Tucson Field Office
| Contacts: | Diane Drobka, 928-348-4403, ddrobka@blm.gov |
Tours of Historic Empire Ranch House on March 10
Tucson, Ariz. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tucson Field Office and Empire Ranch Foundation will host free, docent-led tours of the historic Ranch House and surrounding buildings on March 10 beginning at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
The Empire Ranch House is a 22-room adobe and wood-frame building that dates to 1870 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The ranch sits at the heart of the 42,000-acre Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (NCA), public lands within the National Landscape Conservation System administered by the BLM.
The Las Cienegas NCA is located about 30 miles southeast of Tucson via I-10 east to exit 281 onto Scenic Highway 83 (Sonoita); drive 18 miles to just past milepost 40 and turn left at the BLM sign.
Come celebrate Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month at the Empire Ranch. Reservations and more information are available via the Empire Ranch Foundation website www.empireranchfoundation.org or by calling 888-364-2829.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.