Stewardship AssetsStewardship AssetsThe 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 managing the public lands-principles that are shaped by both tradition and statute. Historically, multiple use has meant that the same area of land can be 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 Manage-ment 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 areas and 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.
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 predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs suitable for grazing or browsing use. Rangeland 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 plays a significant 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: Approximately one-sixth of the land under BLM jurisdiction is forestland. Forestlands managed by the BLM 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.
Forestlands are generally defined as lands capable of growing trees for harvest, land at least ten percent stocked with trees of any species and size, or lands that were stocked, have been harvested, and will be replanted. Commercial forestlands are capable of growing 20 or more cubic feet of wood per acre per year. Other forestlands not capable of producing 20 cubic feet of wood per acre per year, generally because of poor site growing conditions, are classified as woodlands. Woodland trees are often small and interspersed with grass and brush.
Forest and woodlands encompass approximately 47 million acres. About 22 million acres are in Alaska, with the remaining 25 million in the 11 western states. Of this 47 million acres of forestland, less than 4 million acres outside of Alaska are actually classified as "forestland". Although Alaska has about 7 million acres that are capable of producing timber, most of this land is inaccessible or too far from established markets to make timber harvest feasible. Timber development has also been deferred there until State selection, Native claims, withdrawals, and other dispositions are completed. Of the 2.1 million acres of commercial forestland in western Oregon, about 492,000 acres are intensively managed for timber. Table 2 shows the distribution of the 47 million acres of forestlands and woodlands by state.
| Table 2 - Forestland and Woodland Distribution by State | ||
| State | Forestland (Thousand Acres) | Woodland (Thousand Acres) |
| Alaska | 7,000 | 15,000 |
| Arizona | 17 | 1,241 |
| California | 186 | 861 |
| Colorado | 470 | 3,535 |
| Idaho | 332 | 527 |
| Montana | 475 | 339 |
| Nevada | 87 | 4,488 |
| New Mexico | 450 | 1,875 |
| Oregon | 2,146 | 1,627 |
| Utah | 4 | 6,418 |
| Wyoming | 210 | 211 |
Forestland and Woodland Management: All BLM forestlands are managed under the principles of multiple use, sustained yield, and environmental quality protection in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). Management of values and uses such as recreation, aesthetics, water quality, wildlife habitat, and wilderness, as well as timber production, is accomplished through an ecologically-based program that emphasizes biological diversity, sustainability, and the long-term health of forests and woodlands.
Outside of western Oregon, forest and woodlands management has been largely custodial, consisting of basic resource protection and providing recreation, wildlife habitat, and livestock grazing opportunities. Where local demand exists, woodlands management includes the sale of forest products such as fuelwood, posts and poles, wildings, edibles, medicinals, Christmas trees, and other commodities generally purchased by individuals for their own consumption.
By far the most valuable and intensively managed forest lands of the BLM are the 2.1 million acres in western Oregon known as the "Oregon and California (O&C) railroad grant lands" and the "Coos Bay Wagon Road (CBWR) grant lands." These highly productive lands are managed under the Northwest Forest Plan to provide a sustainable supply of both timber and nontimber resources. The O&C and CBWR lands produce about 95 percent of the total volume of timber harvested annually from BLM forests.
Forestland and Woodland Condition: BLM forestlands and woodlands classified as productive provide for recreation use and forest products as well as wildlife habitat and watershed protection.
In the past few years, the traditional emphasis of forest management has changed. Attention is now focused on the condition of forestlands and woodlands managed by the BLM as expressed in terms of forest health. Forest health is characterized by such factors as age, structure, composition, function, vigor, presence of unusual levels of insects or disease, and resilience to disturbance. Overall forest health of BLM forests is declining due primarily to the exclusion of frequent, low-intensity fires. Exclusion of natural fires in forest and woodland ecosystems has led to tree population explosions, dead fuel accumulation, and landscape-level species composition changes that now seriously threaten the health of public forests and increase the risk of large, catastrophic wildfires, as well as extensive insect and disease epidemics.
The BLM has actively addressed forest health issues by accelerating salvage harvesting using an ecosystem approach, where this can be done without long-term adverse impacts to other resource values. Interagency assessment of forest health is underway for the Columbia River Basin. The BLM is currently reviewing an inventory and monitoring methodology to assess the condition of forestlands and woodlands on all public lands. However, it will probably take several years to implement and will require additional staff and budget. From the information available at this time, it is estimated that nearly 4 million acres of forestlands and woodlands are in need of ecological restoration work, including mechanical forest thinning and fuel reduction, prescribed fire treatments, and tree species reintroduction.
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 streams 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 inundated 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 13 million acres of wetlands and 177,000 miles of riparian areas on BLM's public lands. Overall, riparian-wetland areas account for about 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, 182,000 acres of reservoirs, and approximately 205,000 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: Many BLM activities relate directly or indirectly to management of aquatic resources. In addition to resident and anadromous fisheries management, threatened and endangered species initiatives, and Wildlife 2000, the BLM has implemented standards for rangeland health and guidelines for watersheds, riparian areas and wetlands, stream channels, and water quality. These activities, along with forestry, soil, air, and water initiatives, will contribute to the maintenance and restoration of aquatic habitats. Listings of fish and other aquatic organisms under the Endangered Species Act will require the BLM to develop management plans and continue activities that will restore and improve aquatic habitat. The Fishery Resources Conservation Plan, which was developed in response to Executive Order 12962, requires the BLM to enhance recreational angling on public lands; the BLM has provided additional access for fishing opportunities under this plan. One of the Bureau's major goals is to restore 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. The BLM also has partnerships through Watershed Coalitions with numerous other Federal and state agencies, local governments, private partners, non-governmental organizations, and tribes throughout the West to restore and manage aquatic systems. With continued involvement in these partnerships, aquatic habitats on BLM-administered lands should continue to improve over the next decade.
Aquatic Area Condition: The BLM has not assessed the condition of all the aquatic habitats that it manages. Aquatic condition is highly variable on BLM-managed public lands. For instance, the condition of the over 96,000 miles of perennial streams in Alaska is good; of the 15,145 miles of BLM-administered streams in Alaska occupied by anadromous fish species, only about 2 percent have been impacted by mining activities, roads, and oil and gas development. The remaining stream miles in Alaska have experienced little or no human impact and are generally considered to be in good to excellent condition.
In the 11 western states where the BLM manages large tracts of public land, the condition of some aquatic areas ranges from good to excellent, including the 2,038 miles of rivers designated as Wild and Scenic. However, conditions are degraded or poor in many areas that have been impacted by activities such as cattle grazing, mining, timber harvesting, and road building. For the 3,676 miles of BLM-administered streams in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California that support salmon and trout, habitat conditions range from poor to excellent. In BLM states without salmon and steelhead populations, such as Colorado and Arizona, about 46 percent of the 4,347 miles of BLM-administered streams in Colorado and 34 percent of the 1,860 miles of streams in Arizona are in properly functioning condition; about 34 percent and 51 percent, respectively, are functioning-at-risk; and about 16 percent and 2 percent, respectively, are not functioning properly. (The status of the remaining stream miles in these two states is not known.) A similar range of conditions in aquatic areas prevails in the other western states.
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 mountaintops, 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 1998 decreased by approximately 308,000 acres from year-end fiscal year 1997. This represents a reduction of 0.12 percent, which resulted from the net effect of acquisition, disposal, exchange, withdrawal, and restoration transactions. Most of the overall decrease in acreage 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 and size. In general, the ecological condition of these areas is addressed under the closest land type in Table 1. For example, a wilderness study area that is predominantly rangeland would be considered to be in at least the same ecological condition as the surrounding rangeland. Many of these special management areas contain various quantities of each of the land types described in Table 1.
| Table 3 - Number and Size of Designated Special Management Areas | |||
| Special Management Area 1 | Number | Total Acres 2 | Total Miles 2 |
| National Wild and Scenic Rivers [c] | 34 | 956,688 | 2,038 |
| Wilderness Areas [c] | 136 | 5,243,012 | |
| Wilderness Study Areas [a and c] | 622 | 17,298,430 | |
| National Conservation Areas [c] | 8 | 11,692,190 | |
| Santa Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area [c] | 1 | 101,000 | |
| White Mountain National Recreation Area [c] | 1 | 1,000,000 | |
| National Historic Trails [c] | 8 | 3,530 | |
| National Scenic Trails [c] | 2 | 568 | |
| Yaquina Head National Outstanding Natural Area [c] | 1 | 100 | |
| Herd Management Areas [a] | 201 | 33,168,712 | |
| Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument [p] | 1 | 1,900,000 | |
| Areas of Critical Environmental Concern [a] | 739 | 13,110,029 | |
| National Natural Landmarks | 43 | 599,042 | |
| Research Natural Areas [a] | 152 | 347,214 | |
| National Recreation Trails [a] | 26 | 429 | |
| National Back Country Byways [a] | 64 | 3,518 | |
| Globally Important Bird Areas [a] | 2 | 56,500 3 | |
1 Congressional designations are identified by [c]. Administrative designations are identified by [a]. Designations by Presidential Proclamation are identified by [p]. 2 These quantities are also reported in the Stewardship Lands section of this report under the land type applicable to the special management area. 3 The acreage for Globally Important Bird Areas is also contained in National Conservation Areas and the Yaquina Head National Outstanding Natural Area. | |||
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. 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, historical, cultural, or other similar values.
Wilderness Areas and Wilderness Study Areas: The BLM administers 136 wilderness areas consisting of 5.2 million acres, as well as 622 wilderness study areas encompassing approximately 17 million acres. Nearly 9 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.
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.
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.
National Scenic Areas: The BLM manages one national scenic area: the Santa Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area in California, which encompasses approximately 101,000 acres. This area was designated by Congress in 1990 to provide for the conservation and protection of scenic, recreational, and pastoral values and to provide for their enhancement.
National Recreation Areas: A National Recreation Area is an area designated by Congress to assure the conservation and protection of natural, scenic, historical, pastoral, and fish and wildlife values and to provide for the enhancement of recreational values. The White Mountain National Recreation Area in Alaska encompasses 1 million acres and 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.
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. National Historic Trails are established to identify and protect historic routes; they follow as closely as possible 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.
The BLM manages over 3,500 miles representing eight 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, and Pony Express.
| Table 4 - Name, Location, and Acreage of National Conservation Areas | ||
| National Conservation Area | Location | Acreage |
| Steese NCA | Alaska | 1,200,000 |
| San Pedro Riparian NCA | Arizona | 56,400 |
| Gila Box Riparian NCA | Arizona | 20,767 |
| King Range NCA | California | 56,025 |
| California Desert NCA | California | 9,500,000 |
| Snake River Birds of Pry NCA | Idaho | 484,873 |
| Red Rock Canyon NCA | Nevada | 112,125 |
| El Malpais NCA | New Mexico | 262,000 |
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 almost 600 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 Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 requires that wild free-roaming horses and burros be considered for management where they were found at the time Congress passed the Act. The BLM identified 264 areas of use as Herd Areas. The BLM then established Herd Management Areas (HMAs) for wild and free-roaming horses and burros through the land use planning process. The BLM manages 201 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 public lands in these states is approximately 44,500 animals, with just over 50 percent of these animals located in Nevada. Wild burros are primarily found in the Mojave desert in Arizona, California, and southern Nevada.
Approximately 33.2 million acres of land have been designated for these wild and free-roaming animals. Through the evaluation of rangeland monitoring and census data for HMAs, the BLM establishes an appropriate management level for wild horses and burros in balance with other rangeland uses. As the health of the land improves, the health of the herds is improving as well.
The BLM has designated four wild horse and burro ranges. There are three wild horse ranges, one each in Colorado, Montana and Nevada, and one wild burro range in Nevada. The BLM manages these ranges principally, but not necessarily exclusively, for the welfare of wild horses and burros, in keeping with the multiple-use management concept for the public lands.
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 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 1.9 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 Unites 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 739 ACECs encompassing more than 13 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.
| Table 5 - Areas of Critical Environmental Concern | ||
| State | Number of ACECs | Number of Acres |
| Alaska | 29 | 5,909,201 |
| Arizona | 49 | 659,501 |
| California | 120 | 1,363,829 |
| Colorado | 66 | 623,286 |
| Eastern States | 1 | 54 |
| Idaho | 79 | 517,479 |
| Montana | 27 | 117,636 |
| Nevada | 30 | 1,006,632 |
| New Mexico | 86 | 510,946 |
| Oregon | 168 | 609,951 |
| Utah | 47 | 1,097,619 |
| Wyoming | 37 | 693,895 |
| Totals | 739 | 13,110,029 |
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 152 Research Natural Areas comprising over 347,000 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. More than 800 National Recreation Trails currently exist nationwide.
The BLM manages over 400 miles along 26 National Recreation Trails. The Bureau'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 0.5 mile to 150 miles.
National Back Country Byways: The BLM manages 64 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.
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 56,500 acres. The two areas are the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona and the Yaquina Head National Outstanding Natural Area in Oregon.
Table 6 provides the net change in natural heritage designations from fiscal year 1997 to fiscal year 1998.
| Table 6 - Net Change in Natural Heritage Designations | |||
| Special Management Area | Net Change in Number | Net Change in Total | Net Change in Total Miles |
| National Wild and Scenic Rivers | +4,864 | +16 | |
| Wilderness Areas | -8,351 | ||
| Wilderness Study Areas | -722,119 | ||
| National Conservation Areas | +2,416 | ||
| Santa Rosa Mountains National Scenic Area | +35,720 | ||
| National Historic Trails | -1 | -60 | |
| National Scenic Trails | +66 | ||
| Herd Management Areas | +2 | +960 | |
| Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument | +185,000 | ||
| Areas of Critical Environmental Concern | +43 | +2,738,447 | |
| Research Natural Areas | +52 | +20,765 | |
| National Back Country Byways | -5 | ||
Museum collections under BLM's stewardship consist principally of archaeological and paleontological materials.
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 facilities, including museums, universities, and historical societies. To date, the BLM has identified 189 of these non-Federal facilities 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 facilities. 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 facilities, 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 util-izing 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 facilities to more systematically account for and preserve museum collections.
The BLM's concerted effort to locate facilities holding materials originating from BLM administered lands has thus far revealed that there are 189 professional facilities in 34 states and Canada: 123 holding archaeological materials; 84 holding paleontological materials; 6 holding historical materials; 4 holding biological materials; 2 holding ethnological materials; and 1 holding artwork (with some facilities holding more than one type of material). As there are constant projects and excavations taking place on the public lands, there has been a net increase in collections in the past year.
In addition to the millions of objects residing in non-Federal facilities, the BLM curates at least 3.5 million more objects in three BLM facilitiesthe Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, Colorado, the Billings Curation Center in Billings, Montana, and the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Flagstaff Hill, Oregon.
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 1998, the Anasazi Heritage Center's collections were estimated to consist of 3 million specimens, 65 percent of which are entered in the Argus collections management database system. At the present time, the collection at the Anasazi Heritage Center occupies a total of 12,500 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. It 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, and is operated by a curator supervised by BLM's Montana State Office archaeologist. The Billings Curation Center holds approximately 500,000 artifacts and associated 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.
National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center: The Oregon Trail Center interprets the story of the Oregon Trail, highlighting its impact on American history. The Center features pioneer artifacts, along with artwork, quotes, videos, sound effects, and lifelike dioramas. The fact-filled exhibits and programs enhance visitors' understanding of America's Westward migration story. The collections are estimated to consist of approximately 1,520 specimens and occupy 800 square feet.
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 dinosaur specimens, 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.
Table 7 summarizes the number of facilities holding collections from BLM public lands and the condition of these heritage assets.
| Table 7 - Number of Facilities and Condition of Museum Collections | ||
| Location | Number of Facilities | Condition |
| Federal Facilities | 3 | Acceptable - Safeguarded |
| Non-Federal Facilities | 189 | Acceptable - Safeguarded |
BLM's museum collections and their associated records under the stewardship of the BLM are stored in professional facilities whose mission is to preserve them. Generally, museums and facilities preserve museum objects in a manner that is appropriate to the nature of the materials; that protects them from breakage and possible deterioration from diverse temperatures and relative humidities, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, dust, soot, gases, mold, fungus, insects, rodents, and general neglect; that preserves data which may be studied in future analyses; and that protects collections from fire and theft.
Information on condition is not normally collected by the BLM to manage museum collections because doing so is considered prohibitively expensive and is not part of general professional methodology. Therefore, the BLM reports on an exception basis those collections that are not in acceptable condition, using available information such as observations from employees and the public.
The condition of BLM's museum collections is presumed to be acceptable unless there is proof to the contrary (e.g., breakage, noted deterioration, etc.). Acceptable condition is defined as "safeguarded," which means the following:
This definition is predicated on the fact that all museum objects will ultimately deteriorate over time with use. The goal of safeguarding museum objects is to preserve them for as long as possible and to manage their condition during their intended use so as not to unduly hasten their deterioration.
Approximately 99 percent of all museum collections originating from BLM-administered lands are housed in non-Federal facilities that the BLM has only limited control over and limited access to. The BLM provides little or no funding to these non-Federal facilities, 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 Environ-mental 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:
Only a small number of the approximately 221,000 archaeological and historical properties recorded through the end of fiscal year 1998 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 248 BLM cultural properties listed in the National Register. These 248 properties encompass 3,625 contributing properties, including 22 National Historic Land-marks. Table 8 summarizes the number and condition of the cultural properties under the BLM stewardship.
| Table 8 - Number and Condition of Cultural Properties | ||
| Type of Cultural Property | Number of Properties 1 | Condition 2 |
| National Historic Landmarks | 22 | Acceptable |
| National Register of Historic Places | 248 Listings 3,625 Contributing Properties |
Acceptable |
| World Heritage Properties | 5 | Acceptable |
| Recorded but Unassessed for Listing | 220,800 3 | Acceptable |
1 The BLM does not use cultural properties in its day-to-day government operations. 2 Refer to the "Condition of Cultural Properties" section of this report. 3 Thousands of archaeological and historical sites have been recorded on the public lands. The major portion of these have not been assessed for eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. | ||
"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 10c 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."
National Historic Landmarks: The National Historic Landmarks program is administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the National Park Service (NPS) under the Historic Sites Act of 1935; regulations for the program are in 36 CFR Part 65. Candidate Landmarks are identified by NPS staff, evaluated and recommended by an appointed Advisory Board, and designated by the Secretary to recognize their outstanding historical, architectural, or archaeological value and significance at a national level. Landmark designation does not create units of the National Park System.
Many Landmarks, particularly in the West, have mixed ownership. Private and other non-Federal Landmarks are generally maintained according to owners' agreements with the National Park Service. Maintenance of Federal Landmarks and Federal portions of mixed-ownership Landmarks is the responsibility of the land-managing agency. Twenty-two National Historic Landmarks involve BLM-managed lands and, as steward, the Bureau places a high priority on protecting Landmarks from deterioration or harm.
Each year the Secretary provides the Congress with a listing of damaged or threatened National Historic Landmarks, as required by Section 8 of Public Law 94-458. This listing does not differentiate according to ownership when any portion of a Landmark is judged to be subject to threat. Of the Landmarks identified in the current listing where there are some BLM-managed lands involved, the BLM-managed portions of the Landmarks are not actively at risk. Landmark condition is carefully monitored by BLM's field offices. When active threats are present, appropriate physical or administrative protective measures are applied promptly.
Significant historic properties on BLM-managed public lands, including National Historic Landmarks, are predominantly archaeological properties that have been unused and unoccupied for hundreds or thousands of years. A smaller percentage of historic properties on the public lands consist of the physical remains of failed settlements, abandoned mines, and similar boom-or-bust developments dating to the past 150 years. Inescapably, such historic resources are in a continuous state of deterioration.
The BLM's cultural resource management program was developed in the 1970s to respond to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and Executive Order 11593 of 1971. The most important known properties, including National Historic Landmarks, are afforded the highest attention.
The BLM's cultural resource management program does not include an element called "condition assessment survey." However, historic properties are evaluated continuously, and monitoring the rate of natural and human-caused deterioration-adjusting protection methods and priorities accordingly-is the most commonly applied protection measure where significant properties are known to exist.
All Other Cultural Properties: The condition of the approximately 221,000 recorded archaeological and historic sites on the public lands ranges from nonexistent (the site was recorded, assessed, and then destroyed) to excellent. Most of the public lands inventoried in any given fiscal year (500,000-plus acres on average) are examined in response to requests by land use applicants to undertake a land-disturbing activity. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires that any project requiring a Federal approval, license, or money be reviewed for its potential effect on any listed or eligible National Register of Historic Place property. Since only about 5 percent of the public lands have been inventoried to date and most National Register-eligible sites have not yet been identified, the area of potential impact must generally be inventoried before project approval.
The preferred course of action when a proposed project may affect an archaeological or historic site is to avoid it, particularly if the site is of national significance or is a designated National Historic Landmark. On some projects, particularly larger ones, it is not always possible to avoid National Register-eligible sites that are important primarily for the scientific information they contain. Consequently, in any given year, the effects of projects on an unknown number of sites are mitigated.
In most instances, mitigation involves either site recordation or excavation of a small percentage of a site. At that point, what remains of the site can be destroyed without further examination. In the years since the National Historic Preservation Act was passed in 1966, many hundreds, if not thousands, of sites have been destroyed subsequent to project mitigation or without mitigation because the information they contain is redundant (i.e., similar information has previously been obtained from similar sites). Consequently, an unknown percentage of the archaeological and historical sites recorded on the public lands no longer exist.
During fiscal year 1998, approximately 8,000 additional archaeological and historical sites were recorded. The number of National Register of Historic Places listings increased by seven. Contributing properties