Introduction
This Land is Our Land
America the beautiful: here is a continent as diverse as our people. This land spans tundra and tallgrass, forest and plain, mountain and shore. We are rich with freshwater and salt, great lakes and silent ponds, moody marshes and swamps loud with birdsong. From the Gulf Coast to the Great Plains, Atlantic to Pacific, our natural heritage is captured in song and story and in the national imagination.
Many of these magnificent places are already protected and conserved as the common wealth of our people. But each year, many more are lost. In fact, the United States loses about 2 million acres of open space each year to development—that’s nearly 6,000 acres a day. Citizens from across the political spectrum recognize the need to protect these cherished natural places, as well as the open spaces of our working farms, forests, and ranches.
LandScope America is a guide to these great places and how we the people can help protect them.
NatureServe and the National Geographic Society have embarked on a long-term initiative to develop the premier online conservation and educational resource for the land-protection community and the public. The result, we hope, will both inform and inspire conservation of America’s incomparable lands and waters.
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© PHIL SCHERMEISTER (Overview of Features Featured Image)
Overview of Features
LandScope America uses an interactive map viewer to bring together maps, data, photos and stories and present them in dynamic and accessible formats. It also provides useful tools and resources for strategic conservation planning and priority-setting.
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© Rob Sheppard (Take a Site Tour Featured Image)
About the Website Beta Version
You've arrived at the beta version of our website, released in December 2008. Many more features and functions are coming soon, but we're ready for you to try it out, comment, and help us improve. Share your thoughts with us!
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© Jack Looney (Putting LandScope to Use Featured Image)
Putting LandScope to Use
Who are you? A land trust volunteer? Farmer, rancher or private forest landowner? Local government planner or state or federal official? Natural resources manager? Foundation officer? Or just someone who loves the outdoors? Whatever drives your interest in natural places, LandScope America is for you!
Go to the Map
Use the interactive map to zoom smoothly from a national view to state and local perspectives anywhere across the country.
Go Straight to Your State
Learn about conservation and open space in your state.
Contribute to LandScope
Want to join, work with us or simply find out more? Learn how you can get involved.
