Justice Appoints McMillion as WVa Natural Resources Director | West Virginia News

He follows Steve McDaniel, who announced earlier this year he was retiring and switching to a senior adviser role.

McMillion is a native of Nettie and graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in parks and recreation. He has worked in administrative roles with Panther State Forest, Bluestone State Park and Pipestem Resort State Park before becoming deputy chief of West Virginia State Parks.

“Brett has done an incredible job as the Deputy Chief of our State Parks system,” Justice said in a statement. “I know he’ll do a wonderful job as our DNR Director.”

McMillion said the agency will continue its work promoting the state’s outdoor recreation spots.

“I’ve been privileged to spend my entire career — over a quarter of a century — working outdoors in West Virginia, so I understand just how important our natural resources are to our state’s economy and our efforts to market ourselves to the world,” he said.

More than $151 million has been invested in state parks and forests during the past five years while the state has expanded state-owned hunting lands by more than 85,000 acres (34,400 hectares) and improved fish stocking methods, the governor’s statement said.

The governor’s office says revenue from hunting and fishing licenses has increased for three straight years, while state park revenue last year was 52% higher than four years earlier.

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