Fee-Free Days for BLM-Managed Public Lands Set for 2012

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Washington D.C. Office

Release Date: 01/12/12

Contacts:

Kevin Flynn

, (202) 912-7417

Fee-Free Days for BLM-Managed Public Lands Set for 2012

The Bureau of Land Management, in conjunction with other agencies within the Department of the Interior, will waive recreation-related fees for visitors to the National System of Public Lands for Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend (Jan. 14 to Jan. 16), Get Outdoors Day (June 9), National Public Lands Day (Sept. 29), and Veterans Day weekend (Nov. 10-12) in 2012. These fee-free days also apply to areas managed within the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS).

“While the BLM serves as the steward of America’s public lands, we can’t do our job alone,” said BLM Director Bob Abbey. “Waiving fees a few days out of the year may help some people, who might otherwise not have the opportunity, to experience their public lands and develop a passion for them as others have.”

Site-specific standard amenity and individual day-use fees at BLM recreation sites and areas will be waived for the specified dates. Other fees, such as overnight camping, cabin rentals, and group day use, will remain in effect. More details about fee-free days and activities on BLM-managed public lands are available at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/Recreation/BLM_Fee_Free_Days.html.

The NLCS encompasses more than 27 million acres and includes more than 880 federally recognized areas, such as national monuments, national conservation areas, wilderness areas, wilderness study areas, wild and scenic rivers, national scenic and historic trails, and conservation lands of the California desert.

The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.

--BLM--

Last updated: 01-12-2012