Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota DNR official logo
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| Jurisdiction | State of Minnesota |
| Headquarters | 500 Lafayette Road, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155 44°34′20″N 93°03′01″W / 44.5722°N 93.0502°WCoordinates: 44°34′20″N 93°03′01″W / 44.5722°N 93.0502°W |
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| Website | dnr |
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recreational trails, and recreation areas as well as managing minerals, wildlife, and forestry. The agency is currently divided into six divisions - Ecological & Water Resources, Enforcement, Fish & Wildlife, Forestry, Lands & Minerals, and Parks & Trails.
Efforts to conserve Minnesota's wildlife began as early as 1876, with a forestry association established to protect the state's timber resources. However, those efforts became futile as the industry took over and people sought the money that could be made on the land. Over time, there were other attempts to control the destruction of resources, but most only had effects on what was done to public land, such as the Land Commission established in 1885. In 1911 the Minnesota Forest Service was established to conserve the state's forests by promoting fire prevention and protection.
The first agency created to maintain Minnesota's resources was founded in 1931 by the Minnesota Legislature as the Department of Conservation.
When the Department of Conservation was created, it brought together four separate state entities: forestry, game and fish, drainage and waters, and lands and timber, while adding a division of state parks and a tourist bureau as well. The Great Depression was an important time for the Department of Conservation. Federal unemployment programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration provided labor to construct buildings, clear trails, and plant trees. Many of the buildings in Minnesota's state parks were built during this period.
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