List of protected areas of California

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The following is a list of protected areas of California.

Contents

[edit] National park system

Main articles: List of areas in the National Park System of the United States, List of United States National Parks by state, and List of National Monuments of the United States

The U.S. National Park System controls a large and diverse group of California parks. The best known is the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, that figures prominently 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.

[edit] State parks

Main article: List of California 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.[1]

[edit] State wilderness areas

Main article: List of U.S. state and tribal wilderness areas

[edit] National Marine Sanctuaries

Main article: United States 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:

[edit] Department of Fish and Game Protected Areas

Main article: List of California Department of Fish and Game protected areas

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), through its seven regional divisions[3], manages more than 700 protected areas statewide.[4] They are broadly categorized as:

  • 110 wildlife areas[5], designed to give the public easier access to wildlife while preserving habitats.
  • 123 ecological reserves[6], which protect rare terrestrial species and habitats.
  • 11 marine reserves, which do the same for sea-dwelling species and habitats.
See also: Marine Life Protection Act

[edit] National Landscape Conservation System

Main article: 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 15,200,000 acres (61,512 km2) of public lands, nearly 15% of the state's land area.[7] National Landscape Conservation System has seven categories. In California they are:

[edit] National monuments

[edit] National conservation areas

[edit] Forest reserves

[edit] Outstanding natural areas

[edit] Wild and scenic rivers

[edit] National scenic and historic trails

[edit] Wilderness and wilderness study areas

Total BLM-managed wilderness land in California is 3,725,230 acres (15,075 km2). [8]

[edit] National Wilderness Preservation System

Main articles: National Wilderness Preservation System and List of U.S. Wilderness Areas#Wilderness Areas by state

There are 138 wilderness areas in California, totaling 14,335,878 acres (58,015 km2). [9] The largest is Death Valley Wilderness 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.

[edit] National Forests

Main article: List of U.S. National Forests

California has 17 U.S. National Forests, one special management unit (Lake Tahoe) and parts of 3 other National Forests.

National Forests in California

[edit] References

  1. ^ "A State Park System is Born". California State Parks. http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=940. Retrieved on 2007-10-07. 
  2. ^ National Marine Sanctuary System, NOAA website.
  3. ^ "DFG Regions". California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) website. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regions/. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  4. ^ "Lands Inventory Fact Sheet". California DFG website. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/factsheet.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  5. ^ "Wildlife Areas". California DFG website. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/index.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  6. ^ "Ecological Reserves". California DFG website. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/er/index.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  7. ^ http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en.html BLM-California website.
  8. ^ BLM California data page.
  9. ^ Wildernes.net Wilderness Areas by state. Source dated May, 2008 Retrieved 2009-14-01
v • d • e
Protected areas of the United States by political division
States
Federal District
Insular areas
Outlying islands
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