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The BLM has been entrusted with stewardship responsibility for the multiple-use management of natural resources on approximately 264 million acres of public land. The agency also supervises mineral leasing and operations on over 560 million acres of mineral estate that underlie both BLM lands and other surface ownerships. The public lands are valued for their environmental resources, their recreational and scenic values, the cultural and paleontological resources they contain, their vast open spaces, and the resource commodities and revenue they provide to the Federal government, States, and counties.
Most of the public lands for which the BLM serves as steward were once a part of the 1.8 billion acres of "public domain" lands acquired by the Nation between 1781 and 1867. Lands managed by the BLM represent about one-eighth of America's land surface, or approximately 41 percent of the lands under Federal ownership. The BLM manages lands in 27 States, but most of the public lands are located in Alaska and the 11 western States, encompassing Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Figure 1 shows the percentage of each state's surface acreage that is managed by the BLM.
The BLM is guided by the principles of multiple use and sustained yield in its management of the public lands--principles that are shaped by both tradition and statute. Historically, multiple use has been a system under which the same area of land is used simultaneously for two or more purposes, often by two or more different persons or groups. These uses might be complementary, or, as is frequently the case, competitive with one another. This long-term BLM management practice was codified in 1976 with the enactment of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). The Congress, recognizing the value of the remaining public lands to the American people, declared that these lands generally would remain in public ownership and defined multiple use as "management of the public lands and their various resource values so they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people."
FLPMA requires not only that BLM's management of the public lands avoid permanent impairment of the productivity of the land, but also that it not lead to the permanent impairment of "the quality of the environment." The act identifies the uses that are embraced by the multiple use concept to include mineral development; natural, scenic, scientific, and historical values; outdoor recreation; range; timber; watershed; and wildlife and fish. In managing the public lands for these uses, the BLM is constrained by the legal mandate to "protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archeological values . . . and provide for . . . human occupancy and use."
For the BLM, land use planning is the process by which the multiple use concept is put into practice on any tract of public land.
Use of the public lands and the riches they contain has changed throughout our Nation's history and continues to evolve. Identifying the predominant use of BLM-managed lands does not adequately portray the multiple use and sustained yield concept that guides the BLM in accomplishing its basic mission. In adhering to the concept of multiple use and sustained yield, the Bureau's land management programs include significant efforts in restoring riparian wetlands; preserving significant cultural and natural features; creating opportunities for commercial activities; protecting endangered species; developing opportunities for recreation and leisure activities; protecting public health, safety, and resources; managing wild horses and burros; managing wildlife habitat and fisheries; administering mining laws; managing rangelands; overseeing forest management, development, and protection; and managing wilderness and wild and scenic rivers.
Figure 1 - Percentage of Each State's Surface Acreage Managed by the BLM. 
The BLM is responsible for managing a variety of land types. Table 1 shows the primary land types that are managed by the BLM, along with their general condition.
Rangeland: The BLM manages 165 million acres of rangelands in the continental United States and another 5 million acres of reindeer range in Alaska. Rangeland is land on which the native vegetation (climax or natural potential) is predominately grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs suitable for grazing or browsing use. Range includes lands revegetated either naturally or artificially to provide a forage cover that is managed like native vegetation. Rangelands encompass natural grasslands, savannahs, shrublands, most deserts, tundra, alpine communities, coastal marshes, and wet meadows.
Rangeland Management: The 165 million acres of rangelands in the continental United States are managed under the multiple use concept defined in FLPMA. Under that concept and law, the BLM manages rangelands to offer uses and values far beyond what many people would have thought years ago to be possible for "the lands that no one wanted."
Among the many attributes and values that the public lands offer, well-managed rangelands produce forage and habitat for domestic and wild ungulates, as well as many other forms of wildlife. Rangelands also supply water to communities and municipalities as a result of their watershed functions, capturing and filtering water through the hydrologic cycle. And they supply open space and room for a growing number of recreationists in the form of hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and other forms of outdoor recreation.
The use of rangelands for grazing is supported not only by FLPMA, but also by the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 (PRIA), and one of BLM's founding laws, the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 (as amended). The Taylor Grazing Act, which confers broad powers upon the Department of the Interior for the multiple use management of natural resources, is one of the major conservation laws of the Nation. The Act also contains very direct language requiring the BLM to stop injury to the public grazing lands by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration; to provide for their orderly use, improvement, and development; and to stabilize the livestock industry that depends upon the public range.
The BLM has a very strong history and role in managing the grazing of domestic livestock on public lands. Most of the grazing capacity on the public lands is committed and has been since the early days of the Bureau. The primary domestic livestock that are permitted for grazing use are cattle and sheep. However, horses, goats, and bison are occasionally permitted.
Rangeland Condition: The condition of rangeland managed by the BLM is expressed as the degree of similarity of present vegetation to the potential natural plant community.
Forestlands and Woodlands: Forests are defined as those lands containing tree species with at least 10 percent crown closure, or, if lacking trees, bearing evidence of former forests. Forestlands are further split into productive forestlands producing in excess of 20 cubic feet per acre per year of wood, non-productive forestlands, and woodlands. Woodlands are forested with tree species not normally considered useful for sawlogs.
Forestlands and woodlands make up almost 20% of the 264 million acres managed by the BLM. (BLM file photo)
Forest and woodland resources on the public lands encompass approximately 47 million acres. About 22 million acres are in Alaska, with the remaining 25 million in the 11 western States. These forested lands are of great variety and include black and white spruce in Alaska; aspen, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, interior Douglas fir, and associated species of the Intermountain West; the pinyon-juniper woodlands of the Great Basin and the Southwest; and the Douglas fir, hemlock, and cedar forests of western Oregon and northern California. Although Alaska has about 7 million acres that are capable of producing timber, most of this forestland is either inaccessible or too far from established markets to make timber harvest feasible.
Forestland and Woodland Management: Of this 47 million areas of forestland, only about 4 million acres outside of Alaska are actually classified as "productive" (capable of producing timber). However, the management emphasis on much of BLM's productive forestland is not timber, but rather a multitude of other values and uses such as recreation, aesthetics, water quality, wildlife habitat (including endangered species), wilderness, and other values. For example, the highly productive Oregon and California Grant Land (O&C) forestlands in Western Oregon are managed under the Northwest Forest Plan to provide a sustainable supply of both timber and non-timber resources. Of the 2.2 million acres of O&C forestland, only about 495,000 acres are managed for timber production. Table 2 shows the percentage distribution of the 47 million acres of forestlands and woodlands by State.
Forestland and Woodland Condition: Generally, the condition of BLM's forested lands is thought to be good insofar as they are providing important wildlife habitat and watershed protection functions. However, the BLM is exploring, in concert with the United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, a functional assessment methodology that could be used for BLM forests. Such a methodology will probably take several years to develop and will require extensive technical input.
Riparian Areas and Wetlands: Riparian areas are lands adjacent to creeks, streams, and rivers where vegetation is strongly influenced by the presence of water. Riparian areas may constitute less than 1 percent of the land area in the western part of the United States, but they are among the most productive and valuable of all lands.
On the BLM public lands in western Oregon and California, riparian areas are characterized by a zone of deciduous trees and shrubs between the stream and conifer forests. In Alaska, riparian areas are composed of willows, alders, and meadow grasses along rivers, lakes, and bogs. In the arid climate of the Great Basin and Southwest, riparian areas are gems in the desert, characterized by grasses, forbs, sedges, woody shrubs, and trees, and are easily distinguished from dryer upland vegetation.
Wetlands are generally defined as areas in- undated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support vegetation that is typically adapted for life in saturated soil. Wetlands include bogs, marshes, shallows, muskegs, wet meadows, and estuaries.
Healthy riparian-wetland systems purify water as it moves through the vegetation by removing sediment, and act like a sponge by retaining water in streambanks and ground water aquifers. Riparian-wetland vegetation along upper watershed streams can absorb and dissipate the energy of floodwaters before they reach high-value agricultural lands in lower valleys.
Riparian and Wetland Management: BLM's Riparian-Wetland Initiative for the 1990s has been the operating premise for the BLM since 1991. This initiative provides the blueprint for managing and restoring riparian-wetland areas encompassing about 16 million acres of wetlands and 183,000 miles of riparian areas on BLM's public lands. Overall, riparian-wetland areas account for more than 8 percent of the 264 million acres of land under BLM management.
Many wildlife species depend upon the unique and diverse habitat niches offered by riparian-wetland areas. These habitats provide food, water, shade, and cover, and they are valuable sources of forage for big game and livestock.
Riparian-wetland areas provide habitat for more than 42 percent of all the mammals in North America. They are also stop-over areas for thousands of migrating birds. Riparian-wetland vegetation is of critical importance for fish, especially for trout in desert streams, where the vegetation provides escape cover, lowers summer water temperatures through shading, and reduces streambank erosion that can silt-in spawning and rearing areas.
Finally, riparian areas are focal points for recreation, including fishing, camping, boating, and hiking.
Riparian and Wetland Condition: The condition of riparian-wetland areas is determined by the interaction of geology, soil, water, and vegetation.
Aquatic Areas: These are areas of water flow or standing water that include about 2 million acres of lakes, 181,500 acres of reservoirs, and approximately 205,500 miles of fishable streams. These waters contain a wide variety of aquatic species that range from rare resident species, such as the desert pupfish, to endangered and threatened anadromous species such as steelhead and chinook salmon. These species and their environment depend on the appropriate use and stewardship of rangelands and riparian areas, as well as environmentally sensitive mining practices.
Aquatic Area Management: The Fishery Resources Conservation Plan, which was developed in response to Executive Order 12962 dated June 7, 1995, requires the BLM, along with other Federal agencies, to enhance recreational angling on public lands. The BLM's emphasis is on restoring native fish species through "Bring Back the Natives", its flagship partnership with Trout Unlimited, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and other Federal and Tribal partners.
Aquatic Area Condition: The condition of aquatic areas in Alaska is good; in the lower 48 states, it is generally considered to be poor.
Other Habitat: Lands classified as other habitat are areas that generally do not provide forage in sufficient amounts to sustain wildlife or grazing animals. This land type includes mountain tops, glaciers, barren mountains, sand dunes, playas, hot-dry deserts, and other similar areas.
Lands under the exclusive jurisdiction of the BLM at the end of fiscal year 1997 decreased by approximately 375,000 acres from fiscal year 1996. This represents a net decrease of 0.14 percent, which resulted from the net effect of acquisition, disposal, exchange, withdrawal, and restoration transactions. More than 350,000 acres of the decrease occurred in Alaska.
Guided by the principles of multiple use and sustained yield in managing the public lands, the BLM has recognized the need to protect and enhance the natural and human environment. Special management areas have been designated by congressional and administrative action. Congress has established national trails, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and wilderness areas, to name a few. Administratively designated areas include recreation areas, primitive areas, natural areas, resource conservation areas, areas of critical environmental concern, and others.
Although the BLM manages heritage assets that are not specifically in designated areas, significant portions of the public lands have been congressionally or administratively designated as special management areas. These special management areas have been designated to preserve their natural heritage values. Table 3 provides a summary of designated special management areas, along with their number, size, and condition.
Table 3 - Number, Size, and Condition of Designated Special Management Areas
National Wild and Scenic Rivers: The BLM administers some 20 percent of all rivers in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, a total of 34 rivers in five states. These nationally recognized rivers comprise over 2,000 river miles and encompass some of the Nation's greatest diversity and concentrations of recreational, natural, and cultural resources. Included among the BLM-managed Wild and Scenic Rivers is the Fortymile River in Alaska, which is the longest designated river (392 miles) in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Rivers designated in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System are classified in one of three categories, depending on the extent of development and accessibility along each section. Designated river segments are classified and administered under one of the following as defined in Section 2(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act:
In addition to being free flowing, these rivers and their immediate environments must possess at least one outstandingly remarkable value--scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values.
National Wilderness Areas and Wilderness Study Areas: The BLM administers 136 wilderness areas consisting of 5.3 million acres, as well as 622 wilderness study areas encompassing approximately 18 million acres. Nearly 10 percent of all the BLM-managed public lands are designated as either a wilderness or wilderness study area.
The locations of these wilderness areas and wilderness study areas throughout the western United States ensure that these lands represent the wide diversity of resources found on the public lands. Protective management helps ensure the protection and integrity of natural and biological processes on all public lands. Figures 2 and 3 show the percentage of wilderness and wilderness study acreage by State.
| Figure 2 - Percentage of Wilderness Acreage by State. | Figure 3 - Percentage of Wilderness Study Acreage by State. |
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The National Wilderness Preservation System was created by the Wilderness Act of 1964. A wilderness area is an area designated by Congress to assure that increasing populations, expanding settlement, and growing mechanization do not occupy and modify all areas of the United States. Designations ensure that certain lands are preserved and protected in their natural condition. In contrast to those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape, wilderness is where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.
Wilderness is an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions and which:
National Conservation Areas: The BLM manages eight National Conservation Areas (NCAs) totaling almost 12 million acres. Congress designates NCAs so that present and future generations of Americans can benefit from the conservation, protection, enhancement, use, and management of these areas by enjoying their natural, recreational, cultural, wildlife, aquatic, archeological, paleontological, historical, educational, and/or scientific resources and values. Table 4 shows the name, location, and acreage of BLM's eight National Conservation Areas.
Table 4 - Name, Location, and Acreage of National Conservation Areas
Steese NCA: The Steese National Conservation Area is home to most of the Birch Creek National Wild and Scenic River. The River meanders through low, rolling hills, with occasional cliffs and outcroppings of bedrock.
San Pedro NCA: The San Pedro National Conservation Area was established to protect a rare desert ecosystem consisting of approximately 56,000 acres that includes 40 miles of the upper San Pedro River. More than 300 species of birds, 80 species of mammals, 40 species of amphibians and reptiles, and several species of fish can found in this spectacular area.
Gila Box Riparian NCA: The Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area is highly significant because desert rivers are rare. The Gila River winds along a buff-colored canyon in which 1,000-foot slopes provide a striking contrast with the mesquite woodland on the riverbanks. Slopes are covered with creosote bush, ocotillo, prickly pear and desert grasses. Spires and notch canyons are but a few of the numerous geologic features along the canyon, and a historic cabin is located at Bonita Creek.
King Range NCA: The King Range National Conservation Area features a dramatic meeting of land and sea, an awesome seashore that is bounded by forested mountain, and the largest stretch of pristine beach along California's northern Pacific Coast, with sharply defined canyons cut by roaring creeks and rivers. The King Range, the Nation's first congressionally established NCA, rises dramatically from sea level to 4,100 feet within a distance of only 3 miles.
The King Range's diverse habitats provide niches for 31 species of reptiles, 75 terrestrial and marine mammals, and 258 species of birds. The 26 miles of untouched coastline within the NCA supports numerous biological resources. Migrating gray whales can be seen within 100 yards of the shoreline. Colonies of nesting seabirds cling to nearby offshore rocks, along with large numbers of seals and sea lions. Three pristine tidepool areas add to the shoreline's treasures.
California Desert NCA: The California Desert National Conservation Area was established by Congress through passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. The California Desert NCA is located in the southeastern portion of California bordering Arizona and Mexico.
Snake River Birds of Prey NCA: The Snake River Birds of Prey special management area was established in 1980 to protect a unique environment in southwestern Idaho supporting one of the world's densest populations of nesting raptors. In 1993, Congress designated the region as the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.
Red Rock Canyon NCA: BLM's Red Rock National Conservation Area is just a 15-minute car ride from Las Vegas, Nevada. It offers incredible scenery, fascinating wildlife, and natural adventures. The Red Rock NCA offers a mesmerizing tapestry of red and creme-colored sandstone that draws thousands of visitors each year.
El Malpais NCA: The El Malpais National Conservation Area offers one of the most outstanding examples of a volcanic landscape in the United States. At different times over the last 3,000 years, four distinct lava rivers have flowed through the area. High peaks and mesas provide vistas of extensive volcanic fields, sandstone bluffs, forest, and grasslands. Abundant wildlife, including 60 species of birds, inhabit the area. Archaeological sites, including pueblos, date as far back as 12,000 years. The area also features the spectacular La Ventana sandstone arch.
National Scenic Areas: The BLM manages one national scenic area: the Santa Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area in California, which encompasses approximately 65,000 acres. This area was designated by Congress in 1990 to provide for the conservation and protection of scenic, recreation, and pastoral values and to provide for their enhancement.
National Recreation Areas: The White Mountains National Recreation Area in Alaska encompasses 1 million acres. A National Recreation Area is an area designated by Congress to assure the conservation and protection of natural, scenic, historic, pastoral, and fish and wildlife values and to provide for the enhancement of recreational values. To be designated as a National Recreation Area, an area must meet all of the following criteria:
Colorado Creek Cabin offers cozy shelter to intrepid travelers in BLM's White Mountains National Recreation Area. (photo by Dave Vickery, BLM's National Interagency Fire Center)
The White Mountains National Recreation Area is named for its unusual white limestone cliffs. One of its most prominent features is a 127-mile segment of the Beaver Creek National Wild River that flows from the high alpine tundra of Mount Prindle.
As Devil's Gate looms in the background, modern-day pioneers form a wagon train in celebration of the Oregon National Historic Trail's sesquicentennial anniversary. (BLM file photo)
National Historic Trails: The National Historic Trails designated by Congress and managed by the BLM are part of a national treasure that benefits all Americans. These trails tell stories of an expanding nation and the challenges and hardships faced by people, both immigrant and native, who struggled to accommodate themselves to the land and to each other. National Historic Trails are established to identify and protect historic routes. The BLM manages nearly 3,600 miles representing nine of these trails, more than any other Federal agency. These trails include the Iditarod, Juan Bautista De Anza, California, Nez Perce, Lewis and Clark, Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, Pony Express, and El Camino Real.
National Historic Trails are long-distance trails that follow as closely as possible and practicable the original trails or routes of travel of national historic significance. The purpose of designation is to identify and protect historic routes and their historic remnants and artifacts for public use and enjoyment. Only those selected land- and water-based components of a historic trail that are on federally managed lands and that meet all three of the following criteria are included as Federal protection components:
National Scenic Trails: The National Scenic Trails, also established by an Act of Congress, are intended to provide for maximum outdoor recreation potential and for the conservation and enjoyment of nationally significant scenic, historical, natural, and cultural qualities of the areas through which these trails pass. The BLM manages 500 miles along two National Scenic Trails--the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. National Scenic Trails may be located to represent desert, marsh, grassland, mountain, canyon, river, forest, and other areas, as well as land forms that exhibit significant characteristics of the physiographic regions of the Nation.
The 3,100-mile Continental Divide National Scenic Trail stretches from Canada to Mexico, along the spine of the Rocky Mountains, through some of the most breathtaking and challenging country in America. The Trail crosses approximately 460 miles of BLM-managed public lands in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. In addition to BLM-managed public lands, the Trail travels through 25 National Forests, passes through three units of the National Park Service, and crosses Indian Reservations and parcels of State and private property.
The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, stretching 2,600 miles from Canada to Mexico, traverses some of the most magnificent back country in the States of Washington, Oregon, and California. The Trail treks over hills and through valleys, ranging in elevation from near sea level at the Columbia River to more than 13,000 feet near Mount Whitney. The path wanders across canyons, meanders by lakes, climbs mountain passes, and navigates through arid desert. A significant 42-mile section in southern Oregon is managed by the BLM.
National Outstanding Natural Areas: National Outstanding Natural Areas are areas designated either by Congress or administratively by an agency to preserve exceptional, rare, or unusual natural characteristics and to provide for the protection and/or enhancement of natural, educational, or scientific values. These areas are protected by allowing physical and biological processes to operate, usually without direct human intervention. The BLM manages one such area, the Yaquina Head National Outstanding Natural Area, consisting of 100 acres.
The Yaquina Head National Outstanding Natural Area located in Newport, Oregon, was established by Public Law 96-199 on March 5, 1980. Yaquina Head encompasses a mile long by one-half mile wide headland that juts due west into the Pacific Ocean. It is dominated by the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, a National Historic Register structure. The natural resources include one of four Marine gardens in Oregon, one of the largest seabird rookeries on the Pacific coast, the world's only manmade handicapped-accessible tidepools (in a restored quarry), marine mammal resting sites, and gray whale viewing, as well as bird and wild flower viewing opportunities in the uplands.
Yaquina Head has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society. The area, which is bordered by sheer cliffs rising 100 feet or more above the ocean, features sea caves and numerous off-shore rocks and islands, making the site spectacular to view under all weather conditions.
Herd Management Areas: The Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 established Herd Management Areas (HMAs) for wild and free-roaming horses and burros present in these areas at the time. The BLM manages 199 HMAs in ten western States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The current population of wild horses and burros on the range in these States is approximately 43,000 animals. Most horses and HMAs are in Nevada. Burros are concentrated in the warmer sections of Arizona, California, and southern Nevada.
There are approximately 33.2 million public land acres designated for these wild and free-roaming animals. An additional 9.8 million acres of private land are included in the HMAs, for a total of 43 million acres. Monitoring and census occurs on a large portion of these areas each year. Through rangeland monitoring and the subsequent setting of animal numbers in balance with other rangeland users, appropriate management levels are set for each of these HMAs. As the health of the land improves, the health of the herds is improving as well.
National Monuments: A National Monument is an area designated to protect objects of scientific and historic interest by public proclamation of the President under the Antiquities Act of 1906, or by the Congress for historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic or scientific interest situated upon the public lands; designation also provides for the management of these features and values. The BLM manages one monument.
The BLM's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument encompasses 1.7 million acres of dramatic, multi-hued landscapes. (BLM file photo)
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, created by Presidential Proclamation on September 18, 1996, is a dramatic, multi-hued landscape that is rich in natural and human history. Extending across 1.7 million acres of Utah public lands managed by the BLM, the Monument represents a unique combination of archeological, historical, paleontological, geological, and biological resources. The Monument is unique among the public lands of the United States. Its size and geology, along with the scientific value of its lands, set it apart from other national monuments.
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern: Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) are areas where special management is needed to protect important historical, cultural, scenic, and natural areas, or to identify areas hazardous to human life and property. A total of 696 ACECs encompassing more than 10 million acres have been designated on the public lands nationwide. Approximately 7 million acres of this total have been designated to protect their biological resource values. Table 5 shows the location, number, and acres of ACECs, which are designated and protected through the land-use planning process.
National Natural Landmarks: The BLM manages 43 National Natural Landmarks encompassing close to 600,000 acres of public land. These special management areas are of national significance as sites that exemplify one of a natural region's characteristic biotic or geologic features. The site must have been evaluated as one of the best known examples of that feature.
National Natural Landmarks must be located within the boundaries of the United States or on the Continental Shelf and are designated by the Secretary of the Interior. To qualify as a National Natural Landmark, the area must contain an outstanding representative example(s) of the Nation's natural heritage, including terrestrial communities, aquatic communities, landforms, geological features, habitats of native plant and animal species, or fossil evidence of the development of life on earth.
Research Natural Areas: Research Natural Areas are special management areas designated either by Congress or by a public or private agency to preserve and protect typical or unusual ecological communities, associations, phenomena, characteristics, or natural features or processes for scientific and educational purposes. They are established and managed to protect ecological processes, conserve biological diversity, and provide opportunities for observation for research and education.
Research Natural Areas may be designated separately or as a part of other administrative designations such as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Research proposals and activities may be allowed if they do not interfere with natural processes. These areas may consist of diverse vegetative communities, wildlife habitat, unique geological formations, cultural resource values, and other values identified by physiographic province as outlined in State or agency natural heritage planning documents. The BLM manages 100 Research Natural Areas comprising over 326,000 acres.
National Recreation Trails: National Recreation Trails do not require congressional approval; they are established administratively by the Secretary of the Interior. These trails are intended to provide for a variety of outdoor recreation uses in or reasonably close to urban areas. They often serve as connecting links between the National Historic Trails and National Scenic Trails. The BLM manages over 400 miles along 26 National Recreation Trails.
In addition to being reasonably accessible to urban areas, a trail must meet three other criteria to be designated as a National Recreation Trail:
National Recreation Trails belong to the National Trails System created by Congress in 1968. More than 800 National Recreation Trails currently exist nationwide. The BLM's National Recreation Trails encompass incredibly diverse landscapes, from the depth of Horsethief Cave in Wyoming to the 9,000-foot crest of Bald Mountain in Idaho. The length of National Recreation Trails ranges from one-half mile to 150 miles.
National Back Country Byways: The BLM manages 69 designated National Back Country Byways totaling over 3,500 miles in 11 States. The Back Country Byway program was developed by the BLM to complement the National Scenic Byway program. The Byways show enthusiasts the best the West has to offer--from the breathtaking thunder of waterfalls to geology sculpted by ancient volcanoes, glaciers, and rivers. The Byways vary from narrow, graded roads, passable only during a few months of the year, to two-lane paved highways providing year-round access.
The BLM's Back Country Byways provide outstanding recreation opportunities through public lands ranging from soaring mountains and alpine meadows, to sagebrush prairie and saguaro cactus desert. Many of these routes are remote and little-known, providing solitude and spectacular scenery.
Spectacular scenery, historic ghost towns, and four-wheel-drive roads make a tour of Colorado's Alpine Loop a high-country treat. (photo by Rick Athearn (retired), BLM's Colorado State Office)
Back Country Byways explore Oregon's lush Coast Range, thread over Colorado's lofty San Juan Mountains, follow Lewis and Clark's epic journey across Montana and Idaho, pass ancient Anasazi petroglyphs in Utah, and border the Rio Grande's wild gorge in New Mexico. Travelers can find old forts, ghost towns, fossils, wildlife, hot springs, and dormant volcanoes along these narrow ribbons through the Nation's public lands.
Globally Important Bird Areas: Globally Important Bird Areas (IBAs) consist of a network of sites and areas in North America identified and protected to maintain naturally occurring bird populations across the ranges of those species. IBAs are important for maintaining critical habitats and ecosystems. This network of areas represents areas critical to the conservation of some bird species and may include the best examples of the species' habitat. IBAs are established to ensure species' survival.
The BLM manages two IBAs encompassing approximately 56,000 acres. The two areas are the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona and the Yaquina Head National Outstanding Natural Area in Oregon.
United Nations Biosphere Reserves: The BLM manages one United Nations Biosphere Reserve in California consisting of approximately 2,000 acres. Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and/or coastal/marine ecosystems that are internationally recognized within the framework of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Program on Man and the Biosphere. Reserves are nominated by national governments and must meet specific criteria and conditions before being admitted to the network.
The net change in natural heritage designations from fiscal year 1996 to fiscal year 1997 includes the following: (1) the number of acres included as Wilderness Study Areas increased by 619,966 acres, even though the number of areas did not change; (2) the number of acres designated as Wilderness increased by 24,303 acres, even though the number of Wilderness Areas remained the same; (3) Areas of Critical Environmental Concern increased by four areas and 346,982 acres; and (4) Back Country Byways increased by five byways and 339 miles.
Museum collections under BLM's stewardship consist of archaeological, paleontological, and natural history materials.
Table 6 summarizes the number of repositories holding collections from the BLM public lands and the condition of heritage assets under the stewardship of the BLM.
Table 6 - Number of Repositories and Condition of Museum Collections
Scientific investigations have been taking place on what is now BLM-administered land for almost two centuries. During this time, the individuals and institutions conducting this work have removed millions of objects, primarily archaeological, physical anthropological, historical, and paleontological materials. The bulk of these materials were transported to non-Federal repositories, including museums, universities, and historical societies. To date, the BLM has identified at least 220 of these non-Federal repositories where untold millions of objects originating from the public lands reside. Among Federal agencies, the BLM is in the unique and unenviable position of being responsible for the largest number of museum collections in non-Federal repositories. This responsibility stems from the requirement for any archaeological or paleontological materials removed from the public lands to be held in public trust in perpetuity.
Because such a large number of BLM museum collections are housed in non-Federal repositories, the relationship with these curatorial facilities is crucial to the continued management and protection of these collections. These institutions provide access to researchers and scientists, develop public displays utilizing these collections, and, in the eastern United States, make collections accessible to segments of the population that might not otherwise be able to view such materials.
In some instances, a substantial portion of the collections in non-Federal institutions is composed of museum objects originating from BLM public lands--approximately 85 percent in some museums in Utah. These facilities agreed to assume responsibility for collections prior to the development of the regulations found in 36 CFR Part 79, which imposed an unanticipated and substantial burden on non-Federal repositories to more systematically account for and preserve museum collections.
In addition to the millions of objects residing in non-Federal repositories, the BLM curates at least 3.5 million more objects in two BLM facilities--the Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Colorado, and the Billings Curation Center in Billings, Montana.
Anasazi Heritage Center: The Anasazi Heritage Center focuses on the preservation of, access to, and use of archaeological collections and archives, as well as supporting and providing exhibits and interpretive programs. Anasazi Heritage Center programs promote:
At the close of fiscal year 1997, the Anasazi Heritage Center's collections were estimated to consist of 2.5 million specimens, 99 percent of which were judged to be in good condition. Sixty percent of the 2.5 million specimens are entered in the Argus collections management database system. At the present time, the collection at the Anasazi Heritage Center occupies a total of 11,300 square feet of space.
Billings Curation Center: The Billings Curation Center was established to curate artifacts and records collected from public lands in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Center was created as a result of a 1984 study that found that curation space in these States was inadequate. The Center is jointly funded by the Missouri Region of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Custer National Forest, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and BLM's Montana State Office. The Center is operated by a curator supervised by BLM's Montana State Office archaeologist.
The Billings Curation Center holds approximately 1 million artifacts and records from public lands in the three-State area identified above. These collections represent nearly 12,000 years of prehistory and history in the Northern Plains.
Paleontological material is another important aspect of BLM's museum collections. The public lands managed by the BLM have served as our Nation's greatest outdoor laboratory and classroom for investigating the fascinating history of life on earth. Fossils from America's public lands have contributed significantly to scientific research and public education projects. Many of the earliest described and most widely known dinosaurs, such as Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus, came from the public lands.
Fossils from the public lands and the information they contain contribute to outstanding public exhibits such as the New Mexico Museum of Natural History's "Robledo Mountains Trackway," the Denver Museum of Natural History's "Prehistoric Journey," and Montana's Museum of the Rockies exhibits of carnivorous dinosaurs.
The purpose for collecting museum objects is to preserve, document, research, interpret, and exhibit the material evidence of our universe and its past. Through exhibition, demonstration, interpretation, and publication using museum objects or data derived from them, the public is educated and knowledge is disseminated. Museum collections may consist of one object, several objects, or curatorial lots (i.e., fragments of an object or objects, such as ceramics, stone tools [debitage], bone [hunting sites], fire-cracked rock, archaeological refuse materials [middens], etc.), as well as soil samples, carbon samples, and botanical specimens.
Fossils from BLM-managed public lands are featured in outstanding museum exhibits across the Nation. (BLM file photo)
Approximately 99 percent of all museum collections originating from BLM-administered lands are housed in non-Federal repositories that the BLM has only limited control over and limited access to. The BLM provides little or no funding to these non-Federal repositories, which are usually located in the general vicinity of the area where the objects are excavated. Collections in these non-Federal repositories usually have the most meaning to local populations.
Because objects are excavated from the public lands constantly, the BLM can state there has been a net increase in the number of collections. However, limited control and access make it impossible for the BLM to count all the objects added to collections. In addition, it has never been general museum practice to perform annual inventories of museum collections.
The lands administered by the BLM are some of the most culturally diverse and scientifically important lands managed by any Federal agency. The Bureau is responsible for protecting and preserving paleontological localities and archaeological and historical sites, as well as the museum objects excavated or collected.
Since the early 1800s, professional and amateur paleontologists have made discoveries that helped launch the new scientific discipline of paleontology in America, and filled our Nation's new museums of natural history with the remains of spectacular creatures that have captured the public's imagination.
Today, the public lands continue to provide paleontological resources that fuel scientific discovery and evoke public wonder. Guided by laws such as FLPMA, the BLM manages these fragile and non-renewable resources in the public trust not only to assure preservation of their scientific values, but also to see that their public educational and recreational values are realized. While the BLM takes paleontological resources into account on all public lands, over 50 specially designated areas, such as Research Natural Areas, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and National Natural Landmarks totaling nearly 300,000 acres, are managed wholly or in part for their outstanding paleontological values.
The BLM manages a number of publicly accessible and interpreted paleontological sites such as the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, the Trilobite Trail, and the Trail Through Time. To meet public demands for recreational opportunities, the BLM makes most public lands available for collecting invertebrate fossils and limited amounts of petrified wood.
The BLM is steward for the Federal government's largest, most varied, and scientifically most important body of archaeological and historical resources--an estimated 4 to 4.5 million cultural properties. These range in age and include various early human occupation sites, including celebrated sites such as:
Students of Native American cultures can view excava ed artifacts from Four Corners tribes and tour two in place archaeological sites at the Anasazi Heritage Center. (photo by Rick Athearn (retired), BLM's Colorado State Office)
Only a small number of the approximately 212,000 archaeological and historical properties recorded through the end of fiscal year 1997 have been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is America's official listing of sites important to history and prehistory. It includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. These resources contribute to the understanding of the historical and cultural foundations of the Nation.
Currently, there are 241 BLM cultural properties listed in the National Register. These 241 properties encompass 3,301 contributing properties, including 22 National Historic Landmarks. Table 7 summarizes the number and condition of the cultural properties under the BLM stewardship.
"Adventures in the Past" is BLM's umbrella program for promoting public education and awareness and for encouraging public participation in protecting cultural resources. The goals of "Adventures in the Past" include increasing public appreciation and knowledge of cultural resources, promoting public stewardship of cultural resources, and reducing the threat to these resources. These goals have their basis in law.
"Adventures in the Past" responds to Section 10(c) of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. This law requires Federal agencies to develop outreach programs to explain the importance and value of the Nation's cultural legacy, and to enlist the public's assistance in cultural resource protection.
The BLM's national historic preservation program is founded in part on the following policy statements contained in Section 2 of the National Historic Preservation Act: "It shall be the policy of the Federal Government, in cooperation with other nations and in partnership with the States, local governments, Indian Tribes, and private organizations and individuals to . . . administer federally owned, administered, or controlled prehistoric and historic resources in a spirit of stewardship for the inspiration and benefit of present and future generations."
There were no new heritage property designations during fiscal year 1997.
