Sample portion of a 1:100,000 Stewardship
PDF map. Click on the image to view the entire map.
Stewardship
Data Praised
The NHP Montana Stewardship Database received some well-earned praise
during the 2007 Legislative Session, as part of a Legislative Performance
Audit on conservation easements. MTNHP staff began the Montana Stewardship
Mapping Project in 1997, with the goal of producing a single, statewide
dataset incorporating public land ownership, administrative designations
(such as Wilderness Areas), and conservation easements. Thanks to cooperation
from state and federal agencies and Montana’s land trusts, this
effort produced a unique statewide database on public and conservation
lands or “managed areas” that is updated annually. It serves
as an essential resource for both public and private sector users, enabling
agencies and land trusts to analyze current land management status.
The Legislative Audit Division used the Stewardship database as their starting point for the conservation easement audit. Confirming over 90% accuracy of NHP’s easement data, their report stated that “The land stewardship data maintained by the MNHP is probably one of the most complete and accurate records of conservation easement locations in the country.” It also noted that “[t]he decision by MNHP to collect and maintain data relating to conservation easements has been a considerable benefit to the state of Montana.”
You can access the Stewardship Mapping Database at http://mtnhp.org/stew.asp
or through the NRIS website. Maps are available in PDF format, displaying
public lands ownership, conservation easements, and special designations
(two maps cover each 1:100,000 USGS quadrangle). While these maps are
created for large-format plotters, you can easily view them using Adobe
Reader.
