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Ohio Department of Natural Resources presents agency overview to House Natural Resources Committee
Summary
Director Mary Mertz told the House Natural Resources Committee that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources manages extensive lands and programs statewide, outlined 11 divisions, and highlighted visitor, licensing and staffing statistics as the agency prepares budget requests.
Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, gave a broad overview of the agency’s operations and priorities at the House Natural Resources Committee on Oct. 12, 2025.
Mertz told the committee ODNR “consists of 11 different divisions” and employs “something over 2,500, 2,600 people at the height of our seasons.” She described the agency as a land-holding entity that manages 76 state parks, 24 state forests, 147 nature preserves and 189 wildlife areas, and said the department’s statutory duty is to “ensure a balance between the wise use and the protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all.”
The overview summarized core programs and recent activity. Mertz said ODNR recorded more than one million…
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