'~It's absolutely humbling': Bortner takes on new role at DNR
BEDFORD, Ind. (AP) - As the son of a freelance nature photographer who often worked for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Dan Bortner has spent his life enjoying the great outdoors.
And he loves nothing more than protecting Indiana's beloved public lands.
For Bortner, heading up the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, means life really has come full circle.
'œFor more than a century, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has been the caretaker of this great state's most special places,'ť Bortner said by phone. "... While our mission is to conserve, manage and protect Indiana's natural and cultural resources, they are also, in the words of our founder, Col. Richard Lieber, '~not mere picnicking places. They are rich storehouses of memories and reveries. They are guides and counsels to the weary and faltering in spirit.' Hoosiers need us now more than ever. You have my commitment that we will be there to respond to that call.'ť
Prior to his appointment on July 29 as the director of the Department of Natural Resources, Bortner had served as the director of Indiana State Parks since 2005 and is the third-longest serving state parks director in the nation. His role was a political appointment made by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels. He has served under three consecutive Republican governors.
And it has been a blessing to work under all three, Bortner said.
'œEach was different, each has made their own mark on Indiana,'ť he said. 'œThey were all great in their own right.'ť
As director of Indiana's state parks, Bortner used his knowledge of business to move the parks forward. Bortner took the ailing parks and made them profitable by recognizing the park system is a public-private partnership. He calls it 'œthe memory-making business,'ť noting: 'œWe're not in this to make a profit, but we're 80% self-funded, ... so we use recreation to pay for self-preservation in cooperation with our state's citizens.'ť
'œMy goal always was to leave it better than I found it, and we've done that,'ť Bortner said.
The Department of Natural Resources has 21 different divisions, including fish and wildlife, engineering, land acquisition, land enforcement, oil and gas, reclamation and water. Its mission is to protect, enhance, preserve and wisely use natural, cultural, and recreational resources for the benefit of Indiana's citizens through professional leadership, management and education.
'œI've been running our largest division for the past 15 years,'ť Bortner said. 'œMy role now will be steering the ship. ... My job is to eliminate the roadblocks so my people can do their jobs. ... As long as we all remember we serve the citizens of the state of Indiana, we're going to get some things done.'ť
A successor has yet to be chosen to fill Bortner's role leading state parks. He will select his successor, and the department is already actively conducting a nationwide search for that individual, Bortner said.
As for his home in Bedford, that is where Bortner and his family will stay. He has no plans to move to Indianapolis, nor give up any of his civic and volunteer activities in Lawrence County. For now, he plans to continue to work in Indianapolis while making Bedford a better place to live and work.
'œI thank Gov. Holcomb for the opportunity to serve Hoosiers in this new capacity,'ť Bortner said. 'œIt's absolutely humbling. ... It has been my greatest honor to serve my fellow Hoosiers. We all grew up viewing our natural spaces as places of solitude and comfort, ... and I want to make sure these places are preserved for my children and grandchildren to enjoy for many years to come.'ť
Bortner began his new role on Aug. 3.
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Source: The Times-Mail