Federal Public Land Maps Set to be Digitized

The buried lede in this story is that public land maps will soon be digitized to take advantage of digital map technology. This is great news for bikers, hikers and backpackers who rely on GPS devices and mobile phone apps to plan and navigate their outdoor adventures in national parks, forest and recreation areas. A lot of people are still fans of printed maps—and that won’t change—but for the rest of us this news is very welcome. Here’s what out friends at townlift.com are reporting….

---

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Blake Moore’s Modernizing Access to our Public Land (MAPLand) Act was passed by the Senate and will now make its way to the White House to be signed into law by President Biden.

The MAPLand Act will direct federal land management agencies to digitize and standardize mapping records. This will allow hunters, hikers, bikers, anglers, and millions of other federal land users to access essential information about public lands as well as help federal land management agencies identify public lands with limited or nonexistent public access points and take proactive steps to open them to the public.

“I’m thrilled my MAPLand Act is on its way to President Biden’s desk,” Congressman Blake Moore said. “This is a major step forward for all who enjoy our federal lands. I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their strong display of support for our efforts to modernize and digitize our critical public land records. I am grateful we can deliver this major win for Utah and our nation at large.”

As it currently stands, more than 9.52 million acres of land in the West lack permanent and legal access points for public use….

Read the rest of the story on townlift.com. If you like this story on public land maps being digitized, check our our story on potential mountain biking in wilderness areas.