Yosemite National Park
Managing
Public Lands
National Parks
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Outstanding examples of natural resource-great value
Unspoiled; protects natural features
Wildlife is managed and studied but RARELY harvested.
Recreation Permitted
Managed by:National Park Service, Dept. of Interior
Examples: Yellowstone—1st National Park; Yosemite,
Denali, Rocky Mountain, Big Bend…
National Forests
• Also protected… but differently
• (Land of Many Uses)
• Allow for hunting, mining, logging or commercial
enterprise
• Managed by: US Forest Service (Fmr. Dept. of
Agriculture)
• Pike National Forest, Routt National Forest
Wilderness Areas
• Established by the Wilderness Act -1964
• Most protected!!
• No Commercial Ventures, no roads, no hunting, no
mining, no logging
• Managed by US Forest Service
• La Garita Wilderness Area, Indian Peaks Wilderness
Area
National Wildlife Refuge
• Established by Teddy Roosevelt-1903
• Some hunting, grazing, oil drilling and vehicles are
permitted. Highly managed for sustainability.
• Monitored by US Fish and Wildlife Service-Part of
Department of Interior.
• 1966, 1997-National Wildlife Refuge System
Administrative Act
Rocky Flats, Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Artic National
Wildlife Refuge
Land Trust
• Preserves an area in its natural condition. Nature
Conservancy is the largest in the US.
• Local or Federal NPO’s and NGO’s
• (Non Profit Organization or Non Governmental
Agency)
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Ballona Wetlands Land Trust: Los Angeles,
California.
World Heritage Site
• Preserves areas known for natural
or cultural importance.
• Often transboundary– more than
one county
• Promote peace or act as a buffer
• Managed by UNESCO (United
Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization
Biosphere Reserves
• Combines Protection of Biodiversity with sustainable
practices
• Core of preserved lands
• Buffer zone, where locals can work for sustainability,
very limited development
• Transition zone where there is Agriculture settlement
Managed by UNESCO
• --part or United
Nations (United
Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization
Check in
1. What are the main uses of public lands?
2. When looking at both private and public lands in the
US the most common use is…
3. Explain the major difference between the National
Park Service (NPS) and the United States Forest
Service (USFS)
4. Public lands in the US are categorized for use based on
the managing agency. In general National Park Service
(NPS) lands are used for
5. The vast majority of wilderness areas in the US exist in