The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission. Since 2023, the Director is Scott Bowen. The DNR has about 1,400 permanent employees, and over 1,600 seasonal employees.

In 1887, the Michigan Legislature created the salaried position of state game warden. The position, which was initially created to oversee market hunting and the supply of essential foodstuffs to local lumber camps, was the direct ancestor of the state's conservation infrastructure. In 1921, the Michigan Legislature created the Department of Conservation and a Conservation Commission to manage the state's natural resources. The first director of the department was John Baird.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources was created in 1965 as a part of the constitutionally required reorganization of the executive branch via Executive Organization Act of 1965. Under Governor John Engler, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was formed from the department's environmental regulation functions, and the appointment of the department's commission chair was transferred to the governor. Several DNR boards and commissions were also abolished with their powers transferred to the department director.

In 2009, Governor Jennifer Granholm moved to merge Department of Environmental Quality back into the department and appoint the reunited department's director instead of the Natural Resources Commission. The state merged the two agencies to form the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

In 2010, however, Governor elect Rick Snyder named Rodney Stokes as the new DNR director, and chose to divide the DNRE into the original designations of Natural Resource Commission and the DNR divisions. Rodney Stokes said his first priority was to reverse the decline of hunting in Michigan, by eliminating the extended seasons, reducing the amount of antlerless licenses in Northern Michigan, improving habitat and removing license requirements for coyote and wolf. On January 4, 2011, Governor Rick Snyder issued Executive Order 2011–1, which eliminated the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) and created the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

* - denotes acting director
** - denotes interim director

"The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the State's natural resources for current and future generations." [1]

The DNR is funded by the state general fund revenues, federal funds and a variety of restricted funds. Federal funding consists mainly of special purpose categorical grants from various Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Restricted funding is generated from licenses, user fees and other charges. These funds support programs for wildlife and fisheries programs, operation of Michigan state parks, harbor development, marine safety enforcement and education, snowmobile and off-road vehicle (ORV) trail repair and development, and operation of Michigan's 150 state forest campgrounds. Restricted revenues, which by statute can only be used to support related programs, are generated from hunting and fishing license, state park entrance and camping fees, two percent of the gas tax, snowmobile registration and snowmobile trail and ORV permits and forest camping fees.