Maps Showing the Presence of the Federal Government in the West

Additional information

Percent of public lands

Federal Government Agency in the West

Lands managed by the BLM

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for managing 262 million acres of land--about one-eighth of the land in the United States--and about 300 million additional acres of subsurface mineral resources. The Bureau is also responsible for wildfire management and suppression on 388 million acres.

Most of the lands the BLM manages are located in the western United States, including Alaska, and are dominated by extensive grasslands, forests, high mountains, arctic tundra, and deserts. The BLM manages a wide variety of resources and uses, including energy and minerals; timber; forage; wild horse and burro populations; fish and wildlife habitat; wilderness areas; archaeological, paleontological, and historical sites; and other natural heritage values.

The Bureau of Land Management administers public lands within a framework of numerous laws. The most comprehensive of these is the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). All Bureau policies, procedures and management actions must be consistent with FLPMA and the other laws that govern use of the public lands

National Parks in the West

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that established the National Park Service as an office of the Department of the Interior.

The government’s aim, as stated in the National Park Service Organic Act of 1916, was to "conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment for the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

National Forests

American people own 191 million acres of land within the National Forest system. here are a total of 155 National Forests in 44 states across the country.

President Theodore Roosevelt added more than 140 million acres to the National Forest system during his presidency.

More than 60 million people in 3,400 communities in 33 states rely on National Forests for their drinking water. 

With 4,400 campgrounds, 121,000 miles of trails and 96 Wild and Scenic Rivers, our National Forests are truly America's favorite playground. Some 360 threatened or endangered species rely on America’s National Forest areas. (Land area reports, 2002: http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/lar/LAR02/