The Department of Environmental Protection was created in 1971 to address "the profound impact on the life-sustaining natural environment" by "the growing population and expanding economy of the state." The new Department consolidated powers and duties of a number of small state boards and parts of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. These included the Park and Forest Commission, the Commission on Forests and Wild Life, the State Board of Fisheries and Game, the Water Resources Commission, the Boating Commission, the Shell-Fish Commission, Marine Resources Council, State Soil Conservation Advisory Committee, the State Board of Pesticide Control, the State Geological and Natural History Survey Commission, and the Clean Air Commission. The collection contains materials created by the modern Department of Environmental Protection and many of its independent predecessor boards. Records include individual commissioner's files, aerial photographs, administrative and subject files for the various boards including the Board of Fisheries and Game and the Bureau of Water Management. The collection is a rich resource of information documenting the State's environmental health and actions taken by the government to protect its natural resources. The collection also includes records created by the Office of American Indian Affairs.
