Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources was created in 1957 "to consolidate and combine several statutory offices under one administrative head for better administration of natural resources." As a revision of NRS title 18, the term surveyor general was replaced by director of the department. The divisions within the department at the time were: water resources, headed by the state engineer; state lands, whose ex officio head was the state land registrar; forestry, under the state forest fire warden; and oil and gas. There was a further provision that other divisions may be established by the director. Thus, is 1963 the Division of State Parks was established; in 1973, the Conservation Districts, and

in 1977 the Divisions of Environmental Protection, Water Planning, and Wildlife were added.