SAINT PAUL, MN – This week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources released their Draft Deer Management Plan, which will be followed by a comment period and 35 public meetings. Not a single meeting is being held in Hennepin or Ramsey County, and only a few are being held in the seven-county metro area.
Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South Saint Paul), Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL-Roseville) and Rep. Fue Lee (DFL-Minneapolis) released the following statement:
“More white-tail deer hunting licenses are issued in Hennepin County than anywhere else in the state. To hold 35 meetings on deer management across Minnesota, but not hold a single meeting in Hennepin County or Ramsey County ignores a significant number of hunters. If we are truly committed to engaging more people in Minnesota's outdoor traditions and reaching out to people of color, women and younger generations, we must do better than scheduling nearly all of the meetings outside of urban and suburban areas. If we’re going to reverse the decline of those who hunt and fish, we must engage all Minnesotans, especially people of color, new immigrant populations and younger people in the seven-county metro region.”