Taxpayers on the hook again, after Walker’s DNR rejects bid to renew nonprofit control of MacKenzie Environmental Education Center.

Republicans continue to dismantle the last remaining acts of Democratic legislation on the books. Wisconsin is now purely Republican, with no one to blame but themselves.

This visceral Republican hatred for government is nothing but an excuse really to explain their inability to manage anything well, and to tear things apart in an effort to be efficient.  And yet, they have decide "government" is better qualified to teach our kids about the great outdoors, and not a nonprofit experienced organization. This is probably the first step to close the facility. See this snide response from DNR Sec. Cathy Stepp:

“…opportunity to re-invigorate the programming. By taking responsibility for the MacKenzie Center, we are able to bring to life the vision we had for MacKenzie … we did not receive a proposal that met our needs. For me, status quo was not an option. I have stated all along, we want to use MacKenzie to address our decline in hunters, anglers and trappers through innovative recruitment and retention strategies. We’ve appointed a very talented individual … (who) understands our vision and the need for frugality without compromising quality … now it is time for a new chapter with the DNR. We are going to be working with our talented staff to develop vibrant outdoor and environmental programs…”

So I found this statement to be a nice summation:

jsonline: "Just last week the DNR awarded $500,000 to a group that had little to no experience, and this week it rejected an application from a well-qualified group with 60 years of experience. The bottom line is how politicized natural resources management has become under Governor Walker," Rep. Nick Milroy of South Range, the ranking Democratic member of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, said … he found the different decisions on the two groups by the DNR "ironic."  

Couldn't have said it better. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, which runs the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center, will say goodbye to the kids at the end of the year. Here’s their short film, and response over what happened:

The DNR had invited competitive bidding to run the MacKenzieEnvironmental Education Center, with the idea that taxpayer money could be saved. But the WWF, which has run the center since 2006, was the lone bidder. On Thursday, the DNR rejected the bid and decided to take over the center itself, even though it will likely mean spending more on the operation, not less, according to agency officials.

The MacKenzie Center is located on about 250 acres of state-owned land. It features 30 buildings, including classrooms, dormitories, a kitchen and main meeting building, as well as prairies, forests and a native animal collection. Under programs run by the WWF, the center hosted about 16,000 students in 2012, up from about 9,000 in 2006. Since July 2006, the WWF has funded (by over a third) the educators, maintenance staff and the operational costs associated with the education program.

Like everything else the Republicans do for the great outdoors (Badger Ammo), they included a gun range. For the time being though, it looks like that idea has been put on hold.