A land commissioner or natural resources commissioner is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States. While the duties of the position may vary, their general role is maintaining, protecting, and regulating public lands and natural resources; including state parks, forests, and recreation areas. Every state except Wyoming has a natural resources commissioner.
Five states – Arkansas, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington – elect land commissioners in partisan elections, with Arkansas, South Dakota, and New Mexico additionally dividing the duties between a partisan elected office and a nonpartisan appointed office. In all other states, the position is nonpartisan and appointed, usually by the governor.
The National Association of State Trust Lands is a nonprofit consortium of state land commissioners.
List of current land commissioners , the various land commissioners are: Office Name Elected/AppointedAlabama Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources Christopher Blankenship AppointedAlaska Commissioner of Natural Resources John Boyle AppointedArizona Commissioner of Lands Robyn Sahid AppointedArkansas Commissioner of State Lands Tommy Land Elected (partisan)Arkansas Executive Director of Natural Resources Commission Chris Colclasure AppointedCalifornia Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot AppointedColorado Executive Director of Natural Resources Dan Gibbs AppointedConnecticut Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection Katie Scharf Dykes AppointedDelaware Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Shawn Garvin AppointedFlorida Secretary of Environmental Protection Shawn Hamilton AppointedGeorgia Commissioner of Natural Resources Walter Rabon AppointedHawaii Chairperson of Land and Natural Resources Dawn N. S. Chang AppointedIdaho Director of Lands Dustin Miller AppointedIllinois Director of Natural Resources Natalie Phelps Finnie AppointedIndiana Director of Natural Resources Dan Bortner AppointedIowa Director of Natural Resources Kayla Lyon AppointedKansas Secretary of Wildlife and Parks Chris Kennedy AppointedKentucky Commissioner of Natural Resources Gordon Slone AppointedLouisiana Secretary of Natural Resources Tyler Gray AppointedMaine Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Amanda Beal AppointedMaryland Secretary of Natural Resources Josh Kurtz AppointedMassachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rebecca Tepper AppointedMichigan Director of Natural Resources Scott Bowen AppointedMinnesota Commissioner of Natural Resources Sarah Strommen AppointedMississippi Executive Director of Environmental Quality Chris Wells AppointedMissouri Director of Natural Resources Dru Buntin AppointedMontana Director of Natural Resources and Conservation Amanda Kaster Appointed Nebraska Director of Natural Resources Vacant AppointedNevada Director of Conservation and Natural Resources James A. Settelmeyer Appointed New Hampshire Executive Director of Fish and Game Vacant AppointedNew Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard Elected (partisan)New Mexico Secretary of Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Melanie Kenderdine AppointedNew York Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Sean Mahar AppointedNorth Carolina Secretary of Environmental Quality Elizabeth Biser AppointedOhio Director of Natural Resources Mary Mertz AppointedOklahoma Director of Wildlife Conservation Wade Free AppointedPennsylvania Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources Cindy Adams Dunn AppointedSouth Carolina Director of Natural Resources Robert Boyles AppointedSouth Dakota Commissioner of School and Public Lands Brock Greenfield Elected (partisan)South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Hunter Roberts Appointed South Dakota Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Vacant AppointedTennessee Commissioner of Environment and Conservation David Salyers AppointedTexas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham Elected (partisan)Utah Director of Natural Resources Joel Ferry AppointedVermont Secretary of Natural Resources Julie Moore AppointedVirginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Travis Voyles AppointedWashington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz Elected (partisan)West Virginia Director of Natural Resources Brett McMillion Appointed Wisconsin Secretary of Natural Resources Vacant Appointed
See also Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the United States Department of the Interior Department of Natural Resources (disambiguation) Public land, land held by central or local governments
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