The Department of Natural Resources' electronic licensing system should be operating "within a day" once the government shutdown ends, DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said Friday.

Ditto for the state park reservation system.

A special legislative session is set for Monday, which is expected to resolve the impasse.

"Opening parks will be different and variable," Landwehr said. "Others will take longer -- like St. Croix and Tower-Soudan -- due to damages. All staff will be tied up for a couple days getting systems back up to speed and dealing with crises. Hopefully, we will be back to normal within two weeks."

Landwehr said he expects the annual August roadside pheasant count to proceed, and wildlife staff will attend meetings of the Mississippi Flyway Council next week, where the fall's duck season and hunting regulations will be discussed.

Landwehr said he has yet to see final DNR budget numbers, so he doesn't know what the long-term impacts will be for the agency. "We have lost two to three weeks of revenue from parks and fishing licenses," he said.

DOUG SMITH