Most Beneficial Use of Public Lands

Secretary of Interior Reports Economic Impact of National Wildlife Refuges Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton on October 6 released a report that shows recreational use on national wildlife refuges generated almost $1.4 billion in total economic activity during the 2004 fiscal year.

The report, Banking on Nature 2004: The Economic Benefits to Local Communities of National Wildlife Refuge Visitation, was compiled by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service economists. Learn More http://www.fws.gov/refuges/policyMakers/BankingOnNature.html

Even if the cost of leasing permits were increased, the grazing use of public land can not generate the money that is generatied by recreational use of public lands.

If we were to return these grazing lands back to the wildlife Refuges they were intended to be to start with, the money generated through Nature Based Tourism would surpass even the money generated from the recreational use alone. Nature Based Tourism on Public Lands would result in several hundred times the revenu of grazing permits and would not require the constant reperation of public land areas.

 

What is Public Land?

Besides managing 258 million surface acres, the BLM administers the Federal mineral estate beneath that acreage. The Bureau also manages the mineral estate beneath lands administered by the following Federal agencies:

Forest Service (191 million acres),
Fish and Wildlife Service (93 million acres),
National Park Service (84 million acres),
and the Department of Defense/Army Corps of Engineers (12 million acres).

In addition, the BLM manages 58 million acres of Federal mineral estate beneath surface lands owned by non-Federal (state and private) entities; these split-ownership lands are known as "split estate." In all, the BLM manages nearly 700 million acres of Federal sub-surface mineral estate across the nation.

It should be noted that while the BLM has the responsibility of managing Federal minerals beneath lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS), nearly all NPS lands are withdrawn from mineral leasing and development activities. Although mineral leasing occurs in a few units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, which is managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, most refuge lands are withdrawn from mineral leasing or have no mineral potential.

It should also be pointed out that the BLM, as part of its trust responsibility, oversees mineral operations on 56 million acres of Indian lands.
SOURCE: http://www.blm.gov/nhp/facts/acres.htm

What are the Public Lands?

The Federally-owned public lands include National Parks and National Forests, lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges. They are lands that are owned by all Americans.

The Bureau of Land Management manages 262 million acres of Federally-owned public lands (11% of U.S. acreage), the most of any Federal agency.

The public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management are used for recreational purposes such as fishing, hiking, off-road vehicle use, and camping; commercial uses such as mining, grazing, forestry, power transmission rights-of ways, scenery for advertising, and motion picture filming; and conservation of plant, fish, and animal specimens and habitats, wild horse and burro ranges, archaeological and historic properties.

Commercial uses of the public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management generate over $1 billion in revenue for State and local governments annually.

Total revenues paid to the Federal government by companies that conduct energy and mineral operations on BLM public lands amount to over $2 billion.

Public lands etiquette: when visiting the public lands, you should stay on designated roads and trails, even if an off-road vehicle is available. Take only photographs and leave things exactly as you found them. Be careful to examine and remove from your clothing and vehicles (especially tire treads) plants seeds - they could be from invasive weeds. If you find any cultural or archeological artifacts, do not disturb them, but report the location to BLM staff.