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National Landscape Conservation System

Other Special Designations

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area, FloridaIn addition to national monuments and national conservation areas, the "Monuments" category includes four additional types of specially designated areas.
 
Cooperative Management and Protection Areas
The Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA) designation was established by Congress to conserve, protect, and manage the long-term ecological integrity of special landscapes for future and present generations. This designation seeks to maintain and enhance cooperative and innovative management projects, programs, and agreements between tribal, public, and private interests. The BLM manages the only CMPA in the nation.  The Steens Mountain CMPA in eastern Oregon was established by Congress in 2000 to conserve and protect area's ecological, social, and economic resources.
 
Outstanding Natural Areas
The Outstanding Natural Area (ONA) designation was established by Congress primarily to protect unique scenic, scientific, educational, and recreational values.  Recreation activities center on those that foster education and interpretation of the Outstanding Natural Area’s unique resources. The BLM manages three Outstanding Natural Areas. The BLM's first Outstanding Natural Area, Oregon's Yaquina Head ONA, was established by Congress in 1980.  In May of 2008, Congress designated two more: Florida's Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse ONA and California's Piedras Blancas Light Station ONA.  
 
National Recreation Areas
Congress established the National Recreation Area (NRA) designation to protect important recreation, scenic, scientific, and natural values. Recreation activities center on water and land-based activities associated with the natural environment. The White Mountains NRA in Alaska is BLM's first and only National Recreation Area.  It was established by Congress in 1980.
 
Forest ReservesHeadwaters Forest Reserve, California
The Forest Reserve (FR) designation was established to protect and help recover populations of threatened and endangered species, as well as additional species that may become listed in the future. Scientific research is promoted to expand current knowledge of Forest Reserve resources. The BLM's first and only Forest Reserve is the Headwaters FR in northern California.  It was established by Congress in 1999, in cooperation with the State of California, to protect an old-growth redwood forest acquired from private interests.

Conservation areas falling under these categories are listed below by designation type. 



 

 

Cooperative Management and Protection Area

 

Steens Mountian (Oregon)
Designated by Congress in 2000, this area consists of 425,000 acres in southeastern Oregon including volcanic uplifts, deep glacially carved gorges, stunning scenery, wilderness, wild rivers, and a rich diversity of plant and animal species

Outstanding Natural Area

 

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse (Florida)
The 63-acre Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse ONA was designated by Congress in 2008.  The Bureau of Land Management works closely with partners to protect, conserve, and enhance the unique and nationally important historic, natural, cultural, scientific, educational , scenic, and recreational values of this site. Management emphasizes the restoration of native systems. 

 

Piedras Blancas Light Station (California)
The 18-acre Piedras Blancas Light Station ONA was designated by Congress in 2008. The historic light house was completed in 1875. Visitors to the lighthouse experience its historic character through tours led by costumed interpreters. Significant ecological restoration efforts are also underway on the lands surrounding the lighthouse. 

 

 

Yaquina Head (Oregon)
The centerpiece of this 100-acre area is the historic Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Oregon’s second-oldest continuously operating lighthouse. This coastal headland is also a popular place for bird watching, whale watching, and tidepool viewing.

 

National Recreation Area

 

White Mountains National Recreation Area (Alaska)
The Bureau of Land Management administers the White Mountains National Recreation Area to provide for multiple use of this spectacular landscape. The area, encompassing approximately one million acres, was established in 1980 through the Alaska National interest Lands Conservation Act. Visitors engage in numerous recreational opportunities including hiking, camping, river float trips, winter snowmobiling, dog mushing, and cross-country skiing along scenic trails to remote cabins.

Forest Reserve

 Headwaters (California)
The Headwaters Forest Reserve is 7,472 acres of public land located 6 miles southeast of Eureka, CA. The Reserve's stands of old-growth redwoods and surrounding lands and streams are managed to provide habitat for threatened seabirds and threatened native fish species.