Maryland Department of Natural Resources

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. Its headquarters are in Annapolis. Department responsibilities The Department's principal functions are: Managing over of public lands Protecting over of waterways Lead agency for restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and coastal bays. DNR does not issue or enforce environmental permits under the federal Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and related laws. Those functions are the responsibility of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). History DNR was established in 1969 as part of a reorganization of the Maryland executive branch initiated by the 56th Governor of Maryland, Marvin Mandel (1969–1979). DNR assumed the responsibilities formerly held by the Maryland Board of Natural Resources that had been established in 1941. The reorganization consolidated the agency's authority under a single cabinet-level department secretary.