Unit Four: Resource Managers - USFS, BLM, & others
LSRC 251 - Introduction to Recreation and the Natural Environment
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Unit Four: Resource Managers - USFS, BLM, & others LSRC 251 - Introduction to Recreation and the Natural Environment |
Unit Four: Resource Mangers: Who Else Controls What Resources for What End?
The broad topic of lecture four is to expand the overview for who manages other outdoor recreation resources beyond the National Park Service. The USFS (Forest Service) is one of the big three. BLM (Bureau of Land Management) is the third agency in the big three of Federal land management agencies. There will also be a quick look at USFW, Corp of Engineers, CA State Parks, and local agencies both public and non-profit.
Questions that will be answered include: what is the history of these agencies, what resources do they control, and what is the management mandate for USFS & BLM? So . . . with that overview, let's plunge ahead with your web based reading and related questions.
United States Forest Service:
USFS manages over 192 million acres of land, which is about 2.4 times as much land as the NPS. The USFS web presence is huge. Check out his link for an overview of what resources they manage.
USFS oversees land with a multiple-use management philosophy focused on conservations and stands in contrast to the NPS mandate of preservation and recreation access. The Forest Service views a resource area as one that needs to be conserved over the long haul. Trees are viewed as a part of the natural resource that needs to be sustained over time. Therefore cutting of timber for commercial interests is part of the legitimate use of a national forest as long as the resource is replenished. Leases to commercial interests for grazing cattle or mining gold or running a ski area are all considered part of the multiple uses of the land.. Recreation is a key 'use' and legislated as part of the USFS management mandate. Conflict is inevitable and thus controversy is part of the picture. Read this short paper of one person's concern about USFS practice of managing the timber and national forest. Read this policy statement by the National Association of State Foresters that raises a number of politically impacted issues of management practices within the Forest Service. Read about what the Forest Service considers to be its greatest threats in managing the resource.
Despite the various debates about non-recreational uses of the land, recreation is a key part of the picture and a big part of what the USFS does. The point of following this link is to see how much USFS is in the recreation business. Even within the recreation use there is conflict between what type of users and the question of environmental impact. The Forest Service lists this question of impact as one of its four greatest threats mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Bureau of Land Management:
BLM was originally the Land Office of the federal government and oversaw the distribution of land from the government to private citizens as the U.S. expanded westward and acquired new territory (no debate for now about who took what from whom and the justice issues involved). But the concept of the Homestead Act of 1862 was to move more land to private ownership. What a great democratic idea! As time went on eventually the government stopped giving land away and held on to the remainder with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 . BLM is part of the Department of the Interior and has ended up in charge of what some folks say is 'the land nobody wanted'. BLM administers 258 million acres of America's public lands, located primarily in 12 Western States. Check out these basic facts about BLM by going to their home page and following the link about "what we do" as well as their brief summary of history and purpose. The BLM management includes a clear commitment to recreation but much like the Forest Service it is charged with providing multiple uses for the land including significant involvement with mining and grazing. Criticism of land management decisions seem to come from both sides at all times.
Wilderness
Don't forget that BLM and USFS (especially Forest Service) have a hand in the NWPS (National Wilderness Preservations System) and some of their land is set aside in this wilderness system.
Other Agencies
Other agencies manage land in the U.S. The fourth largest in the federal system is the USFWS. 93 million acres are set aside in wildlife refuges and extensive programs are operated which impact the preservation of fish, birds, and other species. The US Fish and Wildlife Service history is described well at their website. Read the history and explore what else they do. One of the key roles of USFWS is determination of 'threatened' and 'endangered' species - what is the difference? Other federal agencies like the Army Corp of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Tennessee Valley Water Authority manage dams and water based recreation resources and are part of the recreational mix.
Each state has a Department of State parks. California is no exception and you can briefly see the scope of the CA system by visiting their website.
When you are ready to take the Quiz 4 you will find it located on the Moodle page for the class. The test will ask you to review facts about the land management agencies you've read about and management issues tied to the concepts of multiple use, conservation, preservation, and sustainability. There are 15 multiple choice questions. Specific things you should know include - relative resource size of the big 4, greatest challenges of USFS, what federal departments house the big 3, conservation versus preservation, multiple use, endangered, threatened, historic Land Office, public land sales, wildlife refuge, why greater forest fire threat, OHV, recreation uses, wilderness and roadless areas. The multiple choice questions are worth 3 pts each for 45 points (and no essay question for this quiz). Grades for this exam will be posted immediately on grade sheet. The test is time limited to 30 minutes.
Key Links in the course