But the chaotic state of information persists. Many key files are still not computerized. Absent is an email system for the agency, nearly a necessity now for monitoring and networking. Chaos can be corrected with good management and information systems. But transparency is a question of will.
Documents relating to logging companies are a different story.
For fairly obvious reasons, most DENR folk are reluctant about sharing these. I have had to cajole and plead with personnel to give me access to papers which should be in the public domain. When other officials find out what I have, a minor witch-hunt ensues to sniff out and scold my sources. Access to crucial aerial photographs of our forest lands has never been given to anyone outside the government and the wood industry. These pictures contain a mine of information on the use and abuse of our land.