The BLM manages over 258 million acres of public land, primarily in the West. Since 1946, when President Harry Truman merged the nation's General Land Office and U.S. G The BLM manages over 264 million acres of public land, primarily in the West. Since 1946, when President Harry Truman merged the nation's General Land Office and U.S. Grazing Service to form BLM, the public has often viewed BLM-managed lands as the "lands nobody wanted" - suitable only for livestock grazing, timber production, and mineral extraction.
In 1976, Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), establishing BLM as a "multiple-use" land management agency. Multiple use means finding a balance between natural resource use and protection. That is BLM's mission - to find a balance that sustains the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.