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According to theCalifornia Protected Areas Database (CPAD), in the state ofCalifornia, United States, there are over 14,000 inventoriedprotected areas administered by public agencies and non-profits. In addition, there are private conservation areas and othereasements.[1] They include almost one-third ofCalifornia's sceniccoastline, includingcoastal wetlands,estuaries,beaches, anddune systems. The CaliforniaState 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.
Obtaining an accurate total of all protected land in California and elsewhere is a complex task. Many parcels haveinholdings, 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 theNational Wilderness Preservation System, and as national park land by theNational Park Service. TheCosumnes River Preserve is an extreme example, owned and managed by a handful of public agencies and private landowners, including theBureau of Land Management, theCounty of Sacramento andThe 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.
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 isYosemite National Park, noted for several iconic natural features includingYosemite Falls,El Capitan andHalf Dome, which is displayed on the reverse side of theCalifornia state quarter. Other prominent parks are theKings 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 theManzanar National Historic Site inInyo County.
National parks[edit]Main article:National parks in California |  |
National monuments[edit](administered by the NPS)
|  |
National recreation areas[edit] |  |
National seashores[edit] |  |
National preserves[edit] |  |
TheBureau 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) ofpublic 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[edit](administered by the BLM)
|  | National conservation areas[edit] |  |
Forest reserves[edit] |  | Outstanding natural areas[edit] |  |
National scenic and historic trails[edit] |  | Wilderness and wilderness study areas[edit]Total BLM-managed wilderness land in California is 3,725,230 acres (15,075.5 km2).[4] |  |
The National Marine Sanctuary System is managed by the Office of Marine Sanctuaries, of theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
California has four of the thirteen U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries:
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 thePacific Flyway corridor. One, theButte 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[edit] |  | San Diego NWR Complex[edit] |  |
Humboldt Bay NWR Complex[edit] | San Francisco Bay NWR Complex[edit] |  | |
Kern NWR Complex[edit] |  | San Luis NWR Complex[edit] |  |
Klamath Basin NWR Complex[edit] |  | Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR Complex[edit] |  |
Sacramento NWR Complex[edit] |  | Other refuges[edit] |  |
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.
| River | Designated Wild | Designated Scenic | Designated Recreational | Total Protected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amargosa River | 7.9 | 12.1 | 6.3 | 26.3 |
| American River (Lower) | 23 | 23 | ||
| American River (North Fork) | 38.3 | 38.3 | ||
| Bautista Creek | 9.8 | 9.8 | ||
| Big Sur | 19.5 | 19.5 | ||
| Black Butte River | 17.5 | 3.5 | 21 | |
| Cottonwood Creek | 17.4 | 4.1 | 21.5 | |
| Eel River | 97 | 28 | 273 | 398 |
| Feather River | 32.9 | 9.7 | 35 | 77.6 |
| Fuller Mill Creek | 2.6 | 0.9 | 3.5 | |
| Kern River | 123.1 | 7 | 20.9 | 151 |
| Kings River | 65.5 | 15.5 | 81 | |
| Klamath River | 11.7 | 23.5 | 250.8 | 286 |
| Merced River | 71 | 16 | 35.5 | 122.5 |
| Owens River | 6.3 | 6.6 | 6.2 | 19.1 |
| Palm Canyon Creek | 8.1 | 8.1 | ||
| Piru Creek | 4.3 | 3 | 7.3 | |
| San Jacinto River (North Fork) | 7.2 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 10.2 |
| Sisquoc River | 33 | 33 | ||
| Smith River | 78 | 31 | 216.4 | 325.4 |
| Trinity River | 44 | 39 | 120 | 203 |
| Tuolumne River | 47 | 23 | 13 | 83 |
| There are 149 wilderness areas in California totaling just over 15,000,000 acres (61,000 km2).[9] The largest isDeath 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 theRocks and Islands Wilderness at 19 acres (77,000 m2). The wilderness areas are managed by theUS Forest Service,Bureau of Land Management,US Fish and Wildlife Service and theNational 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. |  |
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 isShasta-Trinity National Forest, at 2,209,832 acres (8,942.87 km2), the smallest isCleveland National Forest at 460,000 acres (1,900 km2). TheLake 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 andNevada.
| State Forest | Land 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 |
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]
| TheCalifornia 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. Thestate 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 isAnza-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 theLos Angeles Cultural Affairs Department,[12] is a mere 0.1-acre (400 m2). |  |
Additionally, 386,000 acres (1,560 km2) ofAnza-Borrego State Park have been designated as wilderness.[14] |  |
TheCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), through its seven regional divisions,[15] manages more than 700protected areas statewide, totaling 1,177,180 acres (4,763.9 km2).[16] They are broadly categorized as: |  |
| Most cities and counties in California, as in elsewhere, own and operate open spaces of various types, the most recognizable being the city and countypark. By far the largest inventory of protected land held by a municipal agency belongs to theLos 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 isMission Trails Regional Park inSan 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. |  |
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, theSempervirens Fund, the Sacramento Valley Conservancy and theWilderness Land Trust. |  |
The 20 largest landholders, according to theCPAD 2018a Statistics Report:
| Agency | Total lands owned (in acres)* |
U.S. Forest Service | 20,758,417 |
| *These numbers may not correspond exactly with those reported directly from the agencies. | |
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