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This polygon feature class represents the spatial extent and boundaries of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) AZ National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). |
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This polygon feature class represents the spatial extent and boundaries of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) AZ National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). |
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Bureau of Land Management, Arizona |
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5000 |
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This polygon feature class represents the spatial extent and boundaries of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) Wilderness Study Areas.
Wilderness Study Areas (commonly known as WSAs) are places that have wilderness characteristics; that is a minimum size, naturalness, and outstanding opportunities for recreation which make them eligible for designation as wilderness. A Wilderness is a special place where the earth and its community of life are essentially undisturbed; they retain a primeval character, without permanent improvements and generally appear to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature. In 1964, Congress established the National Wilderness Preservation System and designated the first Wilderness Areas in passing the Wilderness Act. The uniquely American idea of wilderness has become an increasingly significant tool to ensure long-term protection of natural landscapes. Wilderness protects the habitat of numerous wildlife species and serves as a biodiversity bank for many species of plants and animals. Wilderness is also a source of clean water.
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 directed the BLM to inventory and study its roadless areas for wilderness characteristics. To be designated as a WSA, an area has to have the following characteristics: Size - roadless areas of at least 5,000 acres of public lands or of a manageable size; Naturalness - generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature; Opportunities - provides outstanding opportunities for solitude or primitive and unconfined types of recreation, and Special Qualities- WSAs often have special qualities such as ecological, geological, educational, historical, scientific and scenic values.
In June 2000, the BLM responded to growing concern over the loss of open space by creating the NLCS. The NLCS brings into a single system some of the BLM's premier designations. By putting these lands into an organized system, the BLM hopes to increase public awareness of these areas' scientific, cultural, educational, ecological and other values.
As early as 1926, the earliest advocates of wilderness preservation had acknowledged the beauty and important ecological values of the desert lands under the BLM’s administration as candidates for wilderness protection. In 1976, Congress directed the BLM to evaluate all of its land for the presence of wilderness characteristics, and identified areas became WSAs. The establishment of a WSA served to identify areas for Congress to consider for addition to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Today, the BLM manages WSA that contain about 12.6 million acres of public land. Until Congress makes a decision to add or end consideration of a WSA, the BLM manages the area so as not impair its suitability for designation as wilderness. |
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These data are provided by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 'as is' and might contain errors or omissions. The User assumes the entire risk associated with its use of these data and bears all responsibility in determining whether these data are fit for the User's intended use. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the sources from which they were derived, and both scale and accuracy may vary across the data set. These data might not have the accuracy, resolution, completeness, timeliness, or other characteristics appropriate for applications that potential users of the data may contemplate. The User is encouraged to carefully consider the content of the metadata file associated with these data. These data are neither legal documents nor land surveys, and must not be used as such. Official records may be referenced at most BLM offices. Please report any errors in the data to the BLM office from which it was obtained. The BLM should be cited as the data source in any products derived from these data. Any Users wishing to modify the data should describe the types of modifications they have performed. The User should not misrepresent the data, nor imply that changes made were approved or endorsed by BLM. This data may be updated by the BLM without notification. |
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BLM AZ National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) Wilderness Study Areas Polygon |
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["Arizona","BLM","boundaries","Bureau of Land Management","environment","Geospatial","Jurisdiction","Management","Public Lands","Recreation","Scenic","United States","USA","Western States","Wilderness","wilderness area","Wildlife","Withdrawal","WSA"] |
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en-US |
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150000000 |
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