Does NNL designation honor previously protected areas?
Not always. The boundary of a NNL circumscribes the nationally significant resources but may not coincide with an administrative boundary. NNLs are often smaller tracts within larger national forests, national wildlife refuges, state parks, and state recreation areas. However, NNLs may coincide with the boundary of a federal Research Natural Area within a national forest. The boundaries of some state nature preserves are often congruent with the NNL boundary.
