The commissioner shall establish a system of natural area preserves and shall have responsibility for selection, care, control, supervision and management of all natural area preserves within the system to the extent of the interest held by the state, and shall maintain such preserves in as natural and wild a state as is consistent with the preservation and enhancement of protected resources and educational, scientific, biological, geological, paleontological and scenic purposes. In establishing such system, the commissioner shall consider as a priority the acquisition of areas identified as essential habitats of endangered and threatened species pursuant to the program established under section 26-305. The commissioner, alone or in cooperation with individuals or other public bodies, including the federal government, may conduct inventories of areas within the state that may prove worthy of inclusion within a system of natural area preserves, and may gather and disseminate information concerning inventoried areas, or natural area preserves under his control. Information collected in such inventories shall become part of the natural diversity database of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The commissioner shall ensure the use of natural area preserves for research consistent with purposes of sections 23-5a to 23-53, inclusive, and 26-314. The commissioner may adopt regulations under the provisions of section 23-4 for managing the natural area preserves system including, but not limited to, procedures for the adoption and revision of a management plan for each designated natural area preserve. A management plan may permit recreational activities which do not adversely impact the protected resources of the natural area preserve. The commissioner may use funds available under section 23-79 for the development and implementation of such management plans.

(1969, P.A. 727, S. 3; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 161; P.A. 89-224, S. 12, 22; P.A. 91-65, S. 3; P.A. 97-54, S. 2; P.A. 99-225, S. 13, 33; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: 1971 act substituted references to environmental protection commissioner for references to state park and forest commission; P.A. 89-224 added the requirement to consider the acquisition of essential habitat of endangered and threatened species; P.A. 91-65 added provision concerning use of inventory information in natural diversity database and rephrased the language authorizing regulations under this section; P.A. 97-54 specified that maintenance of preserves is to be consistent with preservation and enhancement of protected resources and that management plans for preserves may permit recreational activities which do not adversely impact protected resources; P.A. 99-225 authorized use of funds from the recreation and natural heritage trust stewardship account for the development and implementation of management plans under this section, effective July 1, 1999; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011.