Massachusetts Beach and Boat Access Areas

Description:

This datalayer is a polygon coverage displaying Public Access Board sites throughout Massachusetts. With over 1200 miles of seashore and hundreds of lakes, ponds, and streams. The Public Access Board (PAB) in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement is charged with providing access to these many waterways. Presently, the agency oversees boat and canoe launch sites at over 200 coastal and inland locations in Massachusetts, giving residents and visitors extensive opportunities to enjoy fishing, canoeing, sailing, waterskiing, and recreational boating statewide. The Public Access Board manages the construction, repair, and operation of state boat ramps, canoe and car-top launch sites, parking areas, and approach roads. The Board oversees facility design and construction, which is usually done by private contractors or municipal public works departments. Public Access Board funds are also used to construct fish piers and purchase shoreline fishing areas. Ultimately, the Board is working to locate boat launch facilities at close enough intervals throughout the state so that none of them will be overused. The data here were originally produced by MassGIS; this layer was then made available as part of the Massachusetts Electronic Atlas (MEA) which was a collaborative project to provides access, via the Internet, to data about the Commonwealth, its thirteen regional planning agency districts and 351 cities and towns. This MEA-derived dataset is now only available via The Harvard Geospatial Library. For more information on the original MassGIS datalayer please consult their website at: http://www.state.ma.us/mgis/pab.htm

Creator:

Harvard Map Collection, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Massachusetts, and Massachusetts Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS)

Provider:

Harvard

Resource Class:

Datasets

Resource Type:

Polygon data

Subject:

structure, transportation, Recreation facilities, Boats and boating, and Recreation areas

Temporal Coverage:

1995

Date Issued:

2001-07

Spatial Coverage:

Massachusetts

Access Rights:

Public

Format:

Shapefile