CARL maps conservation and recreation land in the Great Lakes basin.

Curious what land is protected in your state?

Then meet CARL — a Conservation And Recreation Lands map.

Started by Ducks Unlimited about seven years ago, this GIS layer maps land in the Great Lakes area and what level of management is in place.

“Basically it’s to come up with data layers for planning purposes”,” said Rob Paige, a GIS and remote sensing specialist with Ducks Unlimited.

With CARL’s help, organizations like Ducks Unlimited can get an idea of what land is already protected and which areas need to be snatched up to provide more. This will help in long-term land management.

Zoom in to view specific site names. Press the button in the upper right hand corner and then click on the map for further information like if the land is privately owned and what area it covers.

But be patient. Sometimes CARL can be a bit slow to load. At least it was on this reporter’s computer.