Section 49-0103. General functions, powers and duties of the department

The department shall have the power and it shall be its duty to:
    1.  Develop,  after consultation with local governments and interested
  persons, groups and institutions, policies and programs to preserve  and
  enhance  the  natural  and  man-made beauty of the state, and encourage,
  facilitate and assist in the  coordination  of  the  activities  of  the
  various state agencies in furtherance of such policies and programs.
    2.  Advise,  encourage and assist local governments in the development
  and coordination of policies, programs and activities, and in  the  full
  utilization  of  powers  vested in local governments by the Constitution
  and laws of the state, to preserve and enhance the natural and  man-made
  beauty of the state.
    3. Conduct and coordinate studies, surveys and inventories of the vast
  natural  and  man-made resources contributing to the beauty of the state
  by virtue of their scenic, aesthetic, or cultural values.
    4. Designate scenic sites,  areas,  and  highways  in  the  state  and
  develop  programs  for their preservation and enhancement, including but
  not  limited  to  programs  to  discourage  littering,  defacement,  and
  blighting of such scenic sites, areas and highways.
    5.   Promote  the  application  of  aesthetic  considerations  in  the
  location, design, construction and maintenance of state lands,  projects
  and buildings.
    6.  Serve  as  a  clearing  house  for  information  relating  to  the
  preservation and enhancement of natural and man-made beauty.