Stories From the Field:  Social Resources

America’s social resources are its people, and the BLM provides vital services to Americans through recreation; access to public lands and resources and myriad volunteer, partnership and educational opportunities.  

America’s Backyard:  The Growth of Outdoor Recreation on BLM Lands
By Bob Ratcliffe and David O. Howell

Just a few decades ago, BLM public lands were truly the lands that no one knew—few people were aware of what they offered and they were only occasionally visited by the recreating public.  That is no longer the case.
 

Leading by Example:  Volunteers and Friends Groups!
By Dave Hunsaker

In 1984, the Friends of Red Rock Canyon (FORRC) tentatively took shape.  Today, FORRC members are an invaluable partner for the BLM.

Environmental Education on the Ground
By Beth Kampschror

Plant identification and seed collection are just a small part of a project that studies, grows, and reestablishes native plants within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 

Connecting to Community
By Sarah LeCompte

The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon (Vale District), was an effort that took the BLM and ambitious community leaders working together to create a center that would consistently draw tourists to the rural, relatively remote location.

Travel Management Is Everyone’s Business
By Mark Goldbach

With the tens of thousands of miles of two-track roads on public lands that provide access to a variety of destinations within many different landscapes, the public loves the freedom of travel on BLM lands.

Backcountry Byways
By Bill Civish

Most BLM-managed roads did not meet the paving requirements to qualify as national scenic byways; however, they certainly did meet the scenic criteria.  With this in mind, we hit on “back country byways.”  

  Shelf Road Climbing Area
By Mark Hesse

One major characteristic that makes the Shelf Road climbing area so special, as many visiting climbers have noted, is that it is one of the best managed and cared-for rock climbing areas in the nation.