Management of the BLMs Public Lands System essays

Management of the BLMs Public Lands System essays Management of the BLM's Public Lands System The government has control of over one-third of the nation's land, and 398 million acres of that is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM 6). This land hold a wide diversity of resources, from timber, and grazing lands found on the surface to a mass of oil, natural gas, and minerals laying below the earth. The history of these lands is hardly a dull story, because it is the story of the taming of the "Wild West". Should the BLM though, still be controlling these lands under the same laws that where put in affect to establish the Western Frontier. I feel that a radical reevaluation of these laws needs to take place, in order to adapt them to the changing demographic and technological environment of our society. The laws that are remaining are allowing companies to hurt the land, which is against the mission statement of the BLM. The BLM mission statement say, the Bureau is responsible for the balanced management of the public lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in a combination that will best serve the American people. Management is based upon the principles of multiple use and sustained yield; a combination of uses that takes into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, land, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness, and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values. (BLM 7). Therefor by allowing these old laws to remain they are pulling away from there mission statement. Throughout the 80's the Bureau of Land Management developed a host of programs and emphasized a number of others - outdoor recreation, wildlife and fisheries, toxic materials management, and wetland enhancement, to name a few - but there are still many problems that must be addressed. Due to the increasing demand for outdoor recreation, there has bee...