Reclamation Recreation Management Areas

The Recreation Management Areas Asset Class layer represents the spatial locations and key attributes of recreation management areas owned, operated, or managed by the Bureau of Reclamation. It is part of the Enterprise Asset Registry used to support infrastructure asset management, recreation planning, and operational decision-making. Each feature in the layer corresponds to a recreation or wildlife management area and includes associated metadata such as management area name, region, recreation type, and operating entity. The dataset is maintained by Reclamation’s Asset Management Office and is periodically updated to reflect changes in infrastructure inventory and operational status. Definitions Managing Partner: A Federal or non-Federal public entity that manages recreation and other agreed-upon cultural, natural, and environmental resources through a management agreement with Reclamation. Recreation Management Area: An officially designated portion of a Reclamation reservoir and/or land where recreation is the primary purpose. Recreation Management Areas may be managed by a partner or managed directly by Reclamation. The official designation may take various forms, including project-specific authorities, managing partner agreements, resource management plans, recreation management plans, etc. There are typically separate contracts or agreements for each Recreation Management Area, but one contract may cover multiple areas. Recreation Management Areas must be separated based on management responsibility and geographic location. For example, there is one Managing Partner Agreement with the State of Utah, Utah State Parks, that covers Recreation Management Areas at 12 different reservoirs. Each reservoir is treated as a separate Recreation Management Area even though there is only one agreement. Conversely, if a single geographic area has multiple partners managing separate Recreation Management Areas, then each area that is managed by a different entity needs to be broken out as an individual Recreation Management Area. For example, Lake Berryessa is one geographic area that has multiple Recreation Management Areas around it based on who is responsible for management. Recreation Management Areas should not be broken out into concessionaires. Reclamation land where public access is allowed is not considered a Recreation Management Area unless the area has been formally designated. In essence, if dispersed recreation such as camping and hiking takes place outside of the designated Recreation Management Area, this activity does not constitute a new Recreation Management Area. Additionally, if dispersed activities take place within the Recreation Management Area boundary, this does not constitute a Recreation Site, as there is no constructed or established asset. Wildlife Management Area: An officially designated portion of a Reclamation reservoir and/or land where wildlife management is the primary purpose. Wildlife Management Areas may be managed by a partner or managed directly by Reclamation. A Wildlife Management Area may include Recreation Sites but does not have to in order to be designated as a Management Area. The official designation may take various forms, including court orders, managing partner agreements, resource management plans, environmental mitigation requirements, etc. There are typically separate contracts or agreements for each Wildlife Management Area, but one contract may cover multiple areas. Wildlife Management Areas must be separated based on management responsibility and geographic location. For example, there is one contract with the State of Washington, Department of Fish and Wildlife, that covers many areas like Seep Lakes, Desert Unit, and Lower Crab Creek. Each geographic area should be an individual Wildlife Management Area. Conversely, if a single geographic area has multiple partners managing separate Wildlife Management Areas, then each area managed by a different partner needs to be broken out as an individual Wildlife Management Area.