A professional park management agency wasn't created until 1965, this being a qualification both for the donation of Harriman State Park and for federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money.
Those federal grants, largely raised from fees charged to oil companies for offshore drilling, brought $60 million into Idaho for city and county parks as well as state parks.
[3] The department's mission statement is "to improve the quality of life in Idaho through outdoor recreation and resource stewardship.
"[1] The department has the dual duty of "protecting and preserving the resources of the state park system and of providing recreation opportunities and facilities for public use.
[4] As of 2018, IDPR managed 27 state parks, a count that includes the state-managed City of Rocks National Reserve.