Outdoor recreation is integral to the American lifestyle and is uniquely associated with the western quality of life. The outdoor lifestyle of the West is also increasingly attracting international visitors. Fueled by a growing population, the public demand for recreation on western public lands continues to increase. This has led to increased recreation visitation and more diverse types of recreational use – not to mention greater controversy surrounding these trends on public lands. Significant challenges arise due to the resulting need for more complex analysis, and increased mitigation of impacts from recreational use. BLM is responding by 1) transitioning to a more efficient and collaborative benefits-based management framework; 2) using a comprehensive approach to managing roads and trails for travel and access; 3) improving visitor services and access for persons with disabilities; 4) improving business practices, fee program oversight, and accountability; and 5) continuing to sustain partnerships and leverage limited resources.

 

BLM is required under its organic act, the National Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as well as other laws, rules, regulations and policy, to guide the way it manages recreation within a multiple-use setting. Accordingly, BLM strives to meet visitor demands for adventure, renewal, and open spaces, while maintaining conditions that conserve the land and create sustainable recreation-related benefits for visitors and communities alike. In serving visitors, the BLM has an opportunity to increase public understanding of the concept of multiple-use and the unique role of the public lands in the history and cultural life of the United States. 

 

The BLM is shifting from managing specific recreation activities to an emphasis on the physical, mental and social benefits that an individual achieves through participating in recreation and the equally important benefits recreation and tourism provides to communities near BLM-managed lands.

 

BLM lands provide sustainable recreation opportunities that furnish important social and economic benefits to both local communities and the nation. Forming partnerships and cooperative ventures to sustain the unique character of recreation use in these truly American places is perhaps the best way to preserve the viability and character of many rural western communities.