USGS PROTECTED AREAS DATABASE (PAD-US 3.0)
The Geography of Protection
Who owns the American West? Exploring designated wilderness, BLM grazing allotments, National Parks, and the 19th-century railroad checkerboard inholdings that still fragment conservation corridors today.
USGS PROTECTED AREAS DATABASE OF THE U.S. (PAD-US 3.0)
The Geography of Protection: Who Owns the West?
Explore the complex jurisdictional patchwork of American public lands—from strict GAP 1 designated wilderness to BLM multiple-use grazing allotments and military ranges.
SELECTED JURISDICTION
Intermountain West & Great Basin
Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming
TOTAL ACRES ANALYZED
164.0 Million Acres
FEDERAL PUBLIC DOMAIN
68.4% Public
MANAGING AGENCY ALLOCATIONS & GAP CONSERVATION STATUS
Bureau of Land Management (BLM - Multiple Use)
84.0M Acres51.2%
U.S. Forest Service (USFS - National Forests)
48.0M Acres29.3%
Department of Defense (Military Bombing Ranges)
14.0M Acres8.5%
National Park Service (National Parks & Monuments)
10.0M Acres6.1%
U.S. Fish & Wildlife (Wildlife Refuges)
8.0M Acres4.9%
EDITORIAL PHILOSOPHY & DATA PROVENANCE INTEGRITY
USGS warns that comparing PAD-US across yearly releases can mislead researchers: a polygon shift from BLM to Private often represents survey coordinate refinement or digital tract consolidation, not physical land sales.