The Conservation Commission, as established in 1925, consisted of the commissioner of forestry and fire prevention, the commissioner of game and fish, and the state auditor as commissioner of lands and timber (Laws 1925, chap 426, art 4). Each member retained the respective duties formerly conferred upon the heads of the several departments composing the commission.
In addition, all the duties formerly conferred upon the Minnesota Land and Lakes Attractions Board (created by Laws 1919, chap. 166), the Land Improvement Board (created by Laws 1917, chap. 164), and the commissioner of immigration were transferred to the Conservation Commission.
Although the law provided for the creation of a Conservation Department, all of the various departments involved seem to have retained their autonomy. The commission had supervision, control, and management of all state parks and state public campgrounds. It took over the duties of the state auditor, State Forestry Board, and the state forester in so far as they applied to such parks and campgrounds and state monument sites. The commission was required to provide for the cooperation of the employees of each division under its control so that the natural resources of the state would be properly conserved.
In 1931 the Conservation Commission was abolished and replaced by a second commission with the same name (Laws 1931, chap. 186). This commission consisted of five members appointed by the governor. It formulated and directed the policies of the Department of Conservation, which was created to centralize all of the state's conservation and natural resources agencies into one unit, and appointed the state commissioner of conservation. This commission was abolished in 1937 and all of its functions and powers were transferred to the commissioner of conservation as head of the Conservation Department (Laws 1937, chap. 310).