DNR Market Analysis To Measure Fee Price Point

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- How much is too much? The state Department of Natural Resources has hired a market analysis firm to determine just that.

How much can the DNR raise recreational fees before consumers walk away?

DNR wildlife section chief Dennis Simon says if a license costs too much, hunters and anglers begin to drop out.

Revenue will be a main topic at the DNR's annual meeting with citizens Friday and Saturday in Brooklyn Center. They'll discuss whether hunting and fishing fees should be raise to offset a pending revenue shortfall in the Game and Fish Fund, which is the main funding source for fish and wildlife management.

The discussion over revenue comes as the state faces a $6 billion budget deficit for the next two years.

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