Dear Editor,
Did you know the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees more than 200 million acres of lands owned in part by each and every American? Forty years ago, a law was passed by Congress to ensure that we all have a say in how these lands are managed.
Prior to 1976, your public lands currently managed by the BLM were not necessarily viewed as America’s crown jewels like the national parks, and the BLM often sold off acreage for oil and gas, mining and ranching. The law called the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) changed that and included conservation and managing areas for wilderness characteristics as priority uses for the BLM public lands in addition to activities like mining, grazing, energy development and recreation.
The FLPMA was the first congressional recognition of the value of unprotected public lands to the citizens of the United States, managing these lands under a mission of multiple-use and sustained yield. The act directs the BLM to manage and conserve public lands to protect “the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archeological values.” Under the act, the agency is required to periodically inventory lands and their resources, set up a planning process that relies on these inventories, manage lands for multiple-use and sustained yield, prioritize the designation and protection of areas of critical environmental concern, and identify and provide protections for wilderness lands, among other things.
In Wyoming, the BLM manages more than 17 million acres, and these lands need and deserve our voice. We are all the public, and it’s imperative that we speak up to ensure these lands are sensibly managed for many uses and in a sustainable way. It’s up to all of us to provide an abundant landscape for those who will come after us. Thanks to the 40-year-old FLPMA, and to the BLM for managing these lands.
Shaleas Harrison
Laramie
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