Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department

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The State Parks and Recreation Department is the agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks. In addition, it has programs to protect and provide public access to natural and historic resources within the state, including the State Historic Preservation Office, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries, Recreation Trails, the Ocean Shores Recreation Area, Scenic Waterways and the Willamette River Greenway. The Department's chief sources of funding are the Oregon Lottery, state park user fees and recreation vehicle license fees. The Department also manages the system of rest areas along the highways and freeways within the state.

The department was created in 1921 as a branch of the Oregon Highway Department (predecessor to the present-day Oregon Department of Transportation). The 1989 Oregon Legislative Assembly transferred authority to a newly created department under its current name effective January 1, 1990.