The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) State Steward Network is the foundation of PAD-US as the source of non-federal data.
The PAD-US State Data Steward Network has been a success story to date, but there is more work to do.
Having more states with effective data
stewards is central to the long-term quality of the PAD-US inventory.
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) has been a close and consistent partner with PAD-US.
TPL provides leadership through the PAD-US NGO Workgroup and is the sole source of conservation easement data in PAD-US, through the National Conservation Easement Database.
TPL is a non-profit (501c3) organization with a mission to help communities identify the most important land for conservation - and create and carry out a plan to protect it.
Their analysis, research, and tools help shape conservation policy and help communities make the case for parks and open space.
The organization has a long history in working with protected lands data at the state and local level.
This project will further development of protected lands data to enhance the PAD-US State Steward Network.