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Entity and Attribute Overview: CBRS Units: The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), established the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS), a defined set of geographic units along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico coasts. Most new Federal expenditures and financial assistance are prohibited within the CBRS, unless those activities qualify for an exception under Section 6 of CBRA (16 U.S.C. 3505). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), through the Secretary of the Interior, is responsible for administering CBRA, which includes consulting with Federal agencies that propose spending funds within the CBRS. There are two types of units within the CBRS; “System Units” and “Otherwise Protected Areas” (OPAs). System Units contain areas that were relatively undeveloped at the time of their designation within the CBRS. System Units are predominantly comprised of privately owned areas, though they may also contain areas that are held for conservation and/or recreation. The boundaries for areas included within System Units are generally intended to follow geomorphic, development, or cultural features. Most new Federal expenditures and financial assistance, including Federal flood insurance, are prohibited within System units. The CBRS currently includes 588 System units encompassing approximately 1.4 million acres of land and associated aquatic habitat. OPAs are predominantly comprised of conservation and/or recreation areas such as national wildlife refuges, state and national parks, local conservation areas, and private conservation areas, though they may also contain private areas that are not held for conservation and/or recreation. The boundaries of these units are generally intended to coincide with the boundaries of conservation or recreation areas such as state parks and national wildlife refuges. The only Federal spending prohibition within OPAs is the prohibition on Federal flood insurance. The CBRS currently includes 282 OPAs encompassing approximately 2.1 million acres of land and associated aquatic habitat. This data set includes polygons covering each area designated within the CBRS. Each polygon is attributed with the unit number, unit name, unit type (i.e., OPA or System Unit), and acreage information.
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