DNR layoffs an early casualty of more budget woes

Dissolution of Iowa's Forestry Bureau, which this week became an early casualty of the beleaguered fiscal 2018 state budget, caught some conservation advocacy groups off guard and raised questions about the future of some of the natural resources the state is most known for.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday it was responding to a $1.2 million cut by eliminating eight jobs and dissolving the bureau, although state foresters would be transferred to other jobs in the DNR.

Included in the layoffs, which appear to be the first among state agencies in this nascent budget year that just started July 1, are Forestry Bureau Chief Paul Tauke, who was paid $111,259 in 2016, and State Geologist Bob Libra, who earned $97,583 that year.

'The public shouldn't notice any difference in services,” said DNR spokesman Alex Murphy, adding that the agency's leadership focused on cutting and rearranging only positions where duties could be performed by others.

Some, such as Shannon Ramsay of Cedar Rapids-based Trees Forever, aren't so sure.

The announcement came as a complete surprise, said Ramsay, founder and chief executive of the organization.

Iowa has lost thousands of acres of forest in recent years, she said, and she worries that will get worse without a department dedicated to the state's trees.

'It's really about our future and a legacy for future generations,” Ramsay said Thursday.

Trees not only clean air and water but also aid in flood prevention and provide habitat for wildlife, she said.

Staff from the Forestry Bureau - which managed state forests and worked with stakeholders in urban and private forests - were not laid off but will be moved to the Parks Bureau, Wildlife Bureau or remain within the Conservation and Recreation Division of the department, Murphy said.

Ramsay and others worried forestry employees split between departments won't easily be able to work together.

'It's important to keep forestry together within one bureau ... because the mission of Iowa DNR forestry shouldn't be distracted by other department priorities,” Iowa Woodland Owners Association President Paul Millice said in a statement.

Members of Trees Forever and IWOA were asking officials to keep forestry positions under one organization with 'forestry” in the title and to ensure federal grants aren't lost in the shuffle.

Murphy, however, said the layoffs and reassignments won't impact federal grant eligibility.

The cuts come at an especially bad time for Iowa forests, Ramsay said. Last month, officials announced that the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that kills ash trees, has been detected now in 51 of the 99 Iowa counties.

Invasive species services, including those dedicated to combating emerald ash borer, will not change, Murphy said.

The state geologist, animal feed operator, magazine art director, a safety officer and AmeriCorps program manager also were let go as part of the budget cut. The partnership with AmeriCorps - a federal program that promotes volunteering - was terminated, Murphy said, as well as the DNR Trail Crew that built projects including handicapped accessible trails.

The cuts, Murphy said, should cover the full $1.2 million loss in expected appropriations.

'This is obviously an unfortunate part of our job,” Murphy said. 'But moving forward, we are committed to providing the same level of service Iowans expect.”

The announcement of the cuts came the same week as the state budget got more bad news.

The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency reported the fiscal 2017 budget, which ended June 30, looks to be about $104 million short - and that's after lawmakers already cut and transferred nearly $118 million and took another $131 million out of reserves in hopes of making ends meet.

The budget still is growing, just not nearly as robustly as thought.

The final figure on how short the 2017 budget was won't be in until September when the books close. But there's certain to be a shortfall, state officials agree, that would require more borrowing from reserves.

Paying that loan back likely means clawbacks from the fiscal 2018 budget that agencies already have started spending.

l Comments: (319) 368-8542; rilyn.eischens@thegazette.com