California protected areas

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Redwood grove in Redwood National Park Redwood light.jpg
Redwood grove in Redwood National Park

According to the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), in the state of California, United States, there are over 14,000 inventoried protected areas administered by public agencies and non-profits. In addition, there are private conservation areas and other easements. [1] They include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The California State Parks system alone has 270 units and covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km2), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites, and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.

California U.S. state in the United States

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents across a total area of about 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

Protected area location which receives protection because of its recognised natural, ecological or cultural landscape values

Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved.

An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". It is similar to real covenants and equitable servitudes; in the United States, the Restatement (Third) of Property takes steps to merge these concepts as servitudes.

Contents

Obtaining an accurate total of all protected land in California and elsewhere is a complex task. Many parcels have inholdings, private lands within the protected areas, which may or may not be accounted for when calculating total area. Also, occasionally one parcel of land is included in two or more inventories. Over 90% of Yosemite National Park for example, is listed both as wilderness by the National Wilderness Preservation System, and as national park land by the National Park Service. The Cosumnes River Preserve is an extreme example, owned and managed by a handful of public agencies and private landowners, including the Bureau of Land Management, the County of Sacramento and The Nature Conservancy. Despite the difficulties, the CPAD gives the total area of protected land at 49,294,000 acres (199,490 km2), or 47.05% of the state (not including easements); a considerable amount for the most populous state in the country.

An inholding is privately owned land inside the boundary of a national park, national forest, state park, or similar publicly owned, protected area. In-holdings result from private ownership of lands predating the designation of the park or forest area, or the expansion of the park area to encompass the privately owned property. In the United States, the main causes of inholdings is that all of the Federal land-management agencies were formed over a century after the government sold and issued land grants to private citizens to fund the administration of the United States. When the park system was formed, many of these now-called "inholdings" had been in private ownership for generations and not available for sale when the park was formed. Over the last several decades, conservation groups have lobbied the United States Congress to acquire private residences especially within designated wilderness areas, either by direct purchase or via land exchange which trades the inholding for other federal lands located outside of national parks or wilderness areas.

National Wilderness Preservation System

The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness areas are managed by four federal land management agencies: the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The term "wilderness" is defined as "an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain" and "an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." As of 2019, there are 803 designated wilderness areas, totaling 111,368,221 acres (45,069,120 ha), or about 4.5% of the area of the United States.

National Park Service United States federal agency

The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. It was created on August 25, 1916, by Congress through the National Park Service Organic Act and is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior. The NPS is charged with a dual role of preserving the ecological and historical integrity of the places entrusted to its management while also making them available and accessible for public use and enjoyment.

National Park System

The U.S. National Park System controls a large and diverse group of California parks, monuments, recreation areas and other units which in total exceed 6,240,000 acres (25,300 km2). [2] The best known is Yosemite National Park, noted for several iconic natural features including Yosemite Falls, El Capitan and Half Dome, which is displayed on the reverse side of the California state quarter. Other prominent parks are the Kings Canyon-Sequoia National Park complex, Redwood National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and the largest, Death Valley National Park. The NPS also administers the Manzanar National Historic Site in Inyo County.

Yosemite National Park National park in California, United States

Yosemite National Park is an American national park located in the western Sierra Nevada of Central California, bounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an area of 748,436 acres and sits in four counties: centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera County. Designated a World Heritage site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness.

Yosemite Falls waterfall

Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of 2,425 feet (739 m) from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall. Located in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak.

El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park, California

El Capitan, also known as El Cap, is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet (914 m) from base to summit along its tallest face, and is a popular objective for rock climbers.

National parks

Channel Islands National Park national park of the United States

Channel Islands National Park is an American national park that consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of the U.S. state of California, in the Pacific Ocean. Although the islands are close to the shore of densely populated Southern California, their isolation has left them relatively undeveloped. The park covers 249,561 acres (100,994 ha) of which 79,019 acres (31,978 ha) are owned by the federal government. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages 76% of Santa Cruz Island, the largest island in the park.

Death Valley National Park US national park located in the California desert bordering Nevada

Death Valley National Park is an American national park that straddles the California—Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern section of Eureka Valley, and most of Saline Valley. The park occupies an interface zone between the arid Great Basin and Mojave deserts, protecting the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and its diverse environment of salt-flats, sand dunes, badlands, valleys, canyons, and mountains. Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous United States, and the hottest, driest and lowest of all the national parks in the United States. The second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere is in Badwater Basin, which is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Approximately 91% of the park is a designated wilderness area. The park is home to many species of plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment. Some examples include creosote bush, bighorn sheep, coyote, and the Death Valley pupfish, a survivor from much wetter times. UNESCO included Death Valley as the principal feature of its Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve in 1984.

Joshua Tree National Park National park of the United States

Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of Los Angeles, near San Bernardino and Palm Springs. The park is named for the Joshua trees native to the Mojave Desert. Originally declared a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated as a national park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act. Encompassing a total of 790,636 acres —an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island—the park includes 429,690 acres of designated wilderness. Straddling the border between San Bernardino County and Riverside County, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation: the higher Mojave Desert and the lower Colorado Desert. The Little San Bernardino Mountains traverse the southwest edge of the park.

Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park YosemitePark2 amk.jpg
Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park

National monuments

(administered by the NPS)

Cabrillo National Monument United States historic place

Cabrillo National Monument is at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California, United States. It commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This event marked the first time a European expedition had set foot on what later became the West Coast of the United States. The site was designated as California Historical Landmark #56 in 1932. As with all historical units of the National Park Service, Cabrillo was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Castle Mountains National Monument protected area in California

Castle Mountains National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the eastern Mojave Desert and northeastern San Bernardino County, in the state of California.

Devils Postpile National Monument national monument in California, USA

Devils Postpile National Monument is a National Monument located near Mammoth Mountain in eastern California. The monument protects Devils Postpile, an unusual rock formation of columnar basalt. It encompasses 798 acres (323 ha) and includes two main tourist attractions: the Devils Postpile formation and Rainbow Falls, a waterfall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. In addition, the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail merge into one trail as they pass through the monument. Excluding a small developed area containing the monument headquarters, visitor center and a campground, the National Monument lies within the borders of the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Old-growth forest at Muir Woods National Monument Trees and sunshine.JPG
Old-growth forest at Muir Woods National Monument

National recreation areas

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area protected area in Southern California, USA

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. The SMMNRA is located within the greater Los Angeles region, with two thirds of the parklands in northwest Los Angeles County, and the remaining third, including a Simi Hills extension, in southeastern Ventura County.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area United States national park in California

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is a U.S. National Recreation Area protecting 82,027 acres (33,195 ha) of ecologically and historically significant landscapes surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of the park is land formerly used by the United States Army. GGNRA is managed by the National Park Service and is the most visited unit of the National Park system in the United States, with more than 15 million visitors a year. It is also one of the largest urban parks in the world, with a size two-and-a-half times that of the consolidated city and county of San Francisco.

Yucca plant near coast of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Santa monica nra.jpg
Yucca plant near coast of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

National seashores

Palomarin Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore Palomarin at point reyes.jpg
Palomarin Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore

National preserves

Castle Peaks in Mojave National Preserve Castlepeaksatmojave.jpg
Castle Peaks in Mojave National Preserve

National Landscape Conservation System

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) includes over 850 federally recognized areas and in California, manages 15,500,000 acres (63,000 km2) of public lands, nearly 15% of the state's land area. [3] The National Landscape Conservation System is composed of several types of units: national monuments (distinct from the same-named units within the National Park System), national conservation areas, forest reserves, outstanding natural areas, national scenic and historic trails, wilderness, wilderness study areas, and others.

National monuments

(administered by the BLM)

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains 283.jpg
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains

National conservation areas

King Range Wilderness Hikingkingrange.jpg
King Range Wilderness

Forest reserves

Headwaters Forest Headwatersforest.jpg
Headwaters Forest

Outstanding natural areas

Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station USCGpiedrasblancasWithout.JPG
Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station

National scenic and historic trails

Golden Trout Wilderness along the Pacific Crest Trail Farewell Gap.jpg
Golden Trout Wilderness along the Pacific Crest Trail

Wilderness and wilderness study areas

Total BLM-managed wilderness land in California is 3,725,230 acres (15,075.5 km2). [4]

Bigelow Cholla Garden Wilderness Bigcholla.jpg
Bigelow Cholla Garden Wilderness

National Marine Sanctuaries

Sanderlings at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Sanderlings at Monterey Bay.jpg
Sanderlings at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

The National Marine Sanctuary System is managed by the Office of Marine Sanctuaries, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
California has four of the thirteen U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries:









National Wildlife Refuges

National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is an extensive system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. Many of the state's refuges are important stops and destinations for millions of migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway corridor. One, the Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area, has the highest density of waterfowl in the world. [6] There are 38 units in the refuge system in California, including both wildlife refuges and wildlife management areas, divided into 9 different regional areas. Combined the areas equal about 440,000 acres (1,800 km2).

Hopper Mountain NWR Complex

Bobcat at the Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuge Blueridgebobcat.jpg
Bobcat at the Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuge

San Diego NWR Complex

Arroyo toad at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Arroyotoadsandiegonwr.jpg
Arroyo toad at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge

Humboldt Bay NWR Complex

San Francisco Bay NWR Complex

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.jpg
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR

Kern NWR Complex

Black-necked stilt at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge Blackneckstilt kernrivernwr.jpg
Black-necked stilt at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge

San Luis NWR Complex

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.JPG
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

Klamath Basin NWR Complex

Ross's geese at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge RossGeese Oregon.jpg
Ross's geese at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge

Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR Complex

Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge Coachellanwr.jpg
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Sacramento NWR Complex

Snow geese at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Snow geeze and ducks at Sacramento.jpg
Snow geese at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Other refuges

American badger at the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge Badger modocnwr.jpg
American badger at the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge

Wild and Scenic rivers

Rivers designated as Wild and Scenic are administered by one of four federal land management agencies: The Bureau of Land Management, The National Park Service, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or The U.S. Forest Service. [7] There are 22 rivers in California with portions designated as Wild and Scenic, with 23 designations in all (the American River has two separate designations, one for the North Fork, and one for the Lower section). [8] Listed in miles.

Rafting on the Kern River Kern rafters.jpg
Rafting on the Kern River
RiverDesignated WildDesignated ScenicDesignated RecreationalTotal Protected
Amargosa River 7.912.16.326.3
American River (Lower)2323
American River (North Fork)38.338.3
Bautista Creek 9.89.8
Big Sur 19.519.5
Black Butte River 17.53.521
Cottonwood Creek 17.44.121.5
Eel River 9728273398
Feather River 32.99.73577.6
Fuller Mill Creek 2.60.93.5
Kern River 123.1720.9151
Kings River 65.515.581
Klamath River 11.723.5250.8286
Merced River 711635.5122.5
Owens River 6.36.66.219.1
Palm Canyon Creek 8.18.1
Piru Creek 4.337.3
San Jacinto River (North Fork)7.22.30.710.2
Sisquoc River 3333
Smith River 7831216.4325.4
Trinity River 4439120203
Tuolumne River 47231383

National Wilderness Preservation System

There are 149 wilderness areas in California totaling just over 15,000,000 acres (61,000 km2). [9] The largest is Death Valley Wilderness at 3,055,413 acres (12,364.82 km2), the largest federally designated wilderness in the continental United States, and the smallest is the Rocks and Islands Wilderness at 5 acres (20,000 m2). The wilderness areas are managed by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. Rarely, if ever, are designated wilderness areas stand alone protected areas, and thus their areas are, in all likelihood, already accounted for in the various agencies' inventories.
Emerald Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness Emerald lake trinity alps.jpg
Emerald Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness












National Forests

California has 17 U.S. National Forests, one special management unit (Lake Tahoe) and parts of 3 other National Forests. Total combined area of the forests is 20,061,888 acres (81,187.58 km2) and covers over 19% of the state. The largest forest entirely within the state is Shasta-Trinity National Forest, at 2,209,832 acres (8,942.87 km2), the smallest is Cleveland National Forest at 460,000 acres (1,900 km2). The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is not precisely a national forest in the conventional sense. Instead the Forest Service manages the land with particular attention paid to Lake Tahoe and its relationship with the forests surrounding it, with emphasis on erosion control management and watershed restoration, among other more conventional forest management activities. It is the smallest of the Forest Service units in California, with 191,000 acres (770 km2) in its jurisdiction split between California and Nevada.

The Inyo National Forest contains Mount Whitney, the highest point in California. Mount Whitney September 2009.JPG
The Inyo National Forest contains Mount Whitney, the highest point in California.
State ForestLand area (in acres)
Angeles National Forest 655,387
Cleveland National Forest 460,000
Eldorado National Forest 596,724
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest 6,289,821
Inyo National Forest 1,903,381
Klamath National Forest 1,737,774
Lassen National Forest 1,070,344
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit 150,000
Los Padres National Forest 1,950,000
Mendocino National Forest 913,306
Modoc National Forest 1,654,392
Plumas National Forest 1,146,000
San Bernardino National Forest 823,816
Sequoia National Forest 1,193,315
Shasta–Trinity National Forest 2,209,832
Sierra National Forest 1,300,000
Six Rivers National Forest 957,590
Stanislaus National Forest 898,099

State Forests

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) operates eight Demonstration State Forests totaling 71,000 acres. The forests represent the most common forest types in the state. The State Forests grow approximately 75 million board feet of timber annually and harvest an average of 30 million board feet each year, enough to build 3,000 single-family homes. Revenue from these harvests fund the management of the State Forests. In addition, the forests provide research and demonstration opportunities for natural resource management, while providing public recreation opportunities, fish and wildlife habitat, and watershed protection. Activities include: experimental timber harvesting techniques, watershed restoration, mushroom collecting, hunting, firewood gathering, cone collecting for seed, a variety of university research projects, horseback riding, camping, mountain biking, and hiking. [10]

Entrance to Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest. Entrance to Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest on Forestry Rd., Cobb, CA.jpg
Entrance to Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest.
State ForestLand area (in acres)CountyCity
Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest 3,493 Lake Cobb
Ellen Pickett State Forest 160 Trinity
Jackson Demonstration State Forest 50,195 Mendocino Fort Bragg
Las Posadas State Forest 796 Napa Angwin
LaTour Demonstration State Forest 9,003 Shasta Redding
Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest 4,807 Tulare Springville
Mount Zion Demonstration State Forest 164 Amador
Soquel Demonstration State Forest 2,681 Santa Cruz Soquel

State parks

The California Department of Parks and Recreation maintains over 270 protected areas, which include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The state parks system covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km2), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites; and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. [11] The largest is Anza-Borrego State Park at 600,000 acres (2,400 km2), making it one of the largest state parks in the country. The smallest, Watts Towers, owned by the State Park system but managed by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, [12] is a mere 0.1-acre (400 m2).
Sunset at Bolsa Chica State Beach BolsaChicaJUL2009.JPG
Sunset at Bolsa Chica State Beach

State wilderness areas


Additionally, 386,000 acres (1,560 km2) of Anza-Borrego State Park have been designated as wilderness. [14]

Hunting Hollow in Henry W. Coe State Park HenryCoe11.jpg
Hunting Hollow in Henry W. Coe State Park

Department of Fish and Wildlife Protected Areas

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), through its seven regional divisions, [15] manages more than 700 protected areas statewide, totaling 1,177,180 acres (4,763.9 km2). [16] They are broadly categorized as:

  • 110 wildlife areas, [17] designed to give the public easier access to wildlife while preserving habitats.
  • 135 ecological reserves, [18] which protect rare terrestrial and ocean species and habitats.
  • 319 undesignated lands.
  • 108 public access lands.
  • 21 fish hatcheries.
  • 37 miscellaneous lands.
Rain-soaked wetlands at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Yolo Bypass Refuge.jpg
Rain-soaked wetlands at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area

Municipal parks

Most cities and counties in California, as in elsewhere, own and operate open spaces of various types, the most recognizable being the city and county park. By far the largest inventory of protected land held by a municipal agency belongs to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, with just over 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) in its jurisdiction. [19] The largest city park in the state is Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego at 5,800 acres (23 km2), although there are several county and regional parks that are larger. Total land owned by municipal agencies is roughly 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) acres.
Griffith Park in the city of Los Angeles Downtown LA from Griffith Park.jpg
Griffith Park in the city of Los Angeles

Privately owned preserves

In addition to the many public lands are about 550,000 acres (2,200 km2)of privately owned preserves. The Wildlands Conservancy is the largest owner of protected lands with 145,936 acres (590.58 km2). The Nature Conservancy has been involved in over 100 projects in the state since 1958. [20] Many are eventually transferred to public agencies, but the Conservancy still owns and maintains several substantial preserves, including the Gray Davis/Dye Creek Preserve, Vina Plains Preserve, McCloud River Preserve, Cosumnes River Preserve, Santa Cruz Island, Irvine Ranch Wildlands and the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. The largest private preserve is the 93,000 acres (380 km2) Wind Wolves Preserve owned by the aforementioned Wildlands Conservancy. [21] In total, there are many dozens of land trust and conservation organizations active in California, with thousands of acres preserved on public and private lands through their efforts. [22] A few that operate entirely or substantially in the state are the Peninsula Open Space Trust, the Northern Sierra Partnership, the Sempervirens Fund, the Sacramento Valley Conservancy and the Wilderness Land Trust.

Santa Cruz Island Santacruz 300.jpg
Santa Cruz Island

Largest land owners of protected lands

The 20 largest landholders, according to the CPAD 2018a Statistics Report:

AgencyTotal lands owned
(in acres)*

U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
U.S. National Park Service
California Department of Parks and Recreation
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
California State Lands Commission
City of Los Angeles - Dept. of Water and Power
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
The Wildlands Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
Imperial Irrigation District
East Bay Regional Park District
California Department of Water Resources
The Conservation Fund - California
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
City of San Diego
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
City and County of San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
County of Orange

20,758,417
14,991,556
7,600,268
1,391,104
676,763
575,354
400,019
323,487
243,675
145,936
136,553
103,369
102,186
88,953
74,372
72,645
68,986
68,725
62,520
59,197

*These numbers may not correspond exactly with those reported directly from the agencies.

Related Research Articles

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of 19,286,722 acres (78,050.59 km2) in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest national wildlife refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is administered from offices in Fairbanks. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the biggest and the wildest land publicly owned by the United States. ANWR includes a large variety of species of plants and animals, such as polar bears, caribou, wolves, eagles, and migratory birds, which rely on the refuge.

Nature reserve Protected area for flora, fauna or features of geological interest

A nature reserve may also be known as a natural reserve, wildlife refuge or sanctuary, biosphere reserve (bioreserve), natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area. It is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities, and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in reserves' official names.

National Wildlife Refuge type of federal conservation area in the United States

National Wildlife RefugeSystem is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as the first wildlife refuge in 1903, the system has grown to over 562 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing more than 150,000,000 acres (607,028 km2).

Protected areas of the United States

The protected areas of the United States are managed by an array of different federal, state, tribal and local level authorities and receive widely varying levels of protection. Some areas are managed as wilderness, while others are operated with acceptable commercial exploitation. As of 2015, the 25,800 protected areas covered 1,294,476 km2 (499,800 sq mi), or 14 percent of the land area of the United States. This is also one-tenth of the protected land area of the world. The U.S. also had a total of 787 National Marine Protected Areas, covering an additional 1,271,408 km2 (490,893 sq mi), or 12 percent of the total marine area of the United States.

Kisatchie National Forest

Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, United States, is located in the forested piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It is part of the Cenozoic uplands and has large areas of longleaf pine forests. It is one of the largest pieces of natural landscape in Louisiana, with some 604,000 acres (2,440 km2) of public land, more than half of which is vital longleaf pine and flatwoods vegetation. These support many rare plant and animal species. There are also rare habitats, such as hillside seepage bogs and calcareous prairies. The forest also contains and provides a buffer for the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness, a nationally designated wilderness area that contributes to protecting biodiversity of the coastal plain region of the United States.

The protected areas of Michigan come in an array of different types and levels of protection. Michigan has five units of the National Park Service system. There are 14 federal wilderness areas; the majority of these are also tribal-designated wildernesses. It has one of the largest state forest systems as well having four national forests. The state maintains a large state park system and there are also regional parks, and county, township and city parks. Still other parks on land and in the Great Lakes are maintained by other governmental bodies. Private protected areas also exist in the state, mainly lands owned by land conservancies.

National Conservation Lands group of federally-managed protected areas in the United States

National Conservation Lands, formally known as the National Landscape Conservation System, is a 35-million-acre (140,000 km2) collection of lands in 873 federally recognized areas considered to be the crown jewels of the American West. These lands represent 10% of the 258 million acres (1,040,000 km2) managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM is the largest federal public land manager and is responsible for over 40% of all the federal public land in the nation. The other major federal public land managers include the US Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument protected area in California

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a National Monument in southern California. It includes portions of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountain ranges, the northernmost ones of the Peninsular Ranges system. The national monument covers portions of Riverside County, west of the Coachella Valley, approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

History of the National Wildlife Refuge System

The National Wildlife Refuge System in the United States has a long and distinguished history.

The Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of six National Wildlife Refuges along the Oregon Coast. It provides wilderness protection to thousands of small islands, rocks, reefs, headlands, marshes, and bays totaling 371 acres spanning 320 miles (515 km) of Oregon's coastline. The areas are all managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge off the southwestern Oregon Coast. It is one of six National Wildlife Refuges comprising the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The Oregon Islands provides wilderness protection to 1,853 small islands, rocks, and reefs plus two headlands, totaling 371 acres (150 ha) spanning 1,083 acres (438 ha) of Oregon's coastline from the Oregon–California border to Tillamook Head. There are sites in six of the seven coastal counties of Oregon. From north to south they are Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Lane, Coos, and Curry counties.

Protected areas of Georgia (U.S. state)

The protected areas of Georgia cover almost one million acres (4,000 km²) of the state. These areas are managed by different federal and state level authorities and receive varying levels of protection. Some areas are managed as wilderness while others are operated with acceptable commercial exploitation. On the Federal level, Georgia contains 1 Biosphere Reserve, 15 National Park Service Managed Sites, 1 National Forest and 8 Wildlife Refuges. Georgia is home to 63 state parks, 48 of which are state parks and 15 that are National Historic Sites, and many state wildlife preserves, under the supervision of the Georgia Department of Parks and Recreation, a division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

New York State Wildlife Management Areas

New York State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are conservation areas managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) primarily for the benefit of wildlife, and used extensively by the public for hunting, fishing, and trapping. As of 2016, the NYSDEC owns and maintains 113 WMAs, with a total area of approximately 197,000 acres. The Wildlife Management Areas program is administered by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources of the NYSDEC.

San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is in the San Juan Islands of the Salish Sea, north of Puget Sound, in the State of Washington. Created in 1976, it comprises 83 small, uninhabited islands, scattered throughout the San Juans, with a combined area of approximately 454 acres (1.84 km2). The Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as one of six in the Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States, which is located in the state of Ohio. This refuge was established in 1961, under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, the purpose of the refuge being created was “… for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds.” 16 U.S.C. 715d. This refuge provides ideal habitat for a wide range for migratory birds and waterfowl, along with the native wildlife, and any endangered and threatened species. The property of the refuge was purchased from hunt clubs and farmlands with the Federal Duck Stamps.

Sand to Snow National Monument protected area in California

Sand to Snow National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in San Bernardino County and into northern Riverside County, Southern California.

References

  1. ↑ "California Protected Areas Data Portal". www.calands.org. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "NPS Public Use Statistics Office: Acreage Reports". National Park Service. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
  3. ↑ http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en.html BLM-California website.
  4. ↑ BLM California data page. Archived 2009-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Administration, US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric. "NOAA's National Ocean Service: National Marine Sanctuaries". oceanservice.noaa.gov. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  7. ↑ "Interagency Wild & Scenic Rivers Council". Wild & Scenic Rivers Council. Archived from the original on 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  8. ↑ "California". National Wild and Scenic River System. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  9. ↑ "Wilderness areas in California" . Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  10. ↑ "Cal Fire Demonstration State Forests".
  11. ↑ "A State Park System is Born". California State Parks. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  12. ↑ "Watts Towers of Simon Rodia SHP". California State Parks. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  13. ↑ "State Parks Along California's North Coast Redwoods and History" (PDF). California Department of Parks and Recreation.
  14. ↑ "State Designated Wilderness Programs in the United States" (PDF). International Journal of Wilderness. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  15. ↑ "DFW Regions". California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFG) website. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  16. ↑ "Lands Inventory Fact Sheet". California DFG website. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  17. ↑ "Wildlife Areas". California DFW website. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  18. ↑ "Ecological Reserves". California DFW website. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  19. ↑ "CPAD Release notes". GreenInfo Network. Archived from the original on 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  20. ↑ "The Nature Conservancy in California". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on 2011-03-01. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  21. ↑ "Wind Wolves Preserve". Wildlands Conservancy. Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  22. ↑ "California Member Land Trusts". The California Council of Land Trusts. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
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