Department of Natural Resources

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is one of two departments in the state government dedicated to protecting Michigan’s environment. In 1995, Gov. Engler reorganized the MDNR by dividing its duties between environmental and natural resource protection. The Department of Environmental Quality concentrates its efforts on regulation, such as issuing permits for industrial facilities, and enforcement of environmental regulations, and will be examined in more detail in a separate chapter. The MDNR now focuses its efforts solely on "stewardship of Michigan’s natural resources and for the provision of outdoor recreational opportunities . . ." [1]