We can probably count on one hand the number of times Gov. Jim Doyle and former Gov. Tommy Thompson agreed on major issues in their feuding political careers.

On Friday, they were both on the same side. The wrong one.

With a stroke of his veto pen, Gov. Doyle rebuffed legislation that would have returned the selection of the state Department of Natural Resources secretary to a seven-member citizen board. For decades, that was how Wisconsin picked the head of the state agency that oversees and develops clean air and water regulations, manages hunting and fishing and runs state parks and wildlife areas.

Doyle was one of the chief opponents of then-Gov. Tommy Thompson when he convinced the Legislature to give the appointment power to the governor in 1995 and make it part of his Cabinet. But when he took office, Doyle flip-flopped on the issue.

In the ensuing years, environmental, conservation, hunting and fishing groups from every corner of the state battled to overturn that change and finally got the Senate and Assembly to pass legislation this year that would buffer the state agency from some of the political swings that come when the governor’s office goes from the control of one political party to another.

Wisconsin has a long and rich tradition of respecting its natural resources and protecting them from harm so that future generations may enjoy them and use them as well. That philosophy — espoused by John Muir and Aldo Leopold — served the state well for decades. A land, water, air and wildlife agency that has one step of independence from political pressure and special-interest lobbying is best able to uphold that tradition.

Already, Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, is proposing a different legislative solution to this fight — separating the DNR into two agencies — one that would handle environmental issues and regulate businesses and another that would oversee hunting, fishing and conservation issues.

The environmental czar would be appointed by the governor; the hunting and fishing chief would be picked by the citizen board.

As one state newspaper, The LaCrosse Tribune, put it, the Natural Resources Board would “get the consolation prize of appointing a person who will ensure we don’t issue too many turkey-hunting permits.”

We have seen this split-the-DNR proposal before, we have seen how it has not worked in neighboring Michigan and we recognize it for the potential disaster that it is.

Wisconsin’s natural resources — land, clean air, clean water, wildlife, fish and waterfowl — are not isolated from each other. Nor are we. A single agency is best suited to weigh competing interests and find a balance based on costs, on long-term effects and the best science available.

The DNR is no stranger to controversy. It has stepped up and faced the heat on numerous occasions on issues like the Crandon mine, Perrier’s proposal for commercial drilling of a central Wisconsin aquifer, deer-hunting policies and the distant proposal to cool a nuclear plant with the shallow waters of Lake Koshkonong.

As we look ahead, we see an era where our natural resources will become even more precious than they are today. We believe that a state natural resources agency that relies more on science and professionalism and is a step removed from the demands of special interest groups and politics will better serve the residents of this state.

We urge the Wisconsin Legislature to overturn Gov. Doyle’s misguided veto.