New Comprehensive Land Conservation Database Launched

The first comprehensive online database of land conservation in America was re-launched today by The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation organization.

The website, ConservationAlmanac.org, which has been the definitive source of information about land conservation policy at local, state, and federal levels, now offers new parcel-level data and mapping features to give users greater access to explore the results of land conservation. This week the new features launch for five states: Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, and Oregon. In February data from five more states will be added: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming.

TPL launched the Conservation Almanac in 2006 in response to numerous requests from policymakers, members of the media, and conservation practitioners about the growing funding sources for land conservation across America. TPL will continue updating the Almanac as new information becomes available and will add new state data each month.

“With a singular resource available for exploring the impact of land conservation funding, adding deeper property information and a mapping feature were the logical next steps,” said Ernest Cook, director of TPL’s Conservation Strategies department, which developed the Almanac. “Up until now, there have been attempts to capture individual pieces of the picture of land conservation in America, but none have been comprehensive, assembling data consistently and completely in one place.”

The website offers overviews of state policy frameworks, programs, and agencies responsible for funding and managing land conservation, and the database offers users context for assessing the impacts of the growing and evolving conservation finance movement. Features of TPL’s Conservation Almanac include:

• Original data from the source: acres conserved and dollars spent verified by hundreds of public agencies
• Real data, in real time: as new information becomes available, the database offers it
• Easy tools to search and compare: data is searchable and accessible for customized queries
• Advanced comparative tools: mapping and graphs will allow users more power in comparing programs, conservation tools, and funding impacts
• State-by-state descriptions: each conservation program and policy is detailed

The Conservation Almanac incorporates data from TPL’s LandVote database, which details ballot measures supporting land conservation across America dating back to 1988. The Conservation Almanac was made possible by grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Trust.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit land conservation organization, which conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect nearly three million acres in 47 states.