The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Indiana charged with maintaining natural areas such as state parks, state forests, recreation areas, etc. According to the department's website, their 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."[1]
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The Department of Natural Resources was created as part of the Natural Resources Act, passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Roger Branigin in 1965.[2]
Four agencies were placed under the department's umbrella:
In 1967, the Nature Preserves Act established the Division of Nature Preserves, also under the same departmental oversight. Since then, the department has been involved in numerous initiatives and legislative efforts, including the establishment of new state parks, new flood laws, hunter safety programs, forestry education and the general rejuvenation of Indiana's forestland. Today, the Department of Natural Resources claims that Indiana has 4.5 million acres (18,000 km²) of forestland, still far from the area's original 23 million acres (93,000 km²), but an improvement from the two million acres (8,000 km²) that remained intact by 1900.[2]
At the top of the organization is the director (presently Robert E. Carter, Jr.), who reports directly to the Governor of Indiana.[3] In addition to overseeing the department, the director also serves on an autonomous board known as the Natural Resources Commission, consisting of both government officials and citizen members, which meets at least four times annually to address issues pertaining to the department.[4] The director also has an advisory council at his disposal.
Beneath the director, there are four deputy directors, each of whom is responsible for a team under which many of the department's divisions are organized.[3] Those teams and their divisions are as follows:
In addition, there are six departments that don't fall under one of the four teams:
The agency's official magazine is Outdoor Indiana. It is published six times a year. The last issue of the year includes a calendar of photography from around the state. There are about 10,000 subscribers to the magazine. The majority of articles and photos are produced by DNR employees. The magazine was first published in 1934.
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