[18] Stonewall Jackson Lake is the first and only West Virginia state park to be developed, constructed, financed, and operated through a public–private partnership.
[4] As of 2016[update], the WVDNR Parks and Recreation Section directly employed more than 400 full-time and around 1,000 seasonal and summer employees who serviced approximately 7.1 million visitors (65% state residents and 35% out-of-state).
[10][19] WVDNR Parks and Recreation Section personnel maintain over 2.5 million square feet (232,258 m2) of indoor space in more than 1,500 buildings in West Virginia state parks and forests, which have an inventory of 818 lodge rooms, 369 cabins, 1,522 campsites, 144 picnic shelters, and 549 playground units.
[19] West Virginia's lumber and mineral exploitation had caused tremendous damage to much of its natural environment by the early 20th century.
[16][20] West Virginia's state park system began to take shape in January of that year, when the Commission purchased land in Pocahontas County for a wildlife and timber preserve that later developed into Watoga.
[e] One of these recommended sites became West Virginia's first state park, Droop Mountain Battlefield, also in Pocahontas County.
[20] The park was acquired in 1928 and dedicated on July 4, 1929, to commemorate one of the largest battles in West Virginia during the American Civil War.
[34][35] That year, the NPS noted that West Virginia had made "large percentage gains" in adding refreshments facilities to its park system, which totaled 11.
[8][9][42] The most recent additions to the West Virginia state park system, Stonewall Jackson Lake and North Bend Rail Trail, were added in 1990 and 1991, respectively.
