There shall be a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which shall be an executive and administrative department in order to enable the Governor to exercise a direct and effective control over the natural resources, state parks and historical sites of the state and in order to bring together in one department for purposes of economy and efficiency all matters pertaining to the natural resources, state parks and monuments and historical sites of the state. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have a seal, which shall be affixed to official acts and deeds of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources by him.

It shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, acting through the Division of Parks, to preserve, improve, protect and maintain all parks, parkways, monuments and historic sites now owned or hereafter acquired or established by the State of Alabama except Mound State Monument, the first White House of the Confederacy and all monuments and historic sites now located on state-owned land in the City of Montgomery.

There shall be in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources a Division of Parks, which shall be headed by and be under the direction, supervision and control of an officer, who shall be designated the Director of the Division of Parks. He shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources with the approval of the Governor.

Before entering upon the discharge of his duties, the Director of the Division of Parks shall take the constitutional oath of office. He shall devote his full time to his official duties and shall hold no other lucrative position while serving as Director of the Division of Parks.

Before entering upon the duties of his office, the Director of the Division of Parks shall execute to the State of Alabama a bond, to be approved by the Governor, in an amount to be fixed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, for the faithful performance of his duties.

(a) The objects, purposes and duties of the Director of the Division of Parks are:

(1) To make exploration, survey, studies and reports concerning state parks, monuments and historical sites in the state and to publish such thereof as will be of general interest; and

(2) To perform all functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with respect to state parks, monuments and historical sites including the marking, upkeep and publicizing of historical sites heretofore or hereafter designated by the Department of Archives and History.

(b) The inclusion of specific duties of the Director of the Division of Parks in this title shall not be deemed an exclusion of or limitation upon his general duties to effectuate and accomplish the purposes generally set out in this title.

(c) There are excepted from the duties of the Director of the Division of Parks all state forests, Mound State Monument, the White House of the Confederacy and all monuments and historical sites now or hereafter located on state-owned property in the City of Montgomery, including the Alabama Memorial Building.

The Director of the Division of Parks shall act for and officially represent Alabama on all subjects, inquiries and matters connected with or growing out of the part performed by troops from this state in the War Between the States which may arise in connection with the location and identification of their position or part in any battle or engagement or upon any battlefield or in connection with the appropriate determination, location, identification or marking of such part or position or in connection with the appropriate marking or monumenting of spots or occurrences made historic by their services or sacrifices, whether in the several military parks or on some other battlefield or in prisons or cemeteries or other historic spots or places. The Director of the Division of Parks, unless otherwise provided, shall have charge of the erection and shall direct the expenditure of all appropriations for the placing of monuments, memorials or markers to Alabama troops in the war as above set forth.

With the approval of the Governor and the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Director of the Division of Parks may join with any committee of citizens in erecting any monument or may supplement the amount raised by any camp of the United Confederate Veterans or camp of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans or chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy or any ladies' memorial association to erect a monument; provided, that not more than $25,000.00 shall be expended out of such funds as may be appropriated in any one fiscal year.

There shall be a State Park Fund. All moneys received from gifts or bequests or from county, municipal or federal appropriations or moneys appropriated by the State of Alabama shall be deposited in the Treasury to the credit of said fund. The said fund hereby created shall be used and expended by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources in accordance with the terms of the gift, bequest, appropriation or donation from which said moneys are derived and, in the absence of any such terms or stipulations, shall be expended by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources in furtherance of any of the provisions of this chapter. All expenses of the Division of Parks of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources including its pro rata portion of administrative expenses of said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be payable from said fund on the requisition of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources; provided, however, that no funds shall be withdrawn nor expended for any purpose whatsoever unless the same shall have been allotted and budgeted in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of Chapter 4 of Title 41 of this code and only in the amounts and for the purposes provided by the Legislature in the general appropriation bill.

In addition to the State Park Fund established by Section 9-2-106, there is also hereby created and established a fund to be known as the State Park Revolving Fund, which fund shall be constituted from all moneys received for admissions charged or rentals, sales of goods or services and such other miscellaneous charges collected by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in the operation of its state parks, monuments, historical sites and other facilities. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, with the approval of the state Department of Finance, is authorized and empowered to provide for and open an account or accounts at any state or federal bank whose deposits are insured within the State of Alabama for the purpose of providing a depository or depositories for said revolving fund. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources is further authorized and empowered to draw on or make expenditures from said revolving fund for the purchase of goods for resale, equipment purchases, payment of utilities, salaries of employees and any other normal operating costs of park facilities, including normal maintenance costs. Said revolving fund shall be subject to examination and audit as other funds of the state are examined and audited. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, with the approval of the state Department of Finance and the Chief Examiner of Public Accounts, shall by regulation provide the procedure for making deposits and withdrawals from said revolving fund together with such other accounting procedures as may be needed, including the setting of bonds for persons empowered to handle said fund. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, with the approval of the Governor, may at the close of any state fiscal year transfer to the State Parks Fund from said revolving fund such moneys as may be deemed excess to the purpose or purposes of the revolving fund.

All the revenues derived from the sale of timber and timber products from lands owned by the Division of Parks of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the revenues produced from any new facility within the state park system which is opened or placed in operation during that period of time between the effective dates of the biennial general appropriation bills shall be covered into the state Treasury to the credit of the State Park Fund of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and shall be expended only for the Division of Parks in such manner and such amounts as may be provided by the Legislature in the general appropriation bill and pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 of Chapter 4 of Title 41 of this code.

With the approval of the Governor, the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may create and establish such additional division or divisions as may be determined to be necessary or convenient in the efficient and expeditious performance of the functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and may assign functions and duties to such division or divisions, and he may transfer functions and duties from and to existing divisions from time to time. Directors of such divisions shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources with the approval of the Governor.

The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have and exercise all rule-making powers of any division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources subject to the provisions of Section 9-2-15. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have power and authority to establish and promulgate rules and regulations, including amendments and repeals thereof, with respect to the manner of performance of all functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which rules and regulations shall be reasonably calculated to effect the expeditious and efficient performance of such functions and duties and shall not be in conflict with applicable statutes. The rule-making power of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall not be delegated, except as otherwise expressly provided.

(a) It shall be the duty and responsibility of the Division of Lands of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to protect, develop and supervise all state-owned islands now existing or which may appear in the future on the waters of this state which are not used by any department or agency of the state government. The Division of Lands is authorized and empowered to develop said islands in such manner as may be in the best interest of the state and is further empowered, with the approval of the Governor, to sell or cause to be sold timber, minerals, sand and gravel from said islands; provided, that such sales shall be only upon a competitive bid basis.

(b) On September 12, 1969, title to all islands as defined in subsection (a) of this section shall be vested in the Division of Lands of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and all revenues derived therefrom shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the State Lands Fund.

(a) There is hereby created and established within the Lands Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources a State Land Resources Information Center which shall compile certain data and information as hereinafter prescribed on all state owned lands, including those lands owned by state supported educational institutions, excepting however, lands acquired for highway rights of way. Such center shall be under the supervision of the Director of the Lands Division, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources who shall compile and keep up to date the following data and information on such lands:

(1) Location - should include postal address and metes and bounds description where applicable;

(2) Size - acreage and dimensions of lot or parcel;

(3) Type of development - agricultural, commercial, governmental, institutional, educational, residential, forest lands, mineral lands;

(4) Description and general condition of improvement if any - amount of rental income if leased and name and address of lessee; and

(5) Certified copy of original deed or other record of ownership to state of property - along with notation of any changes in status or ownership.

(b) Not more than 180 days after this section becomes effective, the Lands Division Director shall have sent out to all agencies, departments, and institutions in the state, a survey to determine the data and information prescribed in subsection (a). It will be the duty of individual agencies, departments and institutions to accurately comply with this request for information by the director within 90 days of receipt of such request unless a postponement of said deadline is requested and granted.

(c) It shall be the duty of each state department or institution of the State of Alabama which holds or acquires the legal title in any lands in the State of Alabama and any department charged by law with the administration, control or management of any state department or institutional lands to file or have filed for record in the county wherein such land lies all instruments and deeds conveying title to such land out of or into the State of Alabama.

(d) Upon the filing of any instrument described in subsection (c) of this section, it shall be the duty of the judge of probate to transmit within 10 days a certified copy of the instrument, with recording data shown thereon, to the Lands Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

(e) The judges of probate shall be paid the fees now provided for by law by the state agency or institution participating in the transaction.

(f) In order to comply with the provisions of this section and to assure accurate information for the Lands Division records, the Department of Conservation shall supply such qualified merit employees as may be necessary, to research within each county the title, deed records and file reports on real property owned by the state or its agencies. All expenses associated with the provisions of this section are to be paid from the moneys appropriated to the Lands Division within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The information collected by this research shall be used by the Lands Division to update and correct existing data on file.

All funds and fees accruing from the management of lands by the Lands Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources which are received or retained pursuant to Sections 9-15-15, 9-15-16, 9-15-39, 9-15-40, and 9-15-52, and Section 9-2-123, shall be deposited into the State Lands Fund, and shall be used only for the preservation, management, protection, and improvement of the lands.

For all other lands managed by the Lands Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, there shall be retained by the Lands Division a management fee of 10 percent of all gross receipts.

(a) The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may prohibit by duly promulgated regulation the importation of any bird, animal, reptile, amphibian, or fish when the importation of the animal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish would not be in the best interest of the state.

(b) This section does not apply to birds, animals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish used for display purposes for carnivals, zoos, circuses, and other like shows and exhibits where ample provision is made so the birds, animals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish will not escape or be released in this state.

(c) Any person, firm, corporation, partnership, or association who or which imports, brings, or causes to be brought or imported into the State of Alabama any bird, animal, reptile, amphibian, or fish, the importation of which has been forbidden by duly promulgated regulation of the commissioner, shall be in violation of this section and upon conviction thereof shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor, except that the punishment for each offense shall be a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 30 days, or both.

Within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and under the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, there is hereby created the office of Land Agent, whose duties will be to compile a record of all lands owned by the State of Alabama or any department or institution of the state. The said agent shall be selected by said Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources as other employees of his department are selected.

(a) There shall be an Advisory Board of Conservation and Natural Resources. The board shall consist of the Governor, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, the Director of the Agricultural Extension System ex officio, and 10 other members to be appointed by the Governor, one of whom the Governor shall designate as chair of the Advisory Board of Conservation and Natural Resources. The appointed members of the board shall be selected with special reference to training and experience along one or more of the principal lines of activity vested in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The term of office of each appointed member of the board shall be six years. Of members first appointed, however, two members shall be appointed for two years, three members shall be appointed for four years, two members shall be appointed for five years and three members shall be appointed for six years. The members of the board shall receive no salary or compensation as members of the board, but shall be reimbursed for expenses of travel, meals, and lodging while in the performance of their duties as members of the board, pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 7 of Title 36.

(b) After July 1, 1998, the members of the advisory board appointed by the Governor shall be appointed so that one member of the board is a resident of each congressional district as the districts are constituted on January 1, 1998, and no more than two members are residents of the same congressional district. If a member appointed from a congressional district ceases to be a resident of the district from which appointed, the member shall vacate his or her office. This subsection shall not affect the term or reappointment of any current member of the board.

(c) The board shall hold semiannual regular meetings at the time and place designated by the chair of the board or the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources. The chair of the board or the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may call special meetings as may be necessary.

(d) The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be ex officio secretary of the board and shall keep minutes of all meetings and a record of all proceedings of the board. The commissioner shall receive no additional compensation for the services.

(e) On a transitional basis, one additional transitional member of the Advisory Board of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be appointed by the Governor from each congressional district as constituted on January 1, 1998, which is not currently represented on the board. A transitional member shall serve a term of six years or until a permanent member of the advisory board is appointed to represent the congressional district where the transitional member resides. A transitional member may be appointed a permanent member to a full term of office. Transitional members of the board shall have the same powers, rights, and duties, and shall be reimbursed for expenses as other members of the advisory board during their service on the board.

(a) The conservation advisory board shall have the power to promulgate rules and regulations having the force and effect of law to regulate, including the authority to prohibit, the use of an airboat on any of the public waters of this state that are subject to an ebb and flow of the tide of at least two inches.

(b) Any person violating the provisions of the rules and regulations promulgated under the authority of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.

The functions and duties of the Advisory Board of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be as follows:

(1) To assist in formulating the policies of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in the performance of its functions and duties;

(2) To examine all rules and regulations made or promulgated by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, to recommend amendments or repeals thereof or additional rules or regulations and by a two-thirds vote of those present at any meeting and with the approval of the Governor to amend or repeal such rules and regulations or to make and promulgate additional rules or regulations;

(3) To advise with the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources concerning any matter relating to the functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; and

(4) To assist in giving publicity to the wildlife and other natural resources, the state parks and monuments and historical sites of the state and the work of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in connection therewith.

(a) There shall be established in the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources the office of the Director of Irrigation. The director shall be a person knowledgeable in the field of conservation and experienced in reclamation and irrigation work. The Governor shall appoint such director from a list of qualified nominees, one of whom shall be nominated by the Water Resources Research Institute, one by the Water Improvement Commission and one by the State Geologist. The director shall serve for a term of four years from the day after his appointment and until his successor is appointed and qualified, and he shall be directly responsible to the Governor. The salary of such director shall be $12,000.00 per annum to be paid in 12 equal monthly installments out of any funds made available to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

(b) It shall be the duty of the Director of Irrigation to work with and assist any irrigation district established or proposed to be established pursuant to any laws of this state. Such director shall assist in formulating plans for the establishment of such districts prior to their incorporation, shall supervise all work and efforts in connection therewith and shall exercise general supervision wherever state interests or conflicts arise with respect to state programs of irrigation and water conservation.

The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall, with the approval of the Governor and subject to the provisions of the Merit System, determine the number of employees needed for the efficient and economical performance of the functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Before entering upon the duties of their respective offices, each officer and employee of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources authorized or permitted to handle any money shall execute to the State of Alabama a bond, to be approved by the Governor, in an amount to be fixed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, for the faithful performance of their duties.

The salary of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources and the salaries and wages of the administrative staff together with all administrative expenses of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be prorated by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources among the various divisions of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in such manner as he may deem advisable for the best interest of the department as a whole, and such proration charged against any division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be paid from funds belonging to such division upon the requisition of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The general functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be as follows:

(1) To protect, conserve and increase the wildlife of the state and to administer all laws relating to wildlife and the protection, conservation and increase thereof;

(2) To make exploration, surveys, studies and reports concerning the wildlife, state parks and monuments and historical sites in the state and to publish such thereof as will be of general interest;

(3) To maintain, supervise, operate and control all state parks, monuments and historical sites, except Mound State Monument and the first White House of the Confederacy; the serving and employing of attendants for all monuments and historical sites located on state-owned property in the City of Montgomery shall be performed by the Department of Finance;

(4) To maintain, supervise, operate and control all state lands other than those specifically committed to the use or control of some other department, board, bureau, commission, agency, office or institution of the state;

(5) To cooperate with and enter into cooperative agreements and stipulations with the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States or any other federal officer or department, board, bureau, commission, agency or office thereunto authorized with respect to wildlife restoration projects, the carrying on of an educational program in connection therewith, the collection and publication of data with respect to wildlife, state parks and the monuments and historical sites or any other matters committed to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by this title and to make and enforce all regulations and restrictions required for such cooperation, agreements or stipulations;

(6) To carry on a program of education and public enlightenment with respect to the wildlife and other natural resources, state parks and the monuments and historical sites of Alabama;

(7) To make an annual report to the Governor concerning the activities and accomplishments of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the preceding fiscal year; and

(8) To recommend to the Legislature such legislation as may be needed further to protect, conserve, increase or to make available or useful the wildlife and other natural resources, state parks and the monuments and historical sites of Alabama.

(a) There is hereby created within the Game and Fish Fund a special account to be known as the Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund. The assets of said fund shall consist of the following:

(1) The proceeds from the sale of the lifetime hunting, lifetime fishing, and combination lifetime hunting and fishing licenses provided in subsections (a) through (c) of Section 9-11-65;

(2) The proceeds of any gifts, grants and contributions to the state which are specifically designated for inclusion in said fund; and

(3) Such other sources as may be specified by law.

(b) The Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund shall be administered by a board of trustees consisting of the Director of Finance, the Secretary-Treasurer of the State Employees' Retirement System and the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Said board of trustees shall have the power and authority to invest and reinvest the assets of the fund within the guidelines, limitations and restrictions that govern investment of the state employees retirement fund.

(c) The Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund is declared to be a special trust derived from a contractual relationship between the state and the members of the public whose investments contribute to the fund. The following limitations and restrictions are placed on expenditures from said fund:

(1) Subject to Amendment No. 272 of the Alabama Constitution of 1901, any limitations or restrictions specified by donors on the uses of the income derived from gifts, grants and voluntary contributions shall be respected but shall not be binding.

(2) No expenditures or disbursement shall be made from the principal of said fund except as otherwise provided by law.

(d) The income derived annually from the Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund shall be credited to the Game and Fish Fund regular accounts and expended as provided by law.

(a) There is hereby created within the Game and Fish Fund a special account to be known as the Alabama Nongame Wildlife Endowment. The assets of said account shall consist of the following:

(1) The proceeds from the sale of reproductions of the said print and/or stamp;

(2) The proceeds of any gifts, grants and contributions to the state which are specifically designated for inclusion in said account; and

(3) Such other sources as may be specified by law.

(b) The Alabama Nongame Wildlife Endowment shall be administered by a board of trustees consisting of the Director of Finance, the Secretary-Treasurer of the State Employees' Retirement System and the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Said board of trustees shall have the power and authority to invest and reinvest the assets of the account within the guidelines, limitations and restrictions that govern investment of the State Employees' Retirement Fund.

(c) The Alabama Nongame Wildlife Endowment is declared to be a special trust derived from a contractual relationship between the state and the members of the public whose investments contribute to the account. The following limitations and restrictions are placed on expenditures from said account:

(1) Subject to Amendment No. 272 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, any limitations or restrictions specified by donors on the uses of the income derived from gifts, grants and voluntary contributions shall be respected, but shall not be binding.

(2) No expenditures or disbursements shall be made from the principal of said account except as otherwise provided by law.

(d) The income derived annually from the Alabama Nongame Wildlife Endowment shall be credited to the Game and Fish Fund and expended exclusively for purposes of preserving, protecting, perpetuating and enhancing nongame wildlife in this state.

There is hereby created and there shall be a fund which shall be known as the Game and Fish Fund. This fund shall consist of:

(1) All moneys received for all occupational licenses or privilege taxes imposed by the state on any person, firm or corporation for engaging in any business or activity relating to taking, catching, capturing or killing of any fur-bearing or game animal or game bird in this state or the taking, catching, capturing or killing of any fish in the public or territorial waters of this state;

(2) All moneys derived from the levying or imposition upon any person, firm or corporation of any tax, license, permit, certificate, fee or any other charge by whatsoever name called pursuant to the game and fish laws of this state or rules and regulations based thereon;

(3) All moneys derived from the administration and enforcement of the game and fish laws of this state, or rules and regulations based thereon;

(4) All moneys paid, derived, received or arising from fines, penalties and forfeitures pursuant to the game and fish laws of this state and the rules and regulations based thereon;

(5) All moneys derived from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses or permits; and

(6) All moneys accruing to the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from any source.

Each officer or employee of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or other officer charged with the duty of collecting any of the funds or moneys mentioned in Section 9-2-20 shall remit all such collections on the first day of each month directly to the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, who shall upon receipt thereof remit such collections to the Treasurer of the State of Alabama to the credit of the Game and Fish Fund.

The said fund hereby created shall be used and expended by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources in furtherance of the preservation, protection, propagation and development of wild birds, wild fur-bearing animals, game, fish and all other species of wildlife within the state or within the territorial jurisdiction of the state which have not been reduced to private ownership and, when so expended, shall be paid out on the requisition of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources and charged to said fund. All necessary expenses of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, including its pro rata portion of the administrative expense of said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, shall likewise be paid out of said fund on the requisition of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources; provided, that no funds shall be withdrawn nor expended for any purpose whatsoever unless the same shall have been allotted and budgeted in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of Chapter 4 of Title 41 of this code and only in the amounts and for the purposes provided by the Legislature in the general appropriation bill.

Nothing in Sections 9-2-20 through 9-2-22, however, shall require the diversion of any funds from any particular purpose for which they were collected, allotted or budgeted if the effect of such diversion would penalize the state in retaining or securing any federal funds or federal assistance.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have no power or authority to issue any bonds or to borrow any money.

(a) This section shall apply to all licenses administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or any division thereof.

(b) In the event any license for the same privilege is made available at a lesser price and reasonable notice of its availability has not been given to the public, a person, firm or corporation will be entitled to a refund equal to the amount of the reduction of the license fee; and any person, firm or corporation who, by mistake, purchases any duplicate license or pays an amount in excess of that required by law for the license shall be entitled to have the money incorrectly paid refunded as hereinafter provided, less any amount paid as an issuance fee or other fee to any probate judge, license commissioner, special agent or other person authorized to issue such licenses.

(c) Any amount charged by a probate judge, license commissioner, special agent or other person authorized to issue such licenses as an issuance fee or other fee that is in excess of the legal and proper issuance fee must be refunded by the probate judge, license commissioner, special agent or other person charging said illegal fee.

(d) All applications for refund must be made within one year from the date of such erroneous or excessive payment.

(e) The Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or his duly authorized agent, upon receiving an application for refund and satisfactory proof of duplicate or excessive payment for a license fee, shall authorize refund of the money incorrectly paid, less any legal and proper issuance fee retained by the judge of probate, license commissioner, special agent or other person authorized to issue such licenses. The amount of such refund shall be paid by warrant out of the fund into which it was originally paid in the State Treasury.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is authorized to cooperate with the United States Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies in the restoration of wildlife in compliance with the Pittman-Robertson Act and in the restoration or rehabilitation of game, fish, parks or historical sites and monuments.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby authorized to expend such appropriated and uncommitted capital improvement funds as may be necessary to comply with Sections 210 and 305 of Public Law 91-646, known as the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Land Acquisition Policies Act of 1970.

Whenever the terms 'game and fish warden' or 'game and fish wardens' appear in this title, but not including deputies, such terms shall mean and refer to conservation officers appointed by the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

(a) The Legislature declares that it is the purpose of this section to authorize the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to designate the calendar work week for its law enforcement officers.

(b) For the purpose of Sections 36-21-4 and 36-21-5, the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources may designate the calendar work week for the law enforcement officers employed by the department.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, for the purpose of establishing, developing and maintaining state parks and parkways, may acquire land by donation, purchase, condemnation or lease and for these purposes may use such funds as may be available to it and not otherwise obligated and may enter into agreements with the federal government or other agencies for acquiring by lease, purchase or otherwise such lands as in its judgment are desirable for state parks or parkways. As to the purchase of lands, such agreements may provide for a division of the payments over a period of years, in which case the payments may be secured by mortgage; provided, that no liability shall attach to the State of Alabama or any of its departments, boards, bureaus or commissions or any member or official thereof if the security specifically given in any such mortgage is insufficient to pay said mortgage at a forced sale or otherwise. When lands are acquired or leased under this section, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is authorized to make expenditures from any funds not otherwise obligated for the management, development and utilization of such areas, to sell or otherwise dispose of products from such lands, to have sole charge of all state parks and parkways and to have authority to make such rules and regulations for the management, administration, occupancy and use of said state parks and parkways and all property and things of whatsoever nature therein or thereon as it shall find necessary. All revenues derived from lands now or later acquired under the provisions of this section, when said lands are owned or acquired under agreement with the federal government, shall be segregated for the use of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in the utilization, management, development and use of such lands until all obligations incurred under such agreement have been paid in full and, thereafter, 50 percent of all net profits accruing from the administration of such lands owned or acquired under agreement with the federal government shall be paid into the school fund of the counties in which such lands are located and obligations for the acquisition of the land incurred by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources pursuant to the terms of any agreement with the federal government shall be paid solely and exclusively from revenues derived from such lands or from such other funds as may be available to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and not otherwise obligated, and shall not impose any liability upon the general credit and taxing power of the state.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have full power and authority to sell, exchange or lease lands under its jurisdiction when in its judgment it is advantageous to the state to do so in the orderly development and management of state parks and parkways; provided, however, that said sale, lease or exchange shall not be contrary to the terms of any contract which it has entered into.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is authorized to make such rules and regulations for the development, maintenance, management and operation of park or parkway enterprises or projects entered upon by the state, counties and municipalities with a view to securing loans or other financial cooperation from any agency of the federal government so as to enable the state, counties and municipalities to obtain such loans or other financial cooperation, and is further authorized to enter into such agreements or commitments as may be required in securing for the state such loans or other financial cooperation and to act in all particulars in behalf of the state in securing for the state or any of its departments, institutions or agencies such loans or other financial cooperation; provided, that such agreements or commitments shall not impose any liability upon the general credit and taxing power of the state beyond that authorized by law.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources may employ such officers, assistants and employees as may be necessary and, as to persons employed wholly or in part in carrying out the provisions of cooperative agreements with the federal government or other agencies, for such compensations heretofore or hereafter paid, may use such contributions or receipts as may be derived from the United States or from any private or philanthropic source.

Where any of the lands of the state or of any department, institution or agency of the state are in scattered or noncontiguous tracts, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is authorized, subject to the approval of the Governor, to exchange such tracts for others of equal value, privately or publicly owned, to the end that the lands of the state or of any of its departments, institutions or agencies may be better consolidated for economy and efficiency in administration, protection and use and to perform such other duties as may be imposed upon it by law and to do such other things as may be necessary to give full effect to this section and this title.

(a) The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have full jurisdiction and control of all seafoods existing or living in the waters of Alabama and of all public and natural oyster reefs and oyster bottoms of the State of Alabama, and it shall ordain, promulgate and enforce all rules, regulations and orders deemed by it to be necessary for the protection, propagation or conservation of the same.

(b) The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources may by order duly made and published prescribe the manner of taking or catching, the time when and designate the places from which seafoods may or may not be taken or caught during certain periods of the year, or entirely, as it may deem to be for the best interest of the seafood industry.

(c) It shall have full authority to prohibit the catching or taking of oysters from reefs designated by it by order duly made and promulgated during the entire open season or any part thereof and may open and close said reefs or portions thereof to tonging or dredging, or both, and at any time deemed by it to be to the best interest of the public welfare.

(d) It shall receive and audit the accounts of oysters bought and caught of all canners and dealers and the accounts of all inspectors, employees and members of said department and of all expenses incident to carrying into effect this title, and shall see that all privilege taxes and license fees are paid, that the inspectors and other officers and employees faithfully discharge their duties and that all provisions of this title are properly complied with and enforced, and the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall hear the complaints of any person aggrieved by the action of any officer.

(e) It shall have authority to cooperate with the commissioner of the Bureau of Fisheries of the Department of Commerce of the United States government in the carrying out of the provisions of any act of Congress for the sale, distribution or propagation of all seafoods and the extension of the producing areas thereof.

(f) It shall have authority to make rules and regulations requiring all catchers, factories, purchasers, dealers or any persons dealing in shrimp and oysters to make reports to the department containing the number of barrels caught or sold and any other information said department may require; to designate the dates for opening and closing of the seasons for catching shrimp and the waters from which the same may be taken; to cause surveys to be made of the coastal regions of the State of Alabama for the purpose of determining the economic soundness of the development of the oyster industry in the location; and to make plans and estimates of the cost of such developments and improvements and in connection therewith to enter on any lands, waters and premises for the purpose of making such surveys, soundings and examinations.

The Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby designated as an awarding authority.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby empowered and authorized to prepare plans and specifications for the construction or modification of any buildings or facilities within the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is empowered and authorized to enter into contracts with engineering or architectural firms for the preparation of plans and/or specifications to be used by said department in constructing or modifying buildings and other facilities within the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and may contract for such supervisory engineering or architectural services as may be needed in its construction work; provided, that any such advisory services contracted for must conform to the fee schedule as adopted by the state Building Commission.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is further empowered and authorized to enter into contracts for the construction or modification of any buildings or facilities within the jurisdiction of said department; provided, however, that all such contracts shall be invalid and void unless approved in writing by the Governor; and further provided that all such construction contracts shall be let and made in accordance with the provisions of Chapters 1, 2 and 5 of Title 39 of this code.

All construction or modification contracts as specified in this article which may hereafter be made are excepted from approval by the state Building Commission with the exception of buildings erected by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that exceed in cost the sum of $15,000.00; provided, however, that all such construction or modifications must comply with the state building code.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be headed by and shall be under the direction, supervision and control of an officer who shall be known and designated as the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be the advisor of the Governor and the Legislature in matters relating to the wildlife and other natural resources and the state parks and monument and historical sites of the State of Alabama and the discovery, development, protection and conservation thereof. He shall be responsible to the Governor for the administration of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be appointed and shall hold office at the pleasure of the Governor. Vacancies for any reason shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments are made. Before entering upon the discharge of his duties, the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall take the constitutional oath of office and shall give bond in such penalty as may be fixed by the Governor, but such penalty shall not be less than $10,000.00 conditioned upon the faithful discharge of his duties. The premiums on such bond shall be paid out of the State Treasury. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall devote full time to his office and shall not hold another office under the government of the United States or under any other state or of this state or any political subdivision thereof during his incumbency in such office, and shall not hold any position of trust or profit or engage in any occupation or business the conduct of which shall interfere or be inconsistent with his duties as Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources under the provisions of this title.

All functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall be exercised by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources acting by himself or by and through such administrative divisions or such officers or employees as he may designate. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have all power and authority necessary or convenient to carry out the functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In the performance of such functions and duties and in the exercise of such powers and authorities, the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources and all other officers and employees of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall, however, be subject to all legal restrictions, limitations and conditions and penalties, civil and criminal, with respect to the performance of such functions and duties and the exercise of such powers and authorities.

(a) There is created within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources a division to be known as the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

(b) Wherever reference is made to the Game and Fish Division or the Division of Game and Fish in this title, or in any other statute, rule, or regulation of the State of Alabama, the reference shall be construed to refer to the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries shall be a division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and shall be headed by and be under the direction, supervision and control of the Director of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. He shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources with the approval of the Governor. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries shall have the personnel, powers, properties, functions and duties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources which pertain to the game and fish of the State of Alabama and such personnel, duties, powers, functions and properties as may be hereafter conferred by law.

Before entering upon the discharge of his duties, the Director of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries shall take the constitutional oath of office. He shall devote his full time to his official duties and shall hold no other lucrative position.

Before entering upon the duties of his office, the Director of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries shall execute to the State of Alabama a bond, to be approved by the Governor, in an amount to be fixed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, for the faithful performance of his duties.

The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have power to appoint as many game and fish wardens as he shall deem necessary for the proper enforcement of the game and fish laws of the state. All game and fish wardens or deputy wardens shall, before entering upon their duties as such, take the oath of office as required by law for sheriffs in this state. Before entering upon the duties of their offices, all game and fish wardens or deputy wardens shall execute to the State of Alabama a bond, to be approved by the Governor, in the amount of $1,000.00, for the faithful performance of their duties. The employees provided for in this section shall be reimbursed for their meals, lodging and transportation when absent from their headquarters in the performance of their duties. Where any area of land or water by purchase, lease or otherwise has been duly organized and developed as a hunting or fishing club, upon recommendation from the officers of such club the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may appoint the superintendent, keeper or other person in charge of the club's grounds and premises, without expense to the state, to the position of deputy game and fish warden.

(a) Game and fish wardens shall have power:

(1) To enforce all laws of this state relating to birds, animals and fish;

(2) To execute all warrants and search warrants for the violation of the game, fish and fur laws of the state;

(3) To serve subpoenas issued for examination, investigation and trial of all offenses against the law relating to game, fur bearers, birds and fish;

(4) To carry firearms as provided by law for enforcement officers when in the discharge of their official duties;

(5) To confiscate all game, birds, animals or fish or parts thereof which have been caught, taken, killed or held at a time in any manner or for any purpose or had in possession or under control or have been shipped, carried or transported contrary to the laws of this state, and game, fur bearers, birds, fish or parts thereof so confiscated shall be held as evidence in the court in which the defendant is held for trial; and, upon conviction of the defendant, said game, fur bearers, birds, fish or parts thereof shall be disposed of by written order of the court;

(6) To enter upon any land or water in the performance of their duty;

(7) To assist individual citizens, clubs, groups and organizations of sportsmen and conservation clubs by furnishing information and such other assistance as may be found necessary in the construction of fish ponds, the establishing of feeding grounds for migratory wild fowl, the planting of fish from the state and federal fish hatcheries, the reclaiming of stranded fish and the control of predators on useful forms of wildlife; and

(8) To perform such other additional duties as the commissioner may direct.

(b) The director of the division shall:

(1) Constantly keep in touch with the game and fish wardens;

(2) Assist and advise them in their work;

(3) See that all wardens are continuous in the performance of their duties;

(4) Make reports to the commissioner of any dereliction of duty;

(5) Investigate all charges of alleged misconduct or other alleged wrongful acts on the part of any warden and make special reports thereon to the commissioner;

(6) Assist in the prosecution of violations of all laws relating to the department; and

(7) Perform such other duties as the commissioner may direct.

(a) There is hereby established an official annual state nongame wildlife print and/or stamp.

(b) The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby given the authority to contract with an artist of its choice for the providing of said print and/or stamp.

(c) The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby given authority to sell reproductions of said print and/or stamp.

The Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby authorized to promulgate such rules and regulations as shall be necessary to carry out the intent of this act.

(a) The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby vested with the power to enforce and administer all laws providing for the preservation, protection, propagation and development of wild birds, wild fur-bearing animals, game fish, saltwater fish, shrimp, oysters and other shellfish, crustaceans and all other species of wildlife within the state or within the territorial jurisdiction of the state which have not been reduced to private ownership, except as otherwise provided.

(b) The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Ratural resources is empowered:

(1) To formulate a state wildlife policy;

(2) To fix open seasons during which game birds, game and fur-bearing animals may be taken;

(3) To fix daily and season bag limits on game birds and game animals;

(4) To designate by name what species of fish shall be game fish;

(5) To fix daily creel limits on game fish;

(6) To regulate the manner, means and devices for catching or taking game fishes, game birds, game and fur-bearing animals and the manner, means and devices for catching or taking all other species of fish not designated as game fish;

(7) To close the season of any species of game in any county or area when, upon a survey by the department, it is found necessary to the conservation and perpetuation of such species and to reopen such closed season when it is deemed advisable;

(8) To designate by name what animals shall be classed as game or fur-bearing animals and the time, manner, means and devices for taking same; and

(9) To introduce desirable species of game, fish and birds.

The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources is authorized to make and promulgate such reasonable rules and regulations not in conflict with the provisions of the game and fish laws as he may deem for the best interest of the conservation, protection and propagation of wild game, birds, animals, fish and seafoods, which rules and regulations shall have the effect of law; provided, that the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall not have the right to make or promulgate any rules or regulations which will hamper industry or which will interfere with the operation of any industrial plant or plants or any industrial operation. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall not have the right to make or promulgate any rules or regulations which will hamper or interfere with the construction of dams built for impounding private waters as defined by the legislature or which will hamper or interfere with the catching, the marketing, the sale or resale or buying of the fish crop or any fish caught or taken from private waters as defined by the Legislature or which will in any way hamper or interfere with the maximum development of private waters as a source of food, farm income and recreation in the State of Alabama. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall publish in pamphlet form for general distribution all laws together with such rules and regulations relating to game, birds, fish, fur bearers, seafoods and other matters over which such Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources has authority or supervision. Such pamphlet so published shall be received in evidence without further proof of such rules and regulations in any court of this state.

As used in this title, the term 'seafoods' shall include and mean all oysters, saltwater fish, saltwater shrimp, diamond back terrapin, sea turtle, crabs and all other species of marine or saltwater animal life existing or living in the water within the territorial jurisdiction of the State of Alabama.

There is hereby created within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources a division to be known as the Division of Marine Resources. The Division of Marine Resources shall have the personnel, duties, powers, functions and properties of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources which pertain to seafoods and such personnel, duties, powers, functions and properties as may be hereafter conferred by law.

The Division of Marine Resources shall be headed by and be under the direction, supervision and control of an officer who shall be designated 'Director of the Marine Resources Division.' The Director of the Marine Resources Division shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources with the approval of the Governor and shall be under and subject to the provisions of the state Merit System.

Before entering upon the discharge of his duties, the Director of the Marine Resources Division shall take the constitutional oath of office. His salary shall be fixed by the State Personnel Board as it may deem appropriate or as otherwise fixed by law. He shall devote his full time to his official duties and shall hold no other lucrative position while serving as said Director of the Marine Resources Division.

Before entering upon the duties of his office, the Director of the Marine Resources Division shall execute to the State of Alabama a bond, to be approved by the Governor, in an amount to be fixed by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, for the faithful performance of his duties.

The employees of the Division of Marine Resources shall diligently enforce all laws and regulations of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources now existing or which may hereafter be enacted or promulgated for the protection, propagation, preservation or conservation of the seafoods of the State of Alabama and shall prosecute all persons who violate any of such laws or regulations. Such employees shall, at any and all times, seize any and all oysters, saltwater fish or other seafoods which have been caught, taken or transported in a manner contrary to the laws or regulations based thereupon of this state. All seafood which is seized by such employees shall be held as evidence and used in the trial of the violation for which it was seized. After the trial of such violation, the seafood which has been so seized shall be disposed of by order of the court in which the case was set or tried.

The Director of the Division of Marine Resources and other employees of said division are hereby constituted peace officers of the State of Alabama with full police power and jurisdiction to enforce all laws with reference to the seafoods of the State of Alabama and all rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and they may exercise such powers in any county of the State of Alabama and on any waters of this state. They are hereby authorized to carry firearms or other weapons when they are actually in the discharge of their duties as such officers. They shall be clothed with the power to arrest with or without warrant any person who shall violate any of the laws of the State of Alabama or any rule or regulation of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with reference to the protection, preservation, propagation or conservation of its seafoods and take him before a proper court for trial. They shall visit the various factories and all places of business where seafoods are dealt in and there inspect the oysters, fish and other seafoods on hand, the 'barrel measures' used at said places of business and all nets, trawls and other devices for the taking or catching of seafoods, and they shall prevent and prosecute all violations of this title and all laws on this subject hereafter enacted.

There is hereby created and there shall be a fund which shall be known as the 'Seafoods Fund.' This fund shall consist of:

(1) All moneys received from all occupational and privilege licenses or taxes imposed by the state on any person, firm or corporation for engaging in any business or activity relating to the taking, catching, processing or handling seafoods as defined in Section 9-2-80;

(2) All revenue derived from oyster bottom leases;

(3) All moneys paid, derived or received arising from fines, penalties or forfeitures of the seafood laws of this state or the rules and regulations based thereon;

(4) All moneys derived from the sale, leasing, dredging, excavation or removal of oyster shells from the bottoms of any bay, lagoon, estuary, bayou or saltwater area within the jurisdiction of the State of Alabama; and

(5) All moneys accruing to the Marine Resources Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from any source whatsoever.

Each officer or employee of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or other person charged with the duty of collecting any of the funds or moneys mentioned in Section 9-2-87 shall remit all such collections on the first day of each month directly to the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, who shall upon receipt thereof remit such collections to the Treasurer of the State of Alabama to the credit of the Seafoods Fund.

The said Seafoods Fund hereby created shall be used and expended by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources in furtherance of the preservation, protection, propagation and development of saltwater fish, shrimp, oysters and other shellfish and crustaceans and the development of the seafoods industry and saltwater sports fishing. The appropriation provided for by Section 9-12-183 shall be paid out of said fund. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may also make expenditures out of such fund for any additions and betterments which the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, with the approval of the Governor, deems beneficial to the area. When so expended, the same shall be paid out on the requisition of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources and charged to said fund. All necessary expenses of the Division of Marine Resources of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, including its pro rata portion of the administrative expenses of said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, shall likewise be paid out of said fund on requisition of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources; provided, however, that no funds shall be withdrawn nor expended for any purpose whatsoever unless the same shall have been allotted and budgeted in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of Chapter 4 of Title 41 of this code and only in the amounts and for the purposes provided by the Legislature in the general appropriation bill.

The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources, acting through the Division of Parks, shall have the following powers and authorities:

(1) To acquire in the name of the State of Alabama by purchase, lease, agreement, license, condemnation or otherwise land deemed necessary or desirable to be preserved, improved, protected and maintained as a part of the state park system and to accept in his discretion, in fee or otherwise, land donated, entrusted, conveyed or devised to the state for like purposes and with like discretion to accept gifts, contributions or bequests of money or other personal property of value to be used or expended for the benefit of the state park system;

(2) To contract and make cooperative agreements with the federal government and with states, counties, municipalities, corporations, associations or individuals for the purpose of acquiring, planning, establishing, developing, utilizing, operating, protecting or maintaining any public park, parkway, monument or historic site;

(3) To construct and operate suitable public service privileges and conveniences on any land embraced within the state park system and to charge and collect reasonable fees for the use of the same and in his discretion to enter into contracts for the operation of any such privilege or convenience and to enter into contracts with any person or corporation engaged in the business of supplying the public with water for commercial, industrial or domestic consumption, granting the right to construct a dam across any stream lying wholly or partially in any state park with the buildings, works and lines necessary and convenient to impound the flow of any such stream, to overflow such lands as may be necessary and to conduct such flow through and out of such park and granting such person or corporation the right to use the flow of such stream for such purposes upon such terms and conditions as are deemed to be in the public interest. All money derived from any such privilege, convenience or contract together with such sums as may otherwise be derived from the operation of the state park system shall be paid into the Treasury to the credit of the State Park Fund created in this title;

(4) To establish and promulgate and from time to time alter, amend or repeal rules and regulations governing the preservation, protection and use of the state park system and the property thereon and to preserve the peace therein. Any person who violates any rule or regulation so established and promulgated shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500.00 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, and may be adjudged to pay all costs of the proceedings. The Director of the Division of Parks shall have and he is hereby vested with full police power to prefer charges against and to make arrests of any person or persons violating any such rule or regulation. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall have full authority to designate any other employee or employees of the said Division of Parks as deputy police officers, who shall have full authority to prefer charges against or to make arrests of any person or persons violating any rule or regulation established or promulgated by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources;

(5) To initiate and conduct a public program of recreational activities; and

(6) To prepare, print and distribute printed matter relating to and descriptive of the state park system.