The National Landscape Conservation System

The BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) contains some of the West’s most spectacular landscapes. The NLCS was established in 2000 to recognize and protect some of the West’s most spectacular landscapes. Officially designated National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, National Historic or Scenic Trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Wilderness areas, and Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) together form landscapes of the American spirit. Congress formally recognized the NLCS in statute in the 2009 Omnibus Public Lands Management Act.

Boating the Wild & Scenic South Fork of the Owyhee River in the Owyhee River Wilderness, southwestern Idaho

National Landscape Conservation System - Idaho

Nationally, the NLCS contains more than 900 units totaling approximately 27 million acres. 

In Idaho, the BLM manages NLCS units that encompass approximately 3.5 million acres of public land.