The DCR's mission is "To protect, promote and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well-being of all.

[citation needed] DCR is responsible for the stewardship of its lands, from general maintenance—such as emptying trash barrels, cutting grass, and making building improvements—to landscape-level management.

[3] It also manages its land through the help of partners, including road repairs occasionally implemented by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation at the request of DCR.

[5] As of 2009, within the greater Boston area there are urban wilds, historic sites, and other naturally aesthetic or significant environmental properties.

The origins of the collective environments in this part of the division date back to the creation of the Metropolitan Park Commission in 1893, forming the first such regional system in the United States.

Lands outside of the greater Boston area includes some 29 campgrounds, over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of trails, 87 beaches, 37 swimming, wading, and spray pools, 62 playgrounds, 55 ballfields, 145 miles (233 km) of paved bike and rail trails and once private homes and estates that are now a part of the DCR's Historic Curatorship Program.