History of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation

In 1965, two things came together that resulted in the creation of a state park system in Idaho. First, Roland and Averell Harriman agreed to donate what is now Harriman State Park to the State of Idaho on the condition that a professional agency be created to manage it. Second, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund was created. Statewide recreation planning was required to qualify for the federal funds which were used to develop state and local recreation facilities. It would take a state agency to do that.

Prior to the authorization of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, there existed in the state areas designated "scenic and recreational," usually parks and campgrounds. Since 1907 these areas had been administered by the State Land Board. In 1947, state parks were transferred to the Highway Department, and responsibility grew with the addition of a number of roadside areas, where motorists on the freeway might pull off for a night's rest. In 1949 control of the parks system was transferred to the State Land Board. A Parks Division was created within the Land Board in 1953. John W. Emmert, a retired former superintendent of Glacier National Park, took charge of the Idaho program in April 1958. This form of administration continued until 1959 when Emmert was replaced with three regional directors.

Since 1965, the Department has been governed by a six-person board, each member representing a different geographic area of the state. The board has the power "to appoint a ....director to serve at its discretion" (Title 67, Chapter 42, Idaho Code). In 1966, the board appointed Wilhelm A Beckert to the post of director. In 1971, Steve Bly assumed the director's position. He served until 1975. Dale R. Christiansen served from 1976-1984. Then in 1984, Robert L. Meinen, who had joined the Department in 1977, was promoted to director and stayed until 1987, when he left to assume a cabinet-level post in the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Yvonne Ferrell became the fifth director in December 1987, after having served as deputy director in the Washington State Parks and Recreation division. At the time she was hired by the Board, Yvonne was the only female director in the nation. She retired in 2001.

Rick Collignon became the director in May, 2001. He served as assistant director of the South Dakota Division of Parks and Recreation and as a regional park manager in South Dakota before moving to the Idaho system as a region manager in 2000. He resigned as director in April, 2004.

Robert L. Meinen took over as director in September, 2004, beginning his second tour of duty with the department. Meinen has served as the director of the Kansas and Oregon state park systems, and Deputy Director for Parks Operations for the Missouri State Department of Natural Resources. He holds a Masters of Science from the University of Delaware. He resigned as director in September, 2009.

Nancy Merrill became director in October, 2009. Her public service began in 1995 and continued until 2008 when she finished her tenure as Mayor for the City of Eagle guiding the growth of a city from a population of 2000 to 26,000. Learn more about Director Merrill.

Funding for Park Development

The federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been responsible for the acquisition, development, and improvement of over $60 million in outdoor recreation sites and facilities in Idaho since 1965, which includes 475 recreational projects. Most of that money has been spent to develop city and county park facilities. The annual appropriation for Idaho ranged from $0 to $1.5 million. The majority of the money came from fees paid by oil companies for off-shore leasing. The program provided 50 percent matching grant monies to sponsors of approved projects. Money collected for the LWCF stateside program has not been appropriated in recent years.

Of particular significance was the acquisition and development of Harriman State Park for over $8.8 million, the largest LWCF project in the state. This project also included the acquisition and development of other parks in the state, such as Ponderosa, Heyburn, Winchester, Henrys Lake, Farragut, and Bruneau Dunes.

In 1981, the Department began charging fees for park entrance and use. This revenue goes into the Parks and Recreation fund in support of operations and minor maintenance. Further revenues accrue from sales at concessions, user fees, non-profit support groups, and other grants.

The Good Sam organization, boaters, snowmobilers, trail machine associations, key Legislators, and many other interested individuals mounted a campaign in 1988 that resulted in the Legislature providing an increase in the percent of gas tax attributable to off-road motor vehicles and boats. The Legislature also stipulated that one-half of the recreational vehicle license fee should go to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to support RV needs. In later years the law was changed to give IDPR all of the recreational vehicle license fee. That money is then disbursed in the form of grants to lo