The State of Vermont has a long history of acquiring properties for conservation and recreation purposes. Since the first official state forest (L.R. Jones State Forest) was acquired in 1909, the State has acquired over 345,000 acres of land in more than 200 towns across the state. In addition, the Agency has recently acquired conservation easements on over 44,000 acres of privately-owned forest land. These diverse holdings are managed by the Agency of Natural Resources and include state parks, state forests, wildlife management areas, and fishing access areas, pond sites, streambanks, fish culture stations, dams, and other miscellanious properties.