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 overnight stays on agency properties in 2024 and operates more than 9,300 campsites and 10 state park lodges. The department issued roughly 850,000 fishing licenses and 360,000 hunting licenses last year; it reported 630,000 active watercraft registrations, including about 330,000 paddle craft registrations. ODNR operates six fish hatcheries that stocked “over 46,000,000 fish just last year,” Mertz said.

Mertz outlined key divisions and functions: parks and watercraft; wildlife (including fish hatcheries and wildlife officers); natural areas and preserves; forestry (including urban foresters and wildfire crews); coastal management on Lake Erie; the geological survey; engineering; real estate and land management; oil and gas permitting and oversight; mineral resources (coal and industrial minerals); and water resources management (dams, levees and floodplain work). She noted the parks and wildlife divisions represent the majority of the agency’s employees and public-facing work.

The director highlighted several programs and initiatives. H2Ohio, included in the governor’s budget, funds natural-infrastructure projects to filter phosphorus and improve rivers; Mertz said ODNR has more than 200 H2Ohio projects completed or underway in the last five years. She also described capital investments in southeastern Ohio at Jesse Owens State Park and the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area — including cabins, campground upgrades, a visitor center and an expanded trail system that will include a planned 33-mile loop incorporating portions of the Buckeye Trail.

Mertz discussed interagency coordination, including permitting work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the geological survey’s long-running research and rock-core collections. On personnel, she said the department added 24 natural resource officers in the past biennium and has been focusing on training and equipment for field staff.

The presentation concluded with Mertz saying ODNR will return to the committee with resource requests during the agency’s upcoming budget hearing.

Mertz delivered the presentation to Chairman Jones, Vice Chair Blaisdale and members of the committee and answered follow-up questions from several representatives.