CONSERVED_LANDS been ADDED to the MEGIS internet Data Catalog, http://megis.maine.gov/catalog.  Conserved Lands contains conservation lands ownership boundaries at 1:24,000 scale for Maine land in federal, state, municipal and non-profit ownership with easements.  Please refer to the metadata for complete information.

 

The following statement about CONSERVED_LANDS is from the Department of Conservation:

“Publicly released today is Maine’s revised digital conservation lands layer.  This layer has gone through extensive updating over the past two years. 

This project was funded with monies from Maine’s Outdoor Heritage Program and the cooperation of: the Maine State Planning Office, Land for Maine’s Future Board, Maine Natural Areas Program, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Office of GIS, Bureau of Parks and Lands, and the Land Use Regulation Commission.   Special appreciation for the staff and technical support of Baxter State Park, The Nature Conservancy, and the Forest Society of Maine.

This information is posted on the Maine Office of GIS (MEGIS) web data catalog for free download including the metadata describing the new fields and contact information.  The GIS feature, MESPO.Conserved_Lands, will also reside on the MEGIS SDE server for departments and agencies to access.

Significant yet still ongoing updates for state and federal and non-profit conservation lands include:  improved parcel boundaries, new acquisitions, improved parcel identification, acquisition date, type of conservation status with new values added for LMF Project Agreements, Public Access Easements, ecological reserves and third-party easements.   These values enhance the usual fee or easement values that previously existed. 

The state conservation lands group (GIS staff in various agencies) will continue to update this layer as land ownership changes continue and new information about the properties acquisition history is discovered.   Please recognize the extraordinary work of this technical staff team, in the context of crushing budget challenges.   Continued updates are partially funded by a new grant from the Maine Outdoor Heritage  Program, with primary sponsorship and advocacy from the fabulous Maine Natural Areas Program.

Conservation land owners whose lands are not mapped on this layer, but who are interested in publication of their ownership, are encouraged to contact any and all state agency partners.  We are all eager to help small conservation owners contribute to continued improvements to planning information and public information on Maine’s conservation successes.”

 

 

David Kirouac

Maine Office of GIS

Office of Information Technology

207-624-9404

http://megis.maine.gov