Washington Department of Natural Resources
Encyclopedia
The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manage over 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²) of forest
, range
, agricultural, and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. DNR also manages 2600000 acres (10,521.8 km²) of aquatic areas which include shorelines, tideland
s, lands under Puget Sound
and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers. Part of DNR's management responsibility includes monitoring of mining cleanup, environmental restoration, providing scientific information about earthquakes, landslides and ecologically sensitive areas. DNR also works towards conservation, in the form of Aquatic Reserves such as Maury Island
or the Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area
.
The main sources of funds for the department's activities are forestry
and geoduck
harvesting, rather than taxes. In addition, the State uses revenue generated from DNR-managed lands to fund the construction of public schools, colleges, universities and other government institutions, and county and state services.
The head of DNR is an elected official, referred to as the Commissioner of Public Lands. The current Commissioner of Public Lands is Peter Goldmark
who was elected on November 4, 2008
, salmonids, and migratory birds. The second goal is to conserve the functions and native processes of the near shore ecosystem. The third is to maintain the territory, habitats and species through education and opportunities for public involvement. The fourth goal is promote responsible management of recreational, commercial and cultural uses of the reserve that relate to the previous goal.
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, range
Rangeland
Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras...
, agricultural, and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. DNR also manages 2600000 acres (10,521.8 km²) of aquatic areas which include shorelines, tideland
Tideland
Tideland is the third published book by author Mitch Cullin, and is the third installment of the writer's Texas Trilogy that also includes the coming-of-age novel Whompyjawed and the novel-in-verse Branches....
s, lands under Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers. Part of DNR's management responsibility includes monitoring of mining cleanup, environmental restoration, providing scientific information about earthquakes, landslides and ecologically sensitive areas. DNR also works towards conservation, in the form of Aquatic Reserves such as Maury Island
Maury Island
Maury Island is a small island in Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is connected to Vashon Island by an isthmus built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Before construction of the isthmus, the island was connected to Vashon only during low tide. The island is rural with...
or the Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area
Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area
Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area is a natural reserve in Olympia, Washington protected under the Washington Natural Areas Program. Once an important processing facility for the logging industry, it has been designated as the Weyerhaeuser South Bay Log Dump Rural Historic Landscape...
.
The main sources of funds for the department's activities are forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
and geoduck
Geoduck
The geoduck , Panopea generosa, is a species of very large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Hiatellidae.The shell of this clam is large, about to over in length, but the very long siphons make the clam itself very much longer than this: the "neck" or siphons alone can be ...
harvesting, rather than taxes. In addition, the State uses revenue generated from DNR-managed lands to fund the construction of public schools, colleges, universities and other government institutions, and county and state services.
The head of DNR is an elected official, referred to as the Commissioner of Public Lands. The current Commissioner of Public Lands is Peter Goldmark
Peter J. Goldmark
Peter James Goldmark is the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands and heads the Washington Department of Natural Resources. He is a Democrat from a rural part of Okanogan County, Washington, outside of the town of Okanogan....
who was elected on November 4, 2008
Aquatic Reserves
Aquatic Reserves Areas which are designed to “conserve, preserve, restore, and/or enhance” aquatic habitats and species. There are four main goals of an Aquatic Reserve. The first goal is to conserve the native habitats of plants and wildlife species including forage fishForage fish
Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small fish which are preyed on by larger predators for food. Predators include other larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Typical ocean forage fish feed near the base of the food chain on plankton, often by filter feeding...
, salmonids, and migratory birds. The second goal is to conserve the functions and native processes of the near shore ecosystem. The third is to maintain the territory, habitats and species through education and opportunities for public involvement. The fourth goal is promote responsible management of recreational, commercial and cultural uses of the reserve that relate to the previous goal.
External links
- Official website of the Washington Department of Natural Resources
- www.petergoldmark.com Goldmark's 2008 campaign website