Protected areas of California

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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.

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.

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.

National parks

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

National monuments

(administered by the NPS)

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

National recreation areas

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.

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 180,686 acres (731.21 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 Protected area in Alaska

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States on Gwich'in land. 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. ANWR includes a large variety of species of plants and animals, such as polar bears, grizzly bears, black bears, moose, caribou, wolves, eagles, lynx, wolverine, marten, beaver and migratory birds, which rely on the refuge.

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

A nature reserve 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. They 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 official titles of the reserves.

National Wildlife Refuge Designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

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 568 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing more than 150,000,000 acres (607,028 km2).

Protected areas of the United States Area subject to management by federal, state, tribal or local authorities, with variability in protection received

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 2020, the 36,283 protected areas covered 1,118,917 km2 (432,016 sq mi), or 12 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 3,210,908 km2 (1,239,739 sq mi), or 37 percent of the total marine area of the United States.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest Protected area in the state of Washington, United States

Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a National Forest located in southern Washington, USA, managed by the United States Forest Service. With an area of 1.32 million acres (5300 km2), it extends 116 km along the western slopes of Cascade Range from Mount Rainier National Park to the Columbia River. The forest straddles the crest of the South Cascades of Washington State, spread out over broad, old growth forests, high mountain meadows, several glaciers, and numerous volcanic peaks. The forest's highest point is at 12,276 ft. at the top of Mount Adams, the second tallest volcano in the state after Rainier. Often found abbreviated GPNF on maps and in texts, it includes the 110,000-acre (450 km2) Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, established by Congress in 1982.

Monongahela National Forest National forest in West Virginia, United States

The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over 921,000 acres of federally managed land within a 1,700,000 acres proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.

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.

Fort Niobrara Wilderness

The Fort Niobrara Wilderness is located in the U.S. state of Nebraska, near Valentine. Created by an act of Congress in 1976, the wilderness is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and covers an area of 4,635 acres (18.75 km2) within Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. The wilderness lies along the northern banks of the Niobrara River, providing sanctuary to bison, prairie dogs, mule deer, river otter and the bald eagle. A mixture of flat prairie and wooded ravines, there are no maintained trails in the wilderness. Access is only allowed during daylight hours and there is no camping or fires allowed, although one can do so outside the wilderness in the remaining sections of the refuge. Additionally, no hunting is allowed in this wilderness.

Golden Gate Biosphere Network

The Golden Gate Biosphere Network is an internationally recognized voluntary coalition of federal, state, and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, universities, and private partners within the Golden Gate Biosphere (GGB) region. The Network works towards protecting the biosphere region’s biodiversity and conserving its natural resources to maintain the quality of life for people within the region. The Network has been part of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme since 1988 and is part of the US Biosphere Network and EuroMAB. It is recognized by UNESCO due to the significant biodiversity of the region, as well as the Network's efforts to demonstrate and promote a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere.

National Wilderness Preservation System Protection of wilderness areas in the U.S.

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.

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.

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.

San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife refuge in Washington, US

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.

Sand to Snow National Monument National monument in California, United States

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

Protected areas of North Carolina North Carolina protected areas

The protected areas of North Carolina cover roughly 3.8 million acres, making up 11% of the total land in the state. 86.5% of this protected land is publicly owned and is 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. The remainder of the land is privately owned, but willingly entered into conservation easement management agreements, or are owned by various nonprofit conservation groups such as the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy. North Carolina contains 1 National Park, and various other federally owned protected land including 2 National Seashores, 5 National Forests, 12 Wildlife Refuges, and the southern half of the Blue Ridge Parkway. North Carolina has an extensive system of 41 state parks, 34 of which are state parks, 4 that are recreation areas, and 3 staffed state natural areas, along with other designated units managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

References

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  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". Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-10. 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.