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The NLCS is made up of more than 800 units, which include:
Presidentially designated through the Antiquities Act of 1906, 15 BLM-managed areas have been designated National Monuments to protect historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic or scientific interest for future generations. Congress also has the authority to designate monuments and has in 29 cases. Many of our most spectacular National Parks were first protected as monuments until Congress could act to give them National Park status, including Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Denali, Joshua Tree and many more. Each monument has a management plan to determine how the monument resources will be protected. A strong management plan is necessary to ensure the integrity of each monument. It will take citizens across the country participating in the planning process to make sure we secure strong protections for our monuments. National Conservation Areas (NCAs) are designated by Congress to conserve, protect, enhance and manage public land areas for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. NCAs feature exceptional natural, recreational, cultural, wildlife, aquatic, archeological, paleontological, historical, educational and/or scientific resources. Thirteen NCAs totaling 14 million acres provide for the conservation, use, enjoyment and enhancement of certain natural, recreational, paleontological and other resources, including fish and wildlife habitat. The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System to preserve areas "where the earth and its community of life are untrammled by man, where man himself is only a visitor who does not remain." The BLM manages about 270 million acres of public lands, and has more wildlands than any other land management agency. Yet only 5 percent of the BLM's lands are protected as Wilderness -- a smaller percentage than any other land management agency. BLM has an obligation to protect more of these wild places as Wilderness. Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) are superb wildlands that currently are awaiting wilderness designation. These are areas that have met the criteria for wilderness but lack congressional designation as such. By law, WSAs are to be managed so that their use does not impair them from future wilderness designation. However, some managing agencies try to lease areas for oil and gas development or allow mining, logging or overgrazing to take place. Off-road vehicle abuse is also a serious threat to the wilderness characteristics of WSAs. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was passed in 1968 in response to the damming, dredging, diking and diverting of the nation's wild rivers. A Wild and Scenic Rivers designation is meant to preserve the wild qualities of the rivers. The NLCS includes 36 Wild and Scenic Rivers accounting for a total of more than 2,000 miles, or about 20 percent of the national wild and scenic rivers system. These rivers, in four western states and Alaska, offer unparalleled opportunities for recreation. National Historic and Scenic Trails The BLM manages 3,623 miles of nine Historic and Scenic trails
that commemorate the nation's cultural heritage. These trails were
chosen to protect historic routes and artifacts for public use and
enjoyment. The BLM manages areas on the Continental Divide and Pacific
Crest trail. Photo: Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona. Photo courtesy BLM. Up to Top |
In June 2000, the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS)
was established within the Bureau of Land Management to protect
and promote unique areas. The NLCS, which encompasses some of the
best BLM lands, will come to evoke the same awe and pride that our
National Park system does today.