The general concept of an agency for fish and game oversight in Kansas began in 1877 when the governor appointed the first fish commissioner. The Forestry, Fish, and Game Commission was established in 1925 and underwent numerous internal reorganizations, changing numbers of Commission members and how they were appointed, from then until 1978. It then became the Fish and Game Commission. The duties of the Kansas Fish and Game Commission included conserving wildlife and its habitats; providing the public with wildlife use opportunities, and other related educational and recreational activities, compatible with the resources and consistent with public demand; informing the public of wildlife status and problems to promote understanding and gain assistance in achieving this mission. The agency was fee-funded, deriving the majority of its income from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and the rest from the state's share of a federal excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment, boat registrations, and miscellaneous other sources. In 1988 the Fish and Game Commission merged with the State Park and Resources Authority (created in 1955) to form the Department of Wildlife and Parks. [Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/ (accessed 15 April 2009).] [Secretary of State. Kansas Biennial Report. Topeka: Secretary of State, 1976.] [Secretary of State. Kansas Biennial Report. Topeka: Secretary of State, 1978.]
From the description of Records of the Kansas Fish and Game Commission, 1978 - 1988. (Kansas State Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 692437046
