DNR involvement hurts lakes’ recreation use

I have been waiting two years for The Gazette's March 27 editorial about Honey Creek. Our family used to rent cabins annually at Lake Wapello, where the Department of Natural Resources sabotaged the lake by drawing it down two years in a row, forcing us to make other vacation arrangements and destroying the tremendous fishing and other water recreation available there. Once there was also a nice restaurant and bait shop on site.

The place was almost completely booked when we were there. It was a great place for fishermen and their families. Likewise for Lake Rathbun. Common people come to these two lakes, and now the DNR has built an albatross of a resort costing the taxpayers more money. Why don't they get back to basics by enhancing what already exists at the two lakes? It wasn't broke, why are they trying to fix it?

The DNR should also come up with a solution to the lack of pheasants in the state and the lost revenue there. I had to go out of state to even get the opportunity to shoot a pheasant last year.

Gilbert Kopp

Cedar Rapids