WESTERN PUBLIC LANDS INITIATIVE: CONSERVATION SYSTEM FACTS/HISTORY: BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT DETAILS – INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT DETAILS

The Bureau of Land Management is a government agency under the umbrella of the Department of the Interior. The BLM manages more than 13% of America’s surface, which is more land than all the other land management agencies, including the Forest Service and the National Park Service put together. Despite the BLM’s great responsibilities, few people are aware of the high-quality lands the BLM manages, and even fewer are aware that the BLM receives very little federal funding to manage our national treasures.

The BLM was created in 1946, when the federal Government merged the General Land Office and the Grazing Service. The modern era for the BLM began when Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) in 1976, giving the BLM a multiple use mandate to manage public lands for many uses, including conservation, resource extraction, and recreation. This multiple use mandate stands in contrast to the missions of other land management agencies under the US Department of Interior.

The BLM has undergone a steady process of change since the passage of FLPMA – but the basics remain the same - huge tracts of land and a multiple use mandate.

For more information, visit the BLM’s official web page.

For more information about the FLPMA, click here.

For more information about the National Landscape Conservation System, click here.