DNR director nominee targets water quality, habitat

Roger Lande, the 74-year-old Muscatine lawyer nominated to become the next director of the Department of Natural Resources, said he wants to lead efforts to improve the quality of Iowa's water and the habitat of its wildlife.

Lande, who has little direct experience in environmental stewardship, said his first order of business will be to get up to speed on the intricacies of water quality issues.

“I want to find out why so many Iowa water bodies are rated as unsuitable for human contact and what we can do about it,” said Lande, who was nominated for the post Monday by Gov-elect Terry Branstad.

Though Lande and Branstad are both attorneys from Lake Mills, their 11-year age difference has kept them from becoming more than just acquaintances, Lande said.

Lande, a hunter and angler who has been active in the Izaak Walton League, said he is troubled by the rapid decline of the state's pheasant population during the past decade.

“Bill Northey (director of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship) and I have talked about how our departments can work together to develop more habitat for pheasants,” he said.

Lande, whose appointment must be confirmed by the Iowa Senate, said his top priority is to ensure that the DNR is a “receptive and effective agency.”

While most people his age have long since retired, Lande said he is looking forward to managing a state agency with about 900 full-time employees and an operations budget of about $121 million in fiscal year 2010.

“It will be hard work but it will be a labor of love. I think we can do a lot better with our natural resources,” he said.

Like 63 percent of his fellow Iowans, Lande said he voted Nov. 2 for the environmental trust fund, which would administer about $150 million a year for natural resources programs if and when the Legislature approves a sales tax increase.

Lande said his lengthy legal experience has taught him how to balance interests and resolve disagreements – skills that should prove valuable in his new role.

Lande's stint as chairman of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and his lifelong work as a corporate attorney have raised questions about his commitment to the natural environment.

“I hope I'm wrong, but I don't expect much good for the environment to come out of his tenure,” said Cedar Rapids attorney Wally Taylor, counsel for the Iowa Sierra Club.

Marian Gelb, executive director of the Iowa Environmental Council, said she looks forward to working with him.

“His legal background and industry perspective could be a good thing in the long run. It could help the agency become more efficient and effective,” she said.