Introduction

Legislation authored by State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty), a member of the “Government Reform Task Force,” aims to reform dozens of state boards and commissions, including the elimination of the Indiana Natural Resources Commission. Bartels and House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) argue that HB 1003 is part of the House Republican caucus' 2026 legislative priorities to reduce government bureaucracy.

The Indiana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) strongly opposes the provisions within House Bill 1003 that would eliminate and/or alter the Natural Resources Commission’s (NRC) independent authority and move power toward executive agencies and the General Assembly.

While we support efforts to streamline government and reduce true redundancy, the Natural Resources Commission is far from redundant—it is the cornerstone of public-participation in conservation in Indiana.
​As the "voice for our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife," BHA believes that the management of Indiana’s natural resources must remain transparent, science-based, and accountable to the citizens who own these resources. The NRC serves as a vital firewall between politics and the professional management of our fish, wildlife, and habitats.

BHA’s Position

Our opposition to this provision in HB 1003 is guided by these core BHA values:

​Public Access and Transparency: 

The NRC provides a unique and essential forum for public testimony on everything from hunting and fishing seasons to state park regulations. Eliminating the NRC would dismantle a primary avenue for Indiana’s hunters and anglers to influence the rules that govern their heritage. Public lands belong to the people, and management decisions should be made in a public forum not behind closed doors within an administrative agency.

​Science-Based Stewardship: 
The NRC currently oversees the adoption of permanent rules based on the expertise of Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists and managers. By serving as an independent body, the NRC ensures that policy is grounded in sound science rather than shifting political winds. We believe consolidating these powers under the executive and legislative branches risks prioritizing short-term political goals over the long-term health of our ecosystems.
​Accountability and Independent Appeals: 
The NRC serves as the "Ultimate Authority" for administrative appeals, providing a balanced review process for Hoosiers disputing agency decisions. Removing this citizen-led oversight and moving these functions to a centralized administrative office removes the specialized expertise and community perspective necessary for fair natural resource adjudication.
Preserving Our Outdoor Heritage: 
Our state’s forests, parks, lakes, rivers, and wildlife areas are the backbone of Indiana’s $15 billion outdoor recreation economy. The NRC’s role in overseeing property management and rulemaking ensures these spaces are managed for the benefit of all users. Centralizing this authority threatens the stability and consistency required to maintain high-quality hunting and angling opportunities for future generations.
​Conclusion:

​The Indiana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers urges the members of the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee to remove the NRC from the list of agencies slated for elimination in HB 1003. We must keep Indiana's natural resource management in the public eye and in the hands of a body that values both professional expertise and citizen input.

What Is the Natural Resources Commission

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission was established in 1965 as part of the creation of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources under the Natural Resources Act, which was signed into law by Governor Roger Branigan. The NRC oversees policy and rules for managing Indiana’s natural and cultural resources.

The NRC 12-member board consists of six members who are appointed by the Governor on a bipartisan basis, as well as three ex officio members from state agencies, the director of the Department of Natural Resources, the chair of the advisory council, and a representative of the Indiana Academy of Science. At least two of the appointed members “must have knowledge, experience, or education in the environment or in natural resource conservation.” The commission is required by law to meet four times annually, but they often meet more frequently.

The current members of the NRC include the following:

Bryan Poynter (Chair, citizen)

Jane Ann Stautz (Vice Chair, citizen)

Alan Morrison (Secretary, Director, DNR)

Amy Howell (Indiana Destination Development Corporation)

Lyndsay Quist (Indiana Department of Transportation)

Clint Woods (Indiana Department of Environmental Management)

Patrick Early (citizen)

John “Bart” Herriman (citizen)

Marc Milne (Indiana Academy of Sciences)

Phil French (citizen)

John Wright (citizen)

Tom Kelley (citizen)

The NRC’s responsibilities are wide-ranging and essential to Indiana’s wildlife and wild places. They include:

• Serves as the final authority for rulemaking, ensuring public input and scientific basis for decisions on hunting seasons, bag limits, and regulations
• Adopts specific hunting season dates, such as those for the deer reduction zone or bobcat trapping, as well as general hunting season dates
• Create non-rule policy documents that guide how DNR staff interpret and apply natural resource laws
• Oversee historic preservation and archeology and in addition maintain a state register of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American or Indiana history, architecture, archeology, and culture. They also approve expenditures relevant to the preservation of historic and cultural sites
• Regulation of watercraft recreation
• Eminent domain
• Oversee management and maintenance of parks, preserves, forests, reservoirs, and memorials owned by the state
• Oversee the state parks and reservoirs special revenue fund, which supports park operations, maintenance, capital improvements, equipment, and development
• Manage the Fish and Wildlife Fund, which is funded by Indiana game law violations. The fund is used for “protection and propagating game, fish, and birds in Indiana,” paying for operational expenses of the DNR fish and wildlife division, law enforcement division, maintaining the automated point of sale hunting and fishing licensing system, and the Turn in a Poacher program
• Oversee the Lifetime Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping License Trust Fund. This fund is used in part to help fund the automated point of sale hunting and fishing licensing system, and it can also be used to acquire real property that will be used and managed for hunting and fishing
• Deer research and management fund. The fund is used for research into deer populations, herd health, diseases, etc., and for management of the herd
• Carry out certain duties for the department of forestry, including educating the public on the importance of science-based forestry practices
• Oversee the pests and pathogen monitoring and management program
• Oversee management of water rights and resources. This includes water rights related to both ground and surface water, emergency regulation of ground and surface water rights, water and geological resources research, water resource investigation and management, and interbasin water transfers. They oversee the Great Lakes Basin Compact (ensuring the public trust in the Lake Michigan basin) and the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. They also oversee the following funds: Land and Water Resources Fund (matching federal grants to improve outdoor recreation opportunities), Sand Nourishment Fund (Lake Michigan coast protection)
• Oversee roster of navigable waterways and ensure the public trust of Indiana’s waters:
  • Approve sand and gravel permits
  • Approve construction of channels
  • Approve change of watercourse/highway construction
  • Manage the Natural, Scenic, and Recreational River System
• The NRC is responsible for acquiring lands for reservoirs, lake preservation, preservation of rivers, creeks, and streams, and ensuring the public trust of navigable waterways
• Oversee management of levees, dams, and drainage. This includes lowhead dams and flood control
• Approve mining and geological investigation permits
• Oversee management of oil and gas resources on private and state-owned lands

The NRC’s functions are wide-ranging and essential to the management of Indiana’s natural resources. Citizen representation at the board-level and the opportunities for public feedback that the NRC affords are integral to allowing the public a voice in the management of their natural resources.

This is why Indiana BHA strongly opposes the provisions in HB 1003 that would eliminate the Natural Resources Commission. If you agree, contact your state senator today.