FARRIT

 

Land resource maps tell us about our planet and our communities. They attempt to describe what is on and under the surface and also the ways in which we demarcate the environment for many purposes, including recreation, education, property, assessment, and posterity.

They include maps on:

Mining, minerals and geology - Many maps exist as single sheets and as part of special reports published by the Idaho Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Many of these are available at your local library or other libraries in your area. Also visit the Digital Atlas of Idaho Project for geologic maps by county.

Land topography - Topographic maps see Idaho Maps: Topographic Maps

Forests - Single sheet forest maps exist for all state and national forests in

Idaho.

Some libraries in the area have both current and historical forest maps.

Soil types - Soil surveys have been done for all

Idaho counties. Each survey includes maps. Soil Surveys are held locally by the

Idaho State

Historical Society, Boise Public Library and Albertsons Library (BSU).

Vegetation - Maps showing

Idaho vegetation appear in reports from the Idaho Department of Agriculture and other agencies.

Environment - Many maps exist as part of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) documents and parts of other environmental reports dealing with air and water pollution among other topics.

Water and groundwater - Reports from the U.S. Departments of Reclamation and Geological Survey, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources include many maps. Included among these are maps of floodplains.  Each agency also issues flat maps.

Geothermal - for both pleasure and comfort, geothermal maps exist for

Idaho.  These are found in technical reports and as single maps in some libraries, and in popular books as Hot springs & hot pools of the Northwest and others.

Property & Assessment - comprised of parcel boundaries, streets, water, townships, sections, city limits, parks, and schools. This is frequently found online. The Ada County Assessor's Office has Land Records in GIS format.

Many maps are now available on the Internet.  Some are stored as PDF files but can be viewed on most computers.  You may want to contact an area library for help in locating some of these special files.