Interstate Park Commission, or by organizations such as the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. To address the need for statewide coordination, the New York State Council of Parks was created by legislation adopted on April 18, 1924. The council served to plan development and set standard policies for all New York state-owned parks, reservations, and historic sites that were not under the authority of the New York State Conservation Commission (which notably included those lands that comprised the Forest Preserve in the Adirondacks and Catskills). Its formation was supported by governor Alfred E. Smith and based on plans by Robert Moses, who became the council's first commissioner; Moses would remain in charge of the council until 1963. The council initially included representatives from regional park commissions and other organizations involved in park management, including the Conservation Commission and the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. Prior to the creation of the Division of Parks (see below), the State Council of Parks was the highest-level organization overseeing park management in the state. Although it later became an advisory body, the council continues to this day, known officially as the New York State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. It includes representatives from the following departments and commissions as of 2014: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation New York State Department of Environmental Conservation New York State Board for Historic Preservation Allegany State Park Commission Central State Park Commission Finger Lakes State Park Commission Genesee State Park Commission Long Island State Park Commission New York City State Park Commission Niagara Frontier State Park Commission Palisades Interstate Park Commission Saratoga-Capital District State Park Commission Taconic State Park Commission Thousand Islands State Park Commission NYS Conservation Department Division of Parks A reorganization of New York's state government took place in 1926, which resulted in the creation of the New York State Conservation Department. The newly formed Conservation Department included a Division of Parks which assumed responsibility for management of New York's parks and historic sites. The Council of Parks continued as a constituent unit of the Division of Parks. The council was also at this time given the additional responsibility of planning highway improvements to enable access to park facilities. Although the Great Depression of the 1930s reduced available funding for New York's state parks, the period was a time of development of existing parks' facilities. Construction teams