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Last updated: 04/04/03

BLM Creates National Landscape Conservation System, Fry Announces

The Bureau of Land Management has established the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS), which comprises the agency's National Monuments, Congressionally designated National Conservation Areas, and certain other environmentally sensitive areas, BLM Director Tom Fry announced today.

Fry made his announcement following Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's request that the BLM create a system to provide greater recognition for the Bureau's impressive range of National Monuments, National Conservation Areas (NCAs), and other areas designated for important scientific and ecological characteristics. "It's time to incorporate these lands into the BLM's institutional structure so that we can protect for future generations some of the nation's most remarkable landscapes," Fry said. "This system doesn't create new legal protections, but by providing more intensive management, we will raise the profile of our Monuments, NCAs, and other areas that are a key part of the BLM's portfolio." Fry added, "Given the public's concern about conserving open space-especially in the fast-changing, fast-growing West-it is more important than ever that the BLM manage these lands effectively."

The units in the NLCS will continue to be operated at the field level by BLM's field managers. An office based in BLM's Washington, D.C., headquarters will develop policy and guidance for these specially designated areas. Larry Finfer, the BLM's Assistant Director for Communications, will head this office on an interim basis while the agency recruits a permanent director. BLM anticipates that the office will be small, reflecting its policy and guidance focus. Participation by the public and BLM's partners will be vital on the ground for each of these special areas and for the system as a whole.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land-264 million surface acres-than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, which has a budget of $1.4 billion and a workforce of about 8,700 employees, also administers more than 560 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM preserves open space by managing the public lands for multiple uses, including outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and mining, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources found on the public lands.

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