Getting started

Kyle Hupfer began serving as the DNR’s new director in February.
He discusses issues with Burgess Brown, the DNR’s new legislative liasion.

 In keeping with a long-standing tradition, I am honored to provide my first submission to Outdoor Indiana as the new director of the Department of Natural Resources.

It is a unique aspect of the DNR that we have such a great medium to deliver our message to our loyal readers. In the future, I intend to utilize this column to keep you abreast of the key issues facing the department and of accomplishments that we think you want to know about.

At this point, however, I am just getting settled in and trying to get a complete understanding of the department, our opportunities and our challenges. Because of that, I am going to selfishly use this space to tell you a little about me and a little about what I hope to accomplish as director.

I am a Hoosier in all senses of the word. I was raised in Pendleton, a small town in Madison County, and, in typical Hoosier fashion, I had two focuses in life—hunting and basketball. There was many a Saturday in high school where, unbeknownst to my coach, I had been up since 4 a.m. hunting deer prior to playing a game that night.

In adulthood, I have focused on hunting—deer, in particular. I try to spend as many October and November mornings as possible in a tree stand. I have really learned to enjoy the challenges of bow hunting over the past four or five years, and I have been rewarded with two Pope & Young bucks in that period of time.

I also enjoy hunting pheasants. My father and I travel to North Dakota annually in pursuit of ringnecks.

As director, I am anxious to meet as many of you and as many of the other users of the state’s resources as I can. I intend to travel the state and visit and experience in person as many of those resources as I can.

I also intend to seek out strategic initiatives that better enable the department to ensure long term financial viability, with a decreasing reliance on general funds from the state legislature.

I also want to emphasize that the department is open and accessible, and that we welcome your comments and ideas.