through funding for such activities; state lottery; and similar activities related to management of fish, wildlife and habitat.
3. Appointments:
   • An application process for open seats is conducted in the fall. The open application process is a self-nomination process.
   • The commissioner appoints committee members for terms of up to three years.
   • Members appointed under an open application process are eligible to serve up to six consecutive years. A member with maximum consecutive service becomes eligible to apply again for appointment after a two-year break. Current members interested in another term must apply again and members are not guaranteed another consecutive term.
   • The committee chair appointment is reviewed every year and is renewable by mutual agreement of the committee chair and the DNR Commissioner.
   • A member may voluntarily withdraw from their term of appointment by notifying their DNR manager liaison or the DNR commissioner by email or letter. The commissioner may terminate an appointment if the member does not meet the expectations for a member in good standing and will communicate a termination of appointment to the member by email or letter.
   • A member’s appointment is subject to review by the commissioner, notwithstanding their initial term of appointment. The committee may ask the commissioner to review a member’s appointment by a vote of that committee.
   • The committee may choose a vice chair from among the appointed members, who will lead committee meetings when the appointed chair is unavailable and will serve as acting chair if the committee chair has vacated the position until the DNR commissioner appoints a new committee chair.

Requirements for appointees

• Time commitment: Members of the committee can expect to meet on average one time per month throughout the year, typically in the evening. You will need to be available for those meetings and to work on assignments between meetings to help the group produce results.
• Email address: This group relies on email for communication and some file-sharing. You will need an email address and you must check it on a daily basis when the group is active. A backup phone number may help the group chair and DNR manager liaison stay in touch.
• Access to a computer: Members works together to draft a report. You will need regular access to a computer so you can contribute to the drafting.
• Expenses: Members can request reimbursement of mileage costs for attending meetings in person. The DNR cannot offer compensation or reimbursement of other expenses, not per diem.
• Collaboration: Members are expected to demonstrate these workplace behaviors in their committees and with DNR employees.
  • Be open and honest
  • Respect others
  • Work together
  • Respect committee and departmental processes
  • Value personal and physical safety

Responsibilities

The committee meets with DNR fisheries and wildlife managers and staff during the year to discuss expenditures, budgets, spending plans and other information related to the game and fish fund.

The commissioner of natural resources appoints a committee of at least 15 persons plus a committee chair to:

1. Review game and fish fund annual reports on revenues and expenditures related to the game and fish fund.
2. Make recommendations to the Legislature and DNR commissioner for desired outcomes related to:
   1. Protecting, restoring, and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat;
   2. Fish and wildlife population management.
   3. Fish and wildlife monitoring and research.
   4. Communications and engagement.
   5. Improvements in the management and use of money in the game and fish fund.

By Sept. 15 each year, the committee must submit a report to the commissioner and to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over natural resources finance and policy.

Each even-numbered year, the report must focus on biennial budget outcomes achieved from game and fish fund expenditures. Each odd-numbered year, the report must focus on outcomes related to protecting habitat, fish and wildlife population management, monitoring and research, and communications and engagement.

Schedule

The DNR provides manager liaisons, online and in-person meeting spaces and other support for meeting planning, logistics and communications. A DNR facilitator assists the committee with work planning, effective meetings and group decision-making, and production of reports and other communications. DNR leaders are available for committee meetings.

Committee members carry out their work in scheduled meetings and on their own time. The first meeting focuses on orientation and work planning, and in-person attendance is expected to enable members to get acquainted and start forming working relationships.

Online meeting support is provided by the DNR for committee meetings.

Accommodations

Individuals who desire a reasonable accommodation to participate in committee meetings should contact a DNR liaison (see contacts below) at least two weeks before the meeting, if possible.

Resources

• Annual reports of oversight committees since 2002
• Statutory authority: Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.055, subd. 4b

For more information

If you have a question or comment about the oversight committees, please send an email to [email protected].

Contacts

Brad Parsons, fisheries section manager at [email protected] or 651-357-4603
Dave Trauba, acting wildlife section manager at [email protected] or 651-259-5237 
Kelly Wilder, DNR liaison to FWAC, fish and wildlife division, [email protected], 651-259-5182
Yengmy Thao, DNR liaison to FWAC, operations services division, [email protected], 651-259-5563