(a) In carrying out its objectives, the department is authorized to arrange for and accept such aid and cooperation from the several United States governmental bureaus and departments and from such other sources as may lend assistance.

(b)(1) The commissioner is authorized to accept without regard to the State Merit System of Personnel Administration, laws, rules, or regulations, the services of individuals without compensation as volunteers for or in aid of environmental protection, coastal resources, interpretive functions, hunter safety and boating safety instruction, hunter safety and boating safety programs, visitor services, conservation measures and development, and any other activities in and related to the objectives, powers, duties, and responsibilities of the department.

(2) The commissioner is authorized to provide for reimbursement of volunteers for incidental expenses such as transportation, uniforms, lodging, and subsistence. The commissioner is also authorized to provide general liability coverage and fidelity bond coverage for such volunteers while they are rendering service to or on behalf of the department.

(3) Except as otherwise provided in this Code section, a volunteer shall not be deemed to be a state employee and shall not be subject to the provisions of law relating to state employment, including, without limitation, those relating to hours of work, rates of compensation, leave, unemployment compensation, and state employee benefits.

(4) Volunteers performing work under the terms of this Code section may be authorized by the department to operate state owned vehicles. They may also be treated as employees of the state for the purposes of inclusion in any automobile liability insurance or self-insurance, general liability insurance or self-insurance, or fidelity bond coverage provided by the department for its employees while operating state owned vehicles.

(5) No volunteer shall be authorized or allowed to enter privately owned or operated lands, facilities, or properties without the express prior written permission of the owner or operator of such privately owned or operated lands, facilities, or properties; provided, however, such prohibition shall not apply to lands, facilities, or properties leased to the State of Georgia.

(c) The department shall have the power and authority to create, establish, and operate a program or programs to facilitate, amplify, or supplement the objectives and functions of the department through the use of volunteer services, including, but not limited to, the recruitment, training, and use of volunteers.

(d) The department is directed to cooperate with and coordinate its work with the work of each department of the federal government dealing with the same subject matters dealt with by the Department of Natural Resources. The department is authorized to cooperate with the counties of the state in any surveys to ascertain the natural resources of the counties. The department is also authorized to cooperate with the governing bodies of municipalities and boards of trade and other local civic organizations in examining and locating water supplies and in giving advice concerning and in recommending plans for other municipal improvements and enterprises. Such cooperation is to be conducted upon such terms as the department may direct.

(e) The department shall have the authority to participate with public and private groups, organizations, and businesses in joint advertising and promotional projects that promote environmental protection, coastal resource conservation, historic preservation, interpretive functions, hunter safety and boating safety instruction and programs, outdoor recreation, visitor services, conservation measures and development, and any other activities in and related to the objectives, powers, duties, and responsibilities of the department and that make efficient use of funds appropriated for advertising and promotions; provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall be construed so as to authorize the department to grant any donation or gratuity.