This dataset is an extraction from PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition), by National
Wildlife Refuge management designation. The PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition)
data set portrays the nation's protected areas with a standardized
spatial geometry and numerous valuable attributes on land ownership,
management designations, and conservation status (using national GAP and
international IUCN coding systems). The PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) defines
protected areas to include all lands dedicated to the preservation of
biological diversity and to other natural, recreation and cultural uses,
and managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means
(adapted from IUCN definition). The database represents the full range
of conservation designations that preserve these natural resources in
the United States. Protected areas are cornerstones of national and
international conservation strategies. By way of these designations,
lands and waters are set-aside in-perpetuity to preserve functioning
natural ecosystems, act as refuges for species, and maintain ecological
processes. Complementary conservation strategies preserve land for the
sustainable use of natural resources, or for the protection of
significant geologic and cultural features or open space. PAD-US 1.1
(CBI Edition) attempts to include all available spatial data on these
places. It is our goal to publish the most comprehensive geospatial data
set of U. S. protected areas to date.