Nearly 35,000 people did volunteer work for the DNR in 2008, working nearly 500,000 hours. That's the equivalent of about 238 full-time employees -- a savings to the state of about $9.6 million. Here's the breakdown:
10,990
STATE PARKS VOLUNTEERS
Including campground hosts and park partners.
8,400
ENFORCEMENT
Including 5,000 firearms safety instructors, 1,600 snowmobile instructors and 1,000 youth ATV safety instructors.
4,500
TRAILS AND WATERWAYS
Including 3,100 adopt-a-river volunteers and 800 people who work on snowmobile trails.
4,100
FORESTRY
Including 3,200 fire wardens, 470 advisers to local tree boards and 137 State Fair volunteers.
2,600
WATERS
Including 1,500 precipitation observers and 800 lake level monitors.
1,800
ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES
Including 900 for loon monitoring, 330 for a loon watch program and 200 for frog and toad monitoring.
962
FISHERIES
Including 360 at Bemidji fisheries and 160 aquatic management area volunteers.
657
WILDLIFE
Including 275 youth hunt volunteers, 100 area wildlife volunteers and 80 State Fair volunteers.
597
BUREAU OF INFORMATION AND EDUCATION
Including State Fair entertainers and volunteers.
It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.
